In a physical matchup, No. 17 Illinois (2-0) added its second victory to the win column Friday night, defeating Florida Gulf Coast (1-1) 113-70. The Illini were seemingly one step closer to getting their full roster healthy as junior wing Andrej Stojaković made his season debut. However, junior center Tomislav Ivišić was a late addition to the injury report after hurting his knee in practice on Wednesday.
Responding to physicality
The Eagles came into State Farm Center ready to set the tone physically. On the defensive end, Florida Gulf Coast applied on-ball pressure to try to slow the Illinois offense down and force turnovers. The Illini didn’t back down from the physicality, though, and they succeeded because of it.
Drawing fouls and going to the free-throw line helped Illinois continue to extend its lead through the first 20 minutes. The “and-one” call was a popular one on the offensive end for the Illini, with junior center Zvonimir Ivišić even getting fouled on a made three-pointer and completing a four-point play.
As Florida Gulf Coast committed its seventh foul about halfway through the first half, Illinois also benefited from being in the bonus. Knowing this, senior guard Kylan Boswell and freshman guard Keaton Wagler worked to use their own physicality to attack the rim and draw fouls. Both guards were successful from the line in the first half, with Boswell shooting 8-9 and Wagler going a perfect 7-7.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“Throughout last year and throughout this summer, I’ve gotten better at reading defenses and just being more aggressive in general,” Boswell said. “Then having him (Wagler) out there with me, it opens the floor tremendously. We both can shoot it, and we both can get downhill at will.”
Wagler’s already looking more comfortable responding to the physicality of the college game only two games into the season. The freshman ended the game with 22 points while shooting an efficient 7-9 from the field. With key guards, sophomore Mihailo Petrović and redshirt junior Ty Rodgers, still out, Wagler is receiving more time early on, and it is only benefiting his adjustment period. He’s taken full advantage of his minutes and chance to start, proving he belongs.
“Keaton’s just a sponge,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “He just absorbs everything. You never see him get too rattled.”
Comeback performances
Both Boswell and Ivišić had quieter offensive performances in the season-opener against Jackson State (0-2). That wasn’t the case Friday night, though.
Boswell erupted with a career-high 31 points and 10 rebounds, tallying his first double-double of the year. The senior scored his points in various ways, whether that was in the paint, from three or at the free-throw line. In all, he finished 8-13 from the field, including 4-7 from deep. In transition, Boswell led the charge by being in control of the ball and pushing the pace. His performance proved his ability to be an asset for the Illini on both ends of the floor.
Defensively, Boswell used his strength to his advantage. He fought for 10 rebounds while also making it difficult for the Eagles’ guards to score. As finding a defensive rhythm is a focus for the coaching staff right now, Boswell’s ability to lead by example on that end is crucial.
“(Underwood) kept talking smack all week about me not going and rebounding,” Boswell said. “Had to show him up tonight.”
Ivišić never found an offensive rhythm against Jackson State. Even in limited minutes, he had opportunities to score both from near the basket and from three, but couldn’t convert. However, Ivišić started strong offensively Friday. His two-handed dunk in the first half got the crowd fired up and helped him get going early. Ivišić finished with 16 points, shooting 3-6 from three, both statistics improving from earlier in the week.
“I’m always confident about my shot,” Ivišić said. “Even if I go zero for 10, I’m still confident I’m gonna shoot the next one.”
On the other end of the floor, Ivišić found success with his size. The junior defended the paint with seven blocks and contributed greatly to Florida Gulf Coast’s offensive struggles. He also stayed consistent with another strong rebounding outing, finishing with nine boards.
“It was nice to see (Ivišić) impact the game in other ways,” Underwood said. “I’ve really been challenging him on the glass … It’s been nice to see him do other things other than just shoot threes. He’s got a lot in arsenal in his game where he can be that shot blocker.”
Nothing easy for FGCU
The Illinois defense was in sync and strong out of the gate. Because of this, Florida Gulf Coast didn’t score its first field goal until the 13:32 mark in the first half. With a focus on the defensive end in these early buy-games, the Illini are starting to find their continuity.
The Eagles struggled on the field, only shooting 32.9%. This was due to the Illini forcing them into tough shots that they struggled to convert on. There were few times Florida Gulf Coast had a shot go up without a hand in its face from Illinois. Opposite from the Eagles, the Illini defended without fouling, only allowing 12 free-throw attempts.
“I thought we were really good on the defensive side,” Underwood said. “I thought we were aggressive … forced them into a lot of really hard twos.”
This defensive showing is important for the Illini to have before facing a tough Texas Tech (2-0) team in only four days. While Illinois’ offense continues to be strong, honing its defense will only make it more dangerous.
Even deeper offense
Now with Stojaković back in the mix, Illinois is adding yet another layer to its already deep, versatile offense. In his debut, Stojaković scored nine points on 4-10 shooting from the field. It took Stojaković some time to get settled in, though. He struggled to find easier shots in his first few minutes, forcing a few, but eventually found more of his rhythm as the game went on.
“I thought in the first half he (Stojaković) was sped up a little fast, maybe a little anxious, trying to do a little much,” Underwood said. “Then the second half, I thought he just found a nice rhythm. He let the ball come back to him.”
In his 23 minutes of play, Stojaković proved how he can contribute to the Illini offense once he finds more consistency. His ability to attack the paint not only gives him chances to score, but his teammates as well.
“I love the immediate confidence,” Boswell said about Stojaković’s return. “That’s why he came to this program. That’s why we recruited him. I love how aggressive he was tonight.”
@evy_york2
