No. 17 Illinois (1-0) dominated from start to finish in its 113-55 victory in its season-opener Monday night. Even without a complete, healthy roster, the Illini showcased their depth and versatility on both ends of the floor to secure their first win of the season.
*Kylan Boswell (A-): Senior guard Kylan Boswell was solid in his performance on both ends of the floor. The Tigers’ perimeter players were going to be a tough guard going into the matchup, but the challenge didn’t faze Boswell. He helped hold senior guard Daeshun Ruffin to 12 points and sophomore guard Dorian McMillian to two. Boswell’s energy on the defensive end is contagious and reflects his leadership role.
“It’s everybody’s buy-in,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “We have a saying, ‘You are only as strong as the weakest link in your chain,’ and we don’t want any weak links. So, Kylan’s doing a really great job of holding guys to that standard.”
Offensively, Boswell didn’t have a standout performance, but still managed to score in double figures. The senior ended the contest with 10 points on 4-9 shooting from the field. These aren’t poor numbers by any means; other Illini just had stronger offensive performances. There’s still room for Boswell to improve, though.
What Boswell did well offensively was get his teammates involved, tallying five assists. With the scoring depth of this roster, having a facilitator like Boswell is an asset.
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*Keaton Wagler (A-): Freshman guard Keaton Wagler seemed in control and confident in his first regular-season game as an Illini. Wagler found his 18 points in a multitude of ways, whether that was inside the paint, from three or going to the free-throw line.
Even as he still adjusts to the increased physicality of college basketball, Wagler was an active player on the offensive glass. The freshman snagged four offensive rebounds in the contest. It’s clear Wagler won’t shy away from physicality even if he is still developing.
One room for improvement for Wagler is to limit his fouls. In his 26 minutes, Wagler had three personal fouls. This is already an improvement from the exhibition with Illinois State, where he had five, but still something to work on.
*David Mirković (A): Freshman forward David Mirković picked up right where he left off from Illinois’ win over Illinois State Oct. 19. Mirković secured another double-double in the contest, putting up 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Once again, the freshman did just about everything on the floor for the Illini, proving his versatility. Whether it was pulling up in transition for a three-pointer or using his physicality near the rim, Mirković didn’t show many offensive weaknesses.
Obviously, it’s only the first game of the year, and Mirković is still barely into his college career. There will inevitably be games down the road where he will be challenged against bigger, more experienced defenders than he has faced thus far. If Mirković continues to use his natural motor and energy, there’s no reason why he can’t keep performing at this current level.
“David has been one of those guys who has handled adversity really well,” said graduate student forward Ben Humrichous. “He’s handled Coach Underwood’s coaching really well and has really dived into our process.”
*Jake Davis (B+): Junior forward Jake Davis scored 13 points on 3-8 shooting from the three-point line. Davis also did a nice job of getting his teammates involved with four assists, one leading to freshman guard Blake Fagbemi scoring his first points as an Illini.
Against other scoring performances, Davis played more of a supporting role. The one area where Davis excelled was offensive rebounding. The junior had three offensive rebounds in the game, a sign of where he can contribute if he isn’t converting from three.
*Tomislav Ivišić (A-): Junior center Tomislav Ivišić was efficient offensively and wasn’t slowed down by his lack of conditioning. Ivišić scored 21 points and shot 50% from three-point range. This showed off Ivišić’s ability to score both inside and outside the paint. Other than going 0-2 from the free-throw line, Ivišić had a strong offensive stat line.
It was clear Illinois had a size advantage from the jump. Ivišić used this advantage to score, but not rebound. In 23 minutes of play, the junior only recorded four boards. For the Illini to find success, Ivišić needs to be more physical on the glass, especially with the upper hand he has size-wise.
Ben Humrichous (A): Humrichous came alive in the second half and was consistent from three. Alongside Ivišić, Humrichous led the team in scoring with 21 points in only 20 minutes of play. He also finished 5-9 from three-point range, a confidence booster for Humrichous and a testament to his offseason work.
“I couldn’t be happier for that guy,” Underwood said of Humrichous’ performance. “We see that every day, and to be able to go translate that to State Farm Center instead of Ubben is really nice.”
After a year of playing in Champaign, Humrichous seems more comfortable. While his three-point shooting was consistent Monday night, he is finding other ways to contribute outside of that. Humrichous is using his strength to grab rebounds while also driving the paint to score or kick out when the opportunity comes.
Zvonimir Ivišić (C): Junior center Zvonimir Ivišić didn’t have the offensive showing he did against Illinois State, with only four points and a 0-3 showing from the three-point line. On the bright side, Ivišić snagged nine rebounds and two blocks in his 19 minutes of play. Since others produced strong offensive performances, it didn’t matter much that Ivišić struggled. His consistency is still an area to improve.
Jason Jakstys (B): Redshirt freshman forward Jason Jakstys was solid on the boards with nine rebounds, three offensive, in only 12 minutes. Jakstys also recorded his first career points as an Illini with a two-handed dunk in the first half.
“We see that every day in practice,” Underwood said about Jakstys’ rebounding. “That’s why he’s earned himself the right to play minutes.”
Blake Fagbemi (B-): In 14 minutes of play, Fagbemi produced two points and three rebounds. As a smaller player with great athleticism, Fagbemi brought energy off the bench.
“Blake Fagbemi played really hard today,” Humrichous said. “He’s one of those dudes that probably didn’t get the rebounding numbers that he could get credited for, but was on the glass, set a big tone for us.”
AJ Redd (C): Senior guard AJ Redd only saw the floor for six minutes, but scored three points. As an Orange Krush favorite, the crowd was electric when Redd scored his first points of the season to put the finishing touches on the win.
