No. 13 Illinois (6-1) returns to Madison Square Garden for the fourth straight season on Friday, this time to take on No. 5 UConn (5-1). The Huskies will be the Illini’s third ranked opponent of this season. They beat the formerly No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders at home but fell to the previously No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide at the United Center last week. UConn will present the toughest challenge of the year for Illinois thus far, especially in front of a New York City crowd that will be full of Husky fans ready to feast on the Illini.
“It’ll be a hostile environment predominantly, their home crowd being so close,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. “Great experience for our guys to play in the Garden. Great opportunity for us to continue to grow as a basketball team against one of the best in the country.”
Defense first: containing Karaban, frontcourt
Coming off an anything but pretty win over UTRGV on Monday, Illinois will need to show more energy and effort, especially defensively, if it hopes to have a chance against UConn Friday.
“Care, give a damn about the defensive side,” Underwood said. “We’ve been able to score it pretty effectively in almost every game. I think that mentality has maybe led to some complacency on the defensive end.”
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Underwood indicated that he is looking for anyone to step up and lead on that end of the floor, but specifically his returners who know what team defense in his program looks like. That will be extremely important against UConn, especially with its strong frontcourt, led by redshirt senior forward Alex Karaban.
Karaban has been an extremely efficient offensive force this season. He is averaging 16.2 points on 59.6% shooting, including a fantastic 61.9% from three on 4.2 attempts per game. Karaban will be a threat from anywhere on the court, and it will be intriguing to see who Illinois tasks with guarding him. Senior guard Kylan Boswell could be given the assignment since he tends to take on the opponents’ toughest player, such as Duke star Cooper Flagg at the Garden last season.
Down low, 6-foot-11, 265-pound senior center Tarris Reed Jr. is a walking double-double, averaging 20 points and 9.3 rebounds, along with 2.7 blocks. Reed missed UConn’s last two games, but he will make his return on Friday. The Ivišić twins, Tomislav and Zvonimir, will have their hands full in the paint. Zvonimir has shown he can block shots and be physical, but Tomislav has yet to be as aggressive this season in the few games he has been available.
Reed is joined by 7-foot-1 freshman center Eric Reibe, another efficient scorer around the rim who provides more depth. Illinois has not faced an extremely large team this season that has matched up well with its pair of twin 7-footers, so UConn will be a challenge in that department.
“Their frontcourt is pretty good,” Underwood said. “I think they’re deep there with Tarris, with Reibe, with Karaban. They got multiple guys there that are very productive.”
Key win indicators: turnovers and rebounds
Rebounding is at the top of Underwood’s mind going into Friday’s matchup. Illinois ranks No. 15 in the nation in rebounds per game, but at times, such as the second half against Alabama and much of the game against UTRGV, it slowed down and suffered because of it. UConn, on the other hand, is ranked No. 246 amongst Division I schools in rebounding. However, that does not mean it will be easy for Illinois.
Freshman guard Keaton Wagler, despite being Illinois’ most prolific offensive rebounder, may not have as many opportunities to challenge Reibe and Reed because of their size. UConn’s height down low will challenge the Ivišić brothers to be more energetic and intentional with tracking down boards than they have been all season. Especially for Tomislav, who is still working on his conditioning since returning from injury, it will be a tough matchup. Additionally, freshman forward David Mirković will need to show up on the glass in both halves and utilize his physicality down low to support the front line.
“I think one of the big keys as always will be rebounding,” Underwood said.
Transition will also be a key point of focus for Illinois. More specifically, preventing UConn from capitalizing on errors and playing fast. The Illini have been a bit sloppy with the ball since the start of the season, and careless mistakes were another reason for their close loss to the Crimson Tide. There won’t be room for those kinds of mistakes against the Huskies.
“You can’t turn the ball over – they force a lot of turnovers – and let them get out in transition,” Underwood said. “(Junior guard) Solo Ball’s terrific in the open court.”
Double revenge game for Illinois
Karaban is the only returning player from UConn’s 2024 national championship squad that took down Illinois in the Elite Eight behind an infamous 30-0 run. Illinois’ only returner from that loss is redshirt junior guard Ty Rodgers, who is out indefinitely right now as he recovers from a knee injury. Despite both teams being completely different now, that loss is sure to fuel Underwood as he gets his team ready for Friday’s contest against the Dan Hurley-led Huskies.
The equation of this game does not just include UConn and Illinois: Madison Square Garden is also a factor in the problem. Last season, Illinois set a program record in the wrong way, with a 43-point loss at the Garden to Duke. Rodgers, Boswell, Tomislav Ivišić, junior forward Jake Davis, graduate student forward Ben Humrichous, senior guard AJ Redd and redshirt freshman forward Jason Jakstys all experienced that loss. Now, they have a chance to redeem themselves and take advantage of a second chance in “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
@sahil_mittal24
