No. 7 Illinois (21-11) defeated No. 15 Iowa (17-16) in its Big Ten tournament opener on Thursday night, 106-94. It was a very strong start to the postseason for the Illini, who continued the momentum they finished the regular season with.

“I think we’re getting closer,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “I don’t think we played 40 minutes, but I think we’re getting closer to achieving that. That’s ultimately where our ceiling is when you can play a 40-minute game and do it at both ends.”

Balanced first-half barrage

Illinois was strong offensively in the first half, even without much contribution from freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis, who only scored three points while racking up two fouls and three turnovers. The team had three players in double figures after the first 20 minutes.

Sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić kicked things off for the Illini, scoring their first six points. He started the game 2-2 from three, hitting one from the top of the key and another from the wing. Ivišić finished the first half with 11 points, shooting 3-5 from three.

The big man also grabbed five first-half rebounds while showcasing his ability to be a facilitator. He dished out four assists in the opening half.

“I’m always looking for my teammates in those cuts whenever they’re open; I feel like they recognize that if they’re open and I see the space, I’m going to throw it, even if it’s sometimes bad pass or turnover,” Ivišić said.“My teammates are pretty used to me throwing the ball there, and it’s working pretty well now.”

One of those included a beautiful pass to cutting junior guard Kylan Boswell, who caught the ball and laid it up in one motion, all while flying through the air.

“We practice those all the time, and now it’s natural,” Boswell said. “I’m cutting, and sometimes I just expect the ball to be there, so I’m just always kind of prepared. But yeah he’s a great passer.”

Boswell had a very strong early performance as well. His 11 first-half points on 5-9 shooting were only marred by a 1-4 performance from beyond the arc. The Champaign native passed up a wide-open three to take a contested attempt later in the shot clock. However, when Boswell was cutting and driving, he was extremely effective. He also made his teammates better, handing out four early assists.

Freshman forward Will Riley, the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, shined in his now-starting role. Riley was ultra-aggressive in getting to the rim, not settling for a single three in the first half. He had 10 points on 5-6 shooting, showing off his offensive bag around the rim and in the midrange. 

The Illini did relatively well inside and out in the first half, shooting a solid 38.4% from deep and outscoring the Hawkeyes 24-18 in the paint.

Iowa stays neck-and-neck

Iowa stayed in contention the entire first half with strong offensive performances from some of their players. Boswell started the game guarding senior forward Payton Sandfort. He forced a turnover on Iowa’s first offensive possession, but a strong start to the game by junior guard Josh Dix caused a switch in Boswell’s defensive assignment.

Dix had nine of his 11 first-half points in the first six minutes of the game, but he cooled down early. However, Sandfort filled in and started to heat up. Sandfort hit four three-pointers from the eight-minute mark in the first half until the clock hit zero. One of those threes was a buzzer-beater, sending Iowa into halftime just four points behind Illinois, which led 49-45.

The Hawkeyes were extremely efficient in scoring the basketball in the first 20 minutes of play, shooting 61.3% from the field, including going 6-10 from long range.

Second half: Illinois shoots, Illinois scores

The Illini were blistering hot in the second half, shooting 51.5% from the field, including 53.8% from three. They made seven of their 13 three-point attempts, proving exactly how dangerous they can be when they do what they were recruited to do: shoot.

“It’s nice to see the ball go in,” Underwood said.

A deep isolation three from Jakučionis, his only bucket of the night, got the crowd on their feet. Boswell made up for his first-half three-point shooting struggles in the second half, knocking down three triples. 

“I’ve been putting a lot of reps up throughout this past week and envisioning myself in these games,” Boswell said. “I feel like that’s the biggest thing that’s been helpful. Trying, while I’m doing my reps at practice, just thinking about myself in the game doing it.”

Illinois was hot from the hardwood, and the team got to the free-throw line at an extremely high rate, too. Illinois shot 21 free throws in the final 20 minutes compared to only five for Iowa. The Illini executed 16-21 of their second-half attempts from the charity stripe, adding a healthy cushion to the score that made it hard for the Hawkeyes to mount a comeback.

Four of those free throws came from Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery being assessed a technical foul and subsequently getting ejected from the game.

Late Iowa run too little, too late

Illinois got a scare from Iowa late in the second half. The Hawkeyes went on an 8-1 run to cut the Illini lead to nine with about five minutes to go.

However, it was not enough for Iowa. Illinois led 97-86 at the four-minute timeout, and Iowa immediately threw the ball away following the stop in play. 

A two-handed slam followed by a massive putback dunk, both by junior guard Tre White, put Illinois up 104-88 with under a minute and a half remaining. Those final few plays all but sealed the deal, and the Illini left the court with a 106-94 win. Sandfort, who finished with 30 points, left the court in tears in what would be his final game of college basketball.

“So much respect for Payton,” Underwood said. “He stayed four years. I love seeing guys cry when it’s over. That’s invested. That’s committed. That’s dedicated. That’s love for his university. That’s love for his coaching staff. …That young man had just an unbelievable career. He had a terrific game today.”

Boswell finished with a team-high 24 points on 10-14 shooting, including 4-7 from deep. He did not miss a shot in the second half. The veteran was extremely confident all game, finding ways to score inside and out. He was one of five Illini in double figures.

Despite ending with 10 points, Jakučionis struggled offensively, shooting 1-6. He turned the ball over six times and didn’t record a single assist. The freshman point guard faced a lot of double teams from Iowa, and it seemed to work. 

Morez Johnson Jr.’s return

Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. came off the bench in his return from injury, first checking in about halfway through the first half.

“Man, I was excited,” Johnson said. “We had an idea I was going to be cleared, but when that finally happened, I was excited.”

Johnson scored his first bucket after grabbing an offensive rebound and laying it up. He scored again down low just moments later. Johnson did exactly what he is known for in his 12 minutes on the court. He grabbed eight rebounds to go along with his four points. Those boards contributed to Illinois outrebounding Iowa 41-24.

“It was great to help my team out,” Johnson said. “This is what I came here for — to be a part of a winning program.”

What’s next?

Illinois will face off against No. 2 seed Maryland (24-7) in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament on Friday night. The last time the two teams played, Illinois lost by 21. The Illini are fully healthy now and have both major parts of their frontcourt available, which should lead to a more competitive outing.

“We’re ready for them,” Riley said.

 

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