A few days after its 39-point blowout of Penn State, No. 13 Illinois (12-3, 4-1) is taking on USC (9-6, 1-3) for a morning contest in Champaign. It is the tenth meeting between the two teams. They last played in 2012, and the Illini won by 30.
Will Kasparas Jakučionis play?
Freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis did not play against Penn State on Wednesday. He was held out with a left forearm injury that had apparently limited him since returning from the team’s recent West Coast trip.
On Friday, head coach Brad Underwood still did not know if Jakučionis would return against USC. Underwood noted that the projected top-five NBA draft pick would be a game-day decision. He didn’t offer up much more of an update on what he described after Wednesday’s game as inflammation and soreness.
“I think we’ll wait till (Saturday) and see what that game-day decision looks like,” Underwood said.
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If Jakučionis does not make his return, expect freshman forward Will Riley to remain in the starting lineup for the second straight game.
USC overview: Two-game losing streak
The Trojans’ only Big Ten win so far this year came over the Washington Huskies in December. USC is currently on a two-game losing streak after falling to Indiana and Michigan State on its Midwest trip.
The Trojans are led by junior guard Desmond Claude, who is averaging 14.9 points per game but likes to drive to the rim instead of shoot the three. Claude is 6-foot-6, and a majority of USC’s roster is built like him. Seven of the team’s top eight scorers are at least 6-foot-6, but only one of those wings is a strong and willing three-point shooter. Graduate student guard Chibuzo Agbo is shooting 38.5% on 6.4 attempts from deep per game. The Illini’s starting lineup with Riley gives them a solid size boost. This will be very useful in countering the Trojans if they focus on driving to the basket instead of shooting from the perimeter.
USC has a weak point with their size in the paint, as they don’t have a truly solid big man. Graduate student forward Josh Cohen is only averaging 9.3 points and 2.7 rebounds as a starter for the Trojans, and those numbers are inflated by non-conference games. In USC’s four Big Ten games so far this season, Cohen has been extremely ineffective. He’s only put up a total of eight points and seven rebounds. Cohen is the tallest player on the Trojans along with senior forward Harrison Hornery, who has only played in three games. Both players stand at 6-foot-10.
Focus points for Illinois
Sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić should have an absolute field day on Saturday. He stands at 7-foot-1, giving him a height advantage over Cohen, and he has been much more effective this season. Ivišić is averaging 13.1 points and nine rebounds per game this year.
Ivišić should be able to easily out-rebound Cohen and USC as a whole; the Trojans are the worst rebounding team in the Big Ten. Cohen’s defense also leaves a lot to be desired, so Ivišić should get plenty of opportunities to score near the basket. Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr., an extremely physical force inside, will also have an opportunity to make a big impact in the post.
Riley is another player that fans should focus on on Saturday. Junior guard Tre White, graduate student forward Ben Humrichous and Johnson all had 20-point games on Wednesday night. All three stepped up their offensive production with Jakučionis sidelined. However Riley, known as a prolific scorer, still couldn’t get much going on offense, even as a starter. He shot poorly from the field once again (2-11), continuing his shooting slump.
With Humrichous getting his shots to fall as of late, Johnson’s consistency when given playing time and White’s development into a reliable offensive option for the Illini, Riley is naturally the next player who needs to step his game up. In a starting role, he’ll have more time on the floor than he would coming off the bench. Also, he’ll have the ball in his hands more without Jakučionis playing. This is an important game for Riley to get some confidence back in his shot before the Illini head on the road for a couple of tough games against Indiana and No. 16 Michigan State (13-2, 4-0).
As a team, Illinois has a chance to close out its home stand with a bang. This will likely be one of the weaker Big Ten opponents that it faces. Still, they can’t take the Trojans for granted. If they’re up early, the Illini will need to, as Underwood likes to say, push the pedal through the floor and bury their opponent. Illinois cannot afford a situation similar to the games against Washington and Northwestern. In those games, Illinois slowed down and made the games closer than they needed to be after playing well in the first halves. Big wins over No. 9 Oregon and Penn State make it clear that it can bury in-conference teams with ease. The Illini need to do that once again on Saturday.
Tip-off
The matinee matchup is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday at State Farm Center. It is Illinois’ last home game before the student section returns from winter break. The game will be aired on the Big Ten Network.
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