Illinois (3-0) took on Oakland (1-2) on Wednesday night in Champaign. It was a very different ride for the Illini compared to their 45 and 32-point blowouts against EIU and SIUE last week. The Illini won the game 66-54, but multiple players struggled against a more physical team and the relatively unique zone defense instituted by Oakland head coach Greg Kampe. Certain Illini, however, continued to play well in their third game of the season.
Kylan Boswell (B-):
Boswell didn’t shoot it great, going 2-8 from the field, including 2-6 from three, but he looked much more willing to step up on the offensive end and take good looks. The indecisive, almost timid, offensive play he showcased in Illinois’ first two games was nonexistent versus Oakland.
“We’re all great shooters,” said Boswell. “If it’s not falling, we know how much work we put in, we trust our shots. Coach Underwood preaches if you got a good look, regardless how many misses you’ve already shot, keep shooting.”
Where Boswell really made his mark was on the defensive end. His on-ball defense was extremely intense for a third straight game, even against a very physical Oakland roster. Boswell wore down Oakland’s guards multiple times forcing end-of-shot clock plays and tough shots.
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“Definitely feel like I’m kind of the tip of the spear for us on the defensive end,” said Boswell. “My energy and my effort, I feel like runs through everybody else, especially guarding the one bringing the ball up all the time. … Regardless what’s going on on the offensive end, defensively just try to be the best player in the nation on that end.”
Kasparas Jakučionis (C):
Jakucionis had a rough night offensively to say the least. The freshman guard only scored four points, all from free throws, and he missed all three of his shot attempts. Despite showcasing strong playmaking skills as the primary ball handler in the Illini’s first two games, Jakucionis struggled to take care of the ball against Oakland. He turned it over five times compared to his three assists.
Oakland was very physical with Jakucionis. The opponents fouled him hard multiple times and provided strong ball pressure that left Jakucionis looking visibly frustrated at times. Head coach Brad Underwood was also frustrated with the physicality against Jakucionis. At one point Underwood shouted during the game, “He’s number one in the country in fouls drawn! That’s a foul!”
One positive for Jakucionis was his rebounding. The 6-foot-6 guard grabbed six rebounds, tied for the team high with sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic and fifth-year forward Ben Humrichous. The assists he had were nice, too, with one being a no-look pass to Ivisic. However, that was the extent of the positives for Jakucionis in his first regular season game with real struggles.
Tre White (C):
White was efficient from the field and shot 3-5 en route to seven points. He also dished out three assists, tied with Jakucionis for the team high.
However, like Jakucionis, he turned the ball over too much, registering four turnovers in just 14 minutes. After playing 20 plus minutes in each of the Illini’s first two games, White’s minutes were limited by Humrichous and Riley, who played for 36 and 28 minutes respectively.
Ben Humrichous (C+):
After shooting a combined 7-14 from three in Illinois’ first two games, Humrichous faltered slightly against Oakland, going 2-7 from long range. His looks were good overall, but Humrichous just couldn’t get them to fall.
However, Humrichous did have some positives. He played a solid defensive game, staying in front of Oakland’s players well, including blocking a shot on a drive. Humrichous also grabbed six rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, to provide second chance opportunities for the Illini. One of those offensive boards resulted in a putback dunk for Humrichous off of an Illinois miss.
Tomislav Ivisic (A):
Another game, another great showing from Ivisic. The 7-foot-1 sophomore was dominant once again. He scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds and added an impressive four steals.
Ivisic attacked the Oakland zone in the middle of the paint, dropping in floaters from the same spot over and over again. This is something he and the coaching staff scouted and prepared for a lot heading into the game.
“We were preparing for their zone the whole week; we knew how they were gonna defend us,” said Ivisic. “The coach was asking from me to be in the middle spot, that I’m gonna have a lot of space there to help my teammates, assist them or even have open shots for me, and that’s what happened.”
Will Riley (C+):
After averaging 22.7 points on 60% shooting and 72.7% shooting from three (8-11), Riley was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week last week. However, his strong performance in the team’s first two games did not continue this week against Oakland.
Riley only scored twice on his eight attempts (25%) and finished with eight points on the night, his first game scoring in single digits for the Illini. He also added four rebounds, two assists and a block to his statline.
“The only way that I’ll get upset with young Will is if he quits shooting them, and I know he won’t,” said Underwood.
Despite not being able to get his shots to fall, Riley’s intensity and effort on defense led to him playing 28 minutes against Oakland.
“I think we’ve seen major strides; that’s why he played tonight,” said Underwood. “He was so good defensively chasing them around. I didn’t care whether he made or missed shots. I was really pleased with what he did on the defensive side.”
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (A):
Seven points doesn’t seem like a lot, but Gibbs-Lawhorn was extremely efficient in only 12 minutes on the floor. The sophomore guard shot 3-4 from the field, bouncing back from a 1-7 shooting night against SIUE.
“I’ve been really pleased with the way Dravyn’s playing,” said Underwood. “I’m excited, and he’s gonna have some big nights. On the offensive side, I think he helped us a lot tonight.”
Gibbs-Lawhorn was also aggressive on the offensive glass. He grabbed three offensive rebounds, something that Underwood has put an emphasis on.
“We need our guards to rebound,” said Underwood. “There’s no doubt we need to become a five-man rebounding team, and that’s on both ends.”
Morez Johnson (C):
Johnson played eight minutes against Oakland and didn’t do much. He secured three rebounds and scored once on 1-3 shooting. Overall, there wasn’t anything bad from Johnson, but nothing stood out either in his limited minutes.
Carey Booth (D):
Booth only played four minutes, and he was completely irrelevant on the court. The 6-foot-10 forward registered zeroes across the stat sheet, and committed one foul.
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