Illinois (17-8, 9-6) returned for its final week with consecutive home games this season. UCLA (18-7, 9-5) was the foe in its first visit to Champaign since joining the Big Ten. The hosts enjoyed an 83-78 win to end UCLA’s seven-game win streak.
A blue Skyy in Champaign
A junior guard walked onto the court a couple of hours before tip with a familiar look. The short-sleeved undershirt, hair tied back and baggy shorts — somewhat reminiscent of basketball in the early 2000s — made it hard to mistake the player.
Skyy Clark returned to State Farm Center for the first time since taking a leave of absence from the program two years ago. That leave turned into an official departure, and Clark is now at his third school in as many years.
Despite Illinois head coach Brad Underwood only praising Clark before Tuesday’s contest, the students did not welcome the transfer back nicely. Not a single member of the Orange Krush blinked when the ball was in Clark’s hands, which led to boos and unpleasant chants directed in the junior’s direction.
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Whether it was the obnoxious crowd or just an off night, Clark did not play particularly well in his old home. He finished with nine points and two assists.
Tensions high in Champaign
Both teams brought some fire to the weeknight matchup. Arguably, the two most energetic coaches in the conference, Underwood and UCLA head coach Mick Cronin, dueled it out for who could be in the ear of the officiating crew more. Cronin won, earning the visiting bench a well-overdue technical foul with 13:10 left in the second half.
Both benches backed up this energy, although the UCLA reserves were easier to hear in moments when the visitors’ success made the crowd quiet. It’s safe to say neither team was pleased with the officiating in a physical Big Ten game.
It’s fun being healthy
Despite several lingering injuries and illnesses, Illinois was healthier than it had been since the beginning of January on Tuesday, and it showed. Passes were crisp, energy was high and the selflessness that Illinois fans grew to love in November and December returned.
It started early, with freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. attacking the glass and scoring an early bucket down low. Rebounding was a full team effort against UCLA, as seven Illinois players secured multiple boards.
Most surprising was freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis in the first half. The Lithuanian secured four rebounds, two offensive, in the opening 20 minutes. He finished with eight total in an aggressive game on the glass.
The Illini did struggle slightly with turnovers, with 14 over the night. However, they also featured some flashy passes. The best of the night was also a surprise, as graduate student forward Ben Humrichous delivered an early dime.
The transfer forced a turnover and immediately looked up the court. The fast break had barely begun when he shoveled the ball ahead to freshman forward Will Riley. The ball flew just by a UCLA defender’s outstretched arms and hit Riley in stride as he streaked toward the rim for an easy layup. The crowd erupted as Illinois took a 14-4 lead, and UCLA used the first of two timeouts in the opening half.
Two big offense
Utilizing multiple bigs is back in the NBA, with multiple contenders hopping on the wave. The Celtics duo of Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis, the Cavaliers duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the Thunder tandem of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein and more are taking the league by storm. However, it’s not so easy to mesh two playable big men together at the Division I level.
Underwood has found a dangerous pairing that emulates some of this NBA success, though, and it’s giving opponents increasingly more trouble. Sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić and Johnson have started the last few games together, and their size poses major problems for opponents.
The Illini wreaked havoc on the glass and outrebounded the Bruins by 13 on Tuesday, and those two were why. Johnson uses his solid stature to bring physicality to the paint, while Ivišić utilizes his length and ability to stretch the floor. When both players are in the paint at the same time, it’s nearly impossible for opposing teams to secure the rebound.
An impressive addition to each of their games tonight was the passing. Ivišić had shown flashes throughout the season, but Johnson looked comfortable swinging the rock against UCLA. Both first-year players have improved tremendously throughout the season and look like the backbone of the team for the final stretch.
Final 5 minutes
When Humrichous drilled a three-pointer from the wing with 4:51 left, it seemed like an early dagger. The arena was on its feet, and Illinois led 76-60. However, the game was far from over, and just a few minutes later, Illinois was in a one-possession game.
A 13-0 run from the Bruins forced a timeout from Underwood. All of a sudden, the confident, roaring energy from the home crowd had turned into an anxious buzz. With 38 seconds left and the shot clock running down, the ball was in Jakučionis’ hands, as it often finds itself late in close games for Illinois.
As the stadium began to count down, alerting Jakučionis to the time left to shoot, he went to work. He executed a picture-perfect step back on the left wing, leaving his defender in the dust. The stadium watched as the high-arching shot fell straight through the basket to stretch the lead.
UCLA’s Clark responded to cut the lead down to three, but it did not matter. Ivišić put a punctuation on the win on a missed free throw from Humrichous. He tipped it out to the three-point line, where it landed safely in Jakučionis’ hands. It secured the win and put a final point of emphasis on Illinois’ effort on the glass on Tuesday.
Other notes
While the game held the most importance for the current season, there were plenty of extracurriculars to track. First was the honored jersey retirement of legendary Illinois center Kofi Cockburn. The multi-time All-American player unveiled his new jersey in the rafters at halftime.
Another special big man was in attendance for Tuesday night’s affair. Italian 7-foot-1 center Luigi Suigo was on a visit to Champaign and in attendance for the game. During warmups, junior guard Ty Rodgers chatted with the recruit. Both shared a laugh as the Orange Krush used different cheers for Suigo.
Jakučionis was the star for Illinois despite a relatively even effort across the board. After a few rough performances, the guard has his confidence back from beyond the arc. He finished with 24 points and four assists to go with his rebounds.
UCLA also received a star performance from junior forward Tyler Bilodeau. The Oregon State transfer was the only reason UCLA was even in the game late after he drilled seven three-pointers. The 6-foot-9 Washington native had 25 points and two steals on the night.
The Illini never trailed, but they never maintained a significant distance between them and the Bruins. Every time it looked as though the hosts were going to run away with it, the Bruins crept back inside single digits. Ultimately, the visitors were forced to play catch-up from the beginning, and the Illini are back to three games above 0.500 in conference play.
@benfader7
