Illinois (16-8, 8-6), fresh off a return to form on Saturday, heads back to Champaign for a Tuesday night matchup with UCLA (18-6, 9-4). The Bruins enter State Farm Center riding a massive winning wave, but that will not be the only focus for those attending on Tuesday.
Two former Illini, one with legend status, are returning to Champaign for the first time since leaving Illinois years ago.
Return of Skyy Clark
State Farm Center will see former Illini and junior guard Skyy Clark for the first time since the estranged guard left the program midway through the 2022-23 season, his freshman year. Clark’s quick departure left a bad taste in the mouths of many Illini fans. His return to campus will undoubtedly draw some negative reactions from certain people in the arena.
However, his former coach, Brad Underwood, only had good things to say about the now-UCLA guard.
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“Great kid, and really happy for his successes and what he’s done,” Underwood said.
Clark spent a year at Louisville but decided to move out west for his junior year. Clark has started all 24 games for the Bruins this season and averages 7.7 points, 2.8 assists and 3 rebounds per game.
“I think (Clark)’s become what we thought he’d become when he was here,” Underwood said. “He’s mature. He’s a guy that makes open shots. We all know that he’s special athletically.”
UCLA: 7-game win streak
The Bruins are undoubtedly the hottest team in the Big Ten right now. After a four-game losing streak earlier this year, UCLA bounced back in dramatic fashion. They have a seven-game win streak going into Tuesday’s game, including a two-point win over No. 9 Michigan State.
“They’re playing exceptionally well,” Underwood said. “Hopefully, it’s a game where we can match the energy that they bring and continue to play well.”
UCLA’s leading scorers are junior forward Tyler Bilodeau and sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. They average 13.8 and 12 points per game, respectively. Both players are threats from deep, as each shoot above 37% from three this season.
Illini back on track despite injuries
After tallying their fifth unranked Big Ten loss at Rutgers last week, Illinois bounced back. It recorded a dominant win at Minnesota over the weekend. With sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and junior guard Tre White battling illness and not playing much, other players stepped up.
Freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis rebounded from a rough stretch of games with a 24-point performance. Fellow freshman forward Will Riley exploded for 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, continuing his recent high-level performances.
Now, with a strong performance under their belt, the Illini have some confidence back. Their roster also seems more cohesive, with Gibbs-Lawhorn and White looking ever closer to returning to normal game action.
“They met with the doc yesterday,” Underwood said on Monday. “They’re cleared for practice today.”
Sophomore forward Tomislav Ivišić, who hurt his ankle at Rutgers, suited up at Minnesota and looked great. Despite Underwood describing his ankle as a “large cabernet grape” over the weekend, he tallied an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. At practice on Monday, it seemed that the big man’s ankle was still suffering. However, all signs point to him playing through it on Tuesday.
“It’s still very swollen,” Underwood said. “We’ll really limit what he does today (Monday) in practice just so (the training staff) can work on it and get it back to where it’s hopefully playable.”
Kofi Cockburn’s honored jersey ceremony
Champaign will welcome back an Illini legend for the first time since his pro debut in 2022. Former center Kofi Cockburn will return to campus on Tuesday for his honored jersey ceremony at halftime. Cockburn was one of the greatest Illini big men of all time and one of the team’s most physically dominant players ever.
“Whether it was the monster rebounds, the rim-rattling dunks, the matchups with Luka Garza — I couldn’t be prouder of him and what he did in his time here,” Underwood said. “It was really special.”
The two-time consensus All-American’s jersey has been in the rafters for some time. Since he’s been playing professional basketball in Asia, Cockburn hasn’t been able to make it back for a proper ceremony until now. On Tuesday, he’ll finally have his moment alongside the Champaign community as they celebrate his illustrious career.
“It was fun to coach him, it was fun to help mold him, it was fun to challenge him, it was fun to watch him compete,” Underwood said. “There’s not ever a bad memory with Kofi.”
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