Illinois (5-1) won its second game against a mid-major opponent in the last few days on Monday night, blowing out the Little Rock Trojans (3-4). Unranked in the most recent Associated Press poll, the Illini have won their last two games by a combined margin of 105 before heading into a much anticipated Thanksgiving day matchup against No. 19 Arkansas.
Game over in first half
Illinois put away its opponent in the first half for the second straight game. The Illini led 51-19 heading into halftime on the back of a combined 34 points from freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis, freshman forward Will Riley and sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic. For about seven minutes starting midway through the first half, Illinois went on a 23-0 run, taking away Little Rock’s chances of keeping the game even slightly close.
Illinois knocked down 16 shots in the first half, including five threes, while Little Rock only made six buckets for 19 points. It was complete domination by the Illini on both ends of the ball, and the Trojans had no response coming out of the break. They only scored 15 more points, eventually falling to the Illini by 58.
Illinois’ offensive variety on display
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The Illini were everywhere on the offensive end. As usual, the team put up a high volume of three-pointers, shooting 31 and knocking down 10. Riley hit a trio of triples on nine attempts en route to 13 points in 23 minutes.
Ivisic and junior forward Tre White led the Illini’s attack in the paint. Illinois owned the paint, scoring 36 points compared to Little Rock’s four. White was constantly cutting and driving to the rim, while Ivisic was able to post up the Trojans’ smaller big men. Ivisic scored 16 points, including 12 in the paint, while White added 16 points, 12 of which came from inside.
Jakucionis was also extremely impressive on the offensive end, scoring a career-high 21 points on 5-9 shooting. The Lithuanian guard was all over the court, driving to the basket, drawing fouls and getting his silky smooth three-point shot to drop multiple times. Jakucionis went 3-4 from three and hit all eight free throws.
Illinois’ ability to score both inside and out was one of the strengths this team was built to have. They must translate that into consistent performances against higher-ranked programs as the season progresses to reach their ceiling.
Illini active on defense
For a team with major defensive concerns coming into the season and after a rough performance against the Crimson Tide, the Illini looked great against the Trojans.
In the first half, the Illini racked up seven steals, including two each from Ivisic and Jakucionis. That continued in the second half.
White, Ivisic and freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. controlled the boards, grabbing a combined 30 rebounds. They out-rebounded the entire Little Rock roster. Ivisic and Johnson showed good defensive restraint, sagging back to the paint instead of trying to guard Little Rock’s non-shooting big men close to the perimeter.
The Illini held Little Rock to an abysmal 23.6% from the field overall. Their top three scorers, who all shot at least 39% from three heading into this game, only shot a combined 28.6% from beyond the arc.
What’s next?
Next up for Illinois is a nationally televised game against Arkansas on Thanksgiving day. Ivisic will match up with his brother, 7-foot-2 sophomore center Zvonimir Ivisic, who is playing for the Razorbacks after transferring from Kentucky.
The Razorbacks are led by freshman guard Boogie Fland and junior forward Adou Thiero and are coached by legendary college basketball head coach John Calipari. Besides the Ivisic brothers, there is a connection between the two teams in the form of former Illini assistant coach Chin Coleman, who is on Calipari’s staff.
This will be a redemption game for the Illini against a ranked opponent after losing to the now No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide in a rough performance on Wednesday.
@sahil_mittal24
