No. 14 Illinois (3-0) took down No.11 Texas Tech (2-1) in front of a sold-out crowd in Champaign Tuesday night, 81-77. Both teams went back and forth over the course of 40 minutes, but the Illini pulled away at the end, despite a 35-point outing from Red Raiders star junior forward JT Toppin.
“Really good basketball game,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “Unique that we don’t make a three in the second half, and it shows that we can do a lot of other things.”
Trading runs early, but Illini pull ahead
Texas Tech began Tuesday night’s game on a roll, scoring the first seven points of the game. However, Illinois responded with a run of its own, scoring nine straight points in a minute and a half. Two triples from senior guard Kylan Boswell and one from freshman forward David Mirković brought the home crowd, especially the Orange Krush, to their feet.
A pair of free throws by freshman guard Keaton Wagler extended the Illini run to 11, and that energy continued throughout the rest of the first half. Illinois never trailed Texas Tech for the remainder of the opening 20 minutes. There was always a response to whatever the Red Raiders did offensively, and the Illini really capitalized off turnovers.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Illinois converted 20 points off turnovers in the first half, compared to Texas Tech’s eight, despite both teams turning the ball over eight times apiece. This led to the Illini pulling away in the last few minutes of the first half. They led by double digits, 45-32, going into the break.
“We all just came not ready to play and we can’t just expect to win big games like that against good teams,” Toppin said.
Big Z, big plays
Although he got put on a poster by Texas Tech’s Toppin, Illinois junior center Zvonimir Ivišić was all over the court in the first half.
As Illini fans have gotten used to, Ivišić was a force to be reckoned with in the paint. He sent back three Red Raider shot attempts around the basket. One of those blocks turned into a fast break opportunity that ended with Ivišić running the floor for a transition layup.
Ivišić showcased his offensive versatility, splashing in two of his four attempts from deep. Both of those triples came in the last 10 minutes of the first half, helping to fuel Illinois’ separation from Texas Tech on the scoreboard.
“Z’s a gamer, I mean he is outstanding,” Underwood said. “We see the step-back three, we see the rip-drive layups, we see that side of things. And his confidence is just growing.”
He also grabbed five rebounds, including one on the offensive glass, which Underwood wants to see more of, especially while his twin brother is out with injury for the foreseeable future.
“Z screwed up tonight because that offensive rebound he grabbed was elite,” Underwood said. “And, unfortunately, I haven’t seen that before. Now I’ve got some ammunition and some film to hold over his head.”
Toppin comes alive, fuels second half comeback
Just over seven minutes into the second half, Texas Tech took the lead for the first time since early in the first half. Illinois missed six consecutive field goal attempts leading up to that point, fueling a 9-0 Texas Tech run.
After a mixed bag of a first half for Toppin (11 points, four turnovers), he could not miss to begin the second half. Toppin started the half 7-7 from the field, scoring 14 points in the first eight and a half minutes of the final act.
In that same period, Texas Tech shot 11-12 from the field, only missing one bucket, while Illinois only got four of its 12 shot attempts to go. Tied at 56 at the 11:30 timeout, one team was on the rise, while the other was severely out of its first-half rhythm.
“I loved our response to start the second half,” said Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland. “I thought our scrap level improved.”
Dramatic final minutes
Illinois went on an 8-0 run with 8:20 remaining to the 4:45 mark on the clock, giving it an edge over Texas Tech as the final minutes approached. However, the Red Raiders would not go away, chipping away the Illini lead.
With 16 seconds remaining, Boswell drained both free throws to all but close the game, as the Illini were up 5. However, that could not be further from the truth.
Boswell fouled on the other end to send the Red Raiders to the free throw line so they would be forced to cut into the Illini lead one point at a time and not have a chance for a quick bucket. However, that foul was controversially ruled a flagrant one, much to the ire of the crowd, and it gave Texas Tech two free throws and the ball back for a chance to tie the game, down only three.
“I was pissed with the flagrant,” Boswell said. “That was crazy.”
The Red Raiders inbounded the ball and got an open three to tie the game, but the Illini would not let them do that. Stojaković flew in from the side as the shot went up after initially getting blown by his man on the perimeter. He blocked the shot with nine seconds on the clock, sealing the game for Illinois and sending the State Farm Center into a frenzy.
“Using my length to get through screens and rearview contesting, that’s something I can bring to this team, and I think that was one of those plays where I showed I could do it,” Stojaković said.
Physicality leads to key second-chance points, free throws for Illini
Illinois’ offense was fueled by its physicality, which overshadowed the offensive masterclass from Toppin.
On the boards, Wagler really stood out, grabbing five of Illinois’ 11 offensive rebounds. Those boards led to 14 second-chance points to Texas Tech’s six, giving Illinois a true advantage on the offensive end even when it couldn’t convert on its initial attempts.
“(Wagler had) two of the biggest plays of the night,” Underwood said. “We were stagnant, we were flat, and he comes up with two balls that keep it alive, keep it going, and we score.”
The Illini also got to the line at a much higher rate, shooting 23 free throws, while the Red Raiders only had four. Stojaković, Boswell, Wagler and Mirković have all shown their ability to draw contact and be physical around the rim early this season, and Tuesday was more of the same.
“Give the Illini credit, man, they just were more physical than we were at getting to the basket and drawing fouls,” McCasland said.
Against Texas Tech specifically, Boswell really shined in that department. He showed off his love of the new continuation rule to rack up a large number of shooting fouls on his drives, leading to 12 free throw attempts.
“That was a big emphasis during the summer, knowing that was going to be a big part of how we run our offense, especially with the ability for us to attack the paint and get to the rim,” Stojaković said. “As soon as we get that contact, we know we have guys that can finish through it. This continuation rule, whatever it is, I don’t even know what it is. One step, one dribble extra? I don’t know. But we’re very good at it, and we know how to take advantage of it, and I think we’ve shown it.”
Stojaković’s smoothness shines
With his father, three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojaković, in the crowd, Andrej put on a show in only his second game as an Illini. He had 23 points on a very efficient 11-16 shooting, and he showed poise every step of the way.
The first half was an offensive masterclass for the Cal transfer. He shot a perfect 5-5 en route to 10 points. His first two buckets were drives on each wing, and he simply looked effortless in both getting to the rim and finishing.
“He’s obviously a really good driver, he’s got good body control,” McCasland said. “The angles at which we gave him baskets early to gain his confidence is what I think is, I look back and go, ‘Man that’s a major problem.’ Honestly, if he’s earning a bunch of twos, and we make it difficult on him, then it’s ok, but when you leave your feet and you give up angles and you give him and-ones at the basket, that’s a problem.”
Stojaković’s takeover at the end of the game showed he can be the closer that the Illini need in high-pressure situations. Stojaković had 10 points in the final 10 minutes. It seemed as though no defender could rattle him, and he got to his spots in the midrange and around the basket with ease.
Stojaković looked every bit the part of the star player he’s been expected to be all offseason.
“Immediately I was calling this dude,” Boswell said about recruiting Stojaković. “I was probably bugging this kid … When I found out that we were interested in him, I immediately texted him. He was one of my favorite players that I was watching throughout the summer … I’m really excited that he got here. Big shoutout to me for doing that.”
Next up
Illinois’ next game is against Colgate Friday before another ranked matchup with No. 8 Alabama at the United Center in Chicago Nov. 19. A tough win over Texas Tech is sure to shore up confidence, and it gives the players a model of what they need to do to win other ranked matchups.
“I think we did what we needed to do tonight,” Boswell said. “We won the rebound battle which was a big focus for us. Defensively we were on our p’s and q’s. I think we were great in the gaps. I think we were great defensively with our hands, being active on defense. Maybe being more consistent with continuously running our offense and not getting stuck at times. I think that was a big hurtful thing for us last year, and we got stagnant at times. Overall I think we did a great job with everything tonight.”
@sahil_mittal24
