No. 6 Illinois (22-13) fell to No. 3 Kentucky (24-11) on Sunday night in the second round of the NCAA tournament, 84-75. With the loss, the season is officially over for the Illini, who did not reach the ceiling that the players and coaching staff believed the team had.
“We’ve got to fix our heads and be better next year,” said sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić.
Turnover trouble gives Kentucky early lead
Illinois started out solid on Sunday, leading Kentucky 5-4 after the first 3:18. However, that changed quickly.
The Wildcats went on a 9-0 run, putting them up 13-5 with 14:34 remaining in the first half. Illinois’ turnovers caused that early lead. Freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis turned the ball over three times by this point, and the Wildcats took advantage of the Illini’s general lack of ball security.
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“I’m mad at myself that I let the team down today,” Jakučionis said.
Another run by Kentucky, this time seven straight points, put them up 25-13 just over halfway through the opening 20 minutes. The Wildcats scored 14 points off of the Illini’s eight first-half turnovers.
“Pretty much we took the first punch,” said freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr.
Illini battle back behind Boswell
Down 10 at the eight-minute timeout in the first half, the Illini desperately needed a boost on the offensive end. Their prayers were granted in the form of junior guard Kylan Boswell, who put his hometown team on his back for the rest of the half. The threes were not falling early for the Illini, so he made the switch to attacking the basket.
Boswell scored three straight buckets for Illinois coming out of the timeout, all of which were at the rim. He finished the half with 10 points on 5-7 shooting. The Illini were not shooting the ball well from three, as they finished the half 3-14 from deep. But in the final minutes, they followed Boswell’s lead and attacked the rim.
Freshman forward Will Riley made a tough jumper close to the rim and drew a foul on an aggressive drive, converting both free throws. Junior guard Tre White also had a tough drive to the rim, going baseline and finishing through contact. Ivišić showed a lot of fight along with Boswell. He had two key defensive plays, a block and steal, that helped the Illini start their comeback.
“I thought Kylan and Tomi were exceptional,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “I thought Tre was great.”
When the first half came to a close, Illinois trailed Kentucky by five, 37-32.
Kentucky comes out hot after halftime
A 10-0 run by Kentucky to start the second half was probably not what Underwood anticipated after his team closed the first half with a lot of effort. White had Illinois’ first four points of the half, and Ivišić hit his third three of the night to cut into Kentucky’s offensive outburst. However, it just was not enough.
The Wildcats started the half 7-7 from the field. In the first five minutes of the half, they extended their five-point halftime lead to 14, hitting the Illini hard. Underwood was irate, and his son, assistant coach Tyler Underwood, helped calm him down.
Koby Brea buries Illini despite attempt to come back
The Illini put up a fight later in the second half, getting a couple of stops and some much-needed buckets. Boswell continued leading that effort, getting an and-one layup and a three to drop. Ivišić dropped in a triple, his fourth of the night. He also blocked a Kentucky layup, which turned into an offensive opportunity for Illinois, with Jakučionis knocking down a three on the wing.
Despite those good moments, Kentucky had great ones. Graduate student guard Koby Brea went on a heater, dropping 14 second-half points on 6-8 shooting. 12 of those points came in over a five-minute span. Brea’s hot shooting seemed to hit right back at the Illini any time they had a single dose of positive momentum.
“Brea had the little 8-0 or 10-0 stretch that was impactful, but the game was decided early,” Underwood said. “We were in an uphill battle.”
Final moments: Kentucky closes
The closest Illinois got to Kentucky was when they cut the deficit to six points with 1:36 remaining in the game on a Boswell midrange shot. It was a last-ditch effort to compete, but ultimately, the Illini could not find enough consistency to dig themselves out of the hole they created at the beginning of the half.
Fewer turnovers did not help, as the Illini still had six in the second half compared to only one for the Wildcats. Kentucky took advantage of those opportunities, getting out in transition and not allowing Illinois to get back in the game. The Wildcats had 12 points off turnovers in the final 20 minutes, finishing with 26 that really drove the Illini into the ground.
“If you just turn the ball over, it doesn’t matter how many times you get a stop if you turn it right back over,” Johnson said.
Illinois shot the ball decently, going 6-18 from deep in the second half. One of those triples was Ivišić’s fifth. He broke his own record for most threes by a 7-footer in an NCAA tournament game. The Illini also won the rebounding battle in the final 20 minutes. However, they got demolished down low when it came to putting the ball in the basket, getting outscored 24-16 in the paint.
The Illini left the floor looking dejected, especially Riley, who cried under a towel as he walked off. It was likely the last college game for Riley and Jakučionis, although neither would confirm that after the game.
“It sucks; I love this group of guys, and it was a great season,” Riley said. “The season just ended, I have no idea (about next year).”
What’s next
The season may be over, but the transfer portal opens at midnight on Sunday, opening a whole new flurry of activity. Multiple Illini are likely to enter the portal, but others want very much to come back.
“I know for a fact I’m not transferring for sure,” Boswell said. “Whatever the case may be with seeing my situation. If you know, possibilities whatever, going to the NBA, whatever the case may be. But yeah I’m staying here if I do come back to college for sure.”
The decisions the program will have to make over the next few weeks will not be easy, especially with a roster that has multiple players possibly going pro or testing the waters.
“I imagine our bus ride home, that’s what that will be; it won’t be watching film on this one, it’ll be figuring out what our roster looks like for 25-26,” Underwood said.
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