In a much-needed 75-62 victory over No. 13 Tennessee (7-3), No. 14 Illinois’ (7-2) offense bounced back in the perfect way by spreading the wealth amongst its starters and deep bench play. The Illini also played some of its best defense this season thus far, executing on head coach Brad Underwood’s wish for his team to play tougher by only allowing one Volunteer to score in double-figures. 

*Andrej Stojaković (C): Although junior wing Andrej Stojaković had another quiet night on the offensive end, his play didn’t negatively impact the outcome of the game for Illinois. Stojaković scored just five points in the contest and shot 2-5 from the field in his 21 minutes. His height was also helpful on the defensive end to limit Tennessee freshman forward Nate Ament to only nine points. 

In all, Stojaković blended in. He didn’t stick out in a bad way, but for a player that was brought onto this team to be one of its leading scorers, there needs to be more production from him after back-to-back games under double-figures. Luckily for the Illini, other players stepped into the starring role on Saturday night to get the job done.

*Kylan Boswell (B+): Even after making Illini fans hold their breath when he left the court grabbing his right shoulder early in the game, senior guard Kylan Boswell played another efficient game. With 15 points on 6-11 shooting, Boswell proved yet again why his consistency is the backbone of Illinois’ offense.

“I think (Boswell) really ran the game,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “I really feel like he is the glue to that team.”

The senior’s ability to control the pace of play under defensive pressure allowed the Illini to limit their perimeter turnovers. This was important to do against Tennessee’s suffocating defense. The only place where Boswell seemed out of sync was from the free-throw, going 3-6 with uncharacteristic late-game misses. 

On the defensive side, Boswell took on the task of defending Tennessee’s leading scorer, senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie. It obviously isn’t unusual for Boswell to have an assignment such as this, and his performance didn’t disappoint. Gillespie scored 15 points on an inefficient 6-20 from the field. As Gillespie takes a high volume of attempts, holding him to only six made field goals was an impressive feat for Boswell.  

*Keaton Wagler (A): In his first month as an Illini, freshman guard Keaton Wagler has benefited from playing in these top-15 matchups, and his performance Saturday proved just how much. Wagler kept his composure in front of the packed crowd at Bridgestone Arena to tally 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists to be one of the biggest difference makers in the game for Illinois. 

“It got me a lot more comfortable playing in these big-time games,” Wagler said about playing top teams. “More physicality, better overall players and teams.”

When Illinois needed him most, Wagler stepped up. The freshman gave the Illini some much-needed energy coming out of the gate in the second half, especially on the glass and from three. For Wagler to grab eight rebounds against a bigger Tennessee lineup is a testament to his effort and toughness. He also wasn’t shy from the three-point line as he went 4-11 on the game, a confidence booster after struggling against No. 5 UConn (7-1).  

Most impressively, Wagler didn’t commit a single turnover in 34 minutes of play. This showed off his high level of maturity on the offensive end by not making mistakes and losing Illinois’ crucial possessions. It’s still early in the season, but Wagler’s consistent strides of improvement are a sign that he is far from reaching the ceiling of his potential. 

“Keaton just plays,” Underwood said. “The environment doesn’t bother him. Maybe a little bit of the physicality, but it’s just a matter of him getting comfortable … We needed him to be more aggressive and more assertive.”

*David Mirković (B): What Illinois needed from freshman forward David Mirković to secure a much-needed top-15 victory was more efficiency on the offensive end. Mirković was able to do just that. The freshman found his rhythm offensively again with 10 points on 4-9 shooting from the field. He also hit two threes, an improvement from his previous game. The freshman still has room for improvement in taking care of the ball, though, as he had two of Illinois’ six turnovers. 

Similar to Stojaković, Mirković didn’t have a standout performance, but he did what was needed for the Illini to leave Nashville, Tenn., victorious. Although Illinois lost the rebounding battle to Tennessee, Mirković was an active player on the offensive glass. Of his six rebounds in the contest, five of those were offensive. Overall, Mirković understood Underwood’s message to be tougher and put it into practice Saturday night. 

*Tomislav Ivišić (A): Going into Saturday night, Tennessee’s interior players were going to be a problem for Illinois. Junior center Tomislav Ivišić didn’t back down from taking them on and, in the end, was extremely successful. Ivišić played a breakout game, scoring 16 points with two threes, five rebounds and three assists. His performance was a reminder of why Illini fans were so excited that he chose to stay in Champaign for his junior season. 

Ivišić did a complete 180 from how he’s played since coming back from his knee injury against No. 12 Alabama (7-2). The week of practice was clearly beneficial for Ivišić as he played aggressively near the rim and matched the physicality of Tennessee’s interior defenders. The junior played smoothly in the post, backing down defenders in the paint and not being afraid to pass to open three-point shooters.

“Last week, practices were a lot of physicality, a lot of running,” Tomislav Ivišić said. “Just great competitiveness in practices and I love working in that environment. It helped me as an individual.” 

In his 31 minutes, he also committed zero turnovers, showing how getting himself back into shape is a difference maker. For the Illini to stay on the winning track going into Big Ten play, which starts this week, they need consistent stat lines such as this one from Ivišić. As one of Illinois’ leaders, his energy and toughness influence his teammates, and when he plays with both, Illinois finds itself set up for success. 

Zvonimir Ivišić (B-): He only played nine minutes because of three early fouls, but junior center Zvonimir Ivišić still sealed the deal for the Illini with two back-to-back threes with three minutes left in the game. Ivišić’s engagement and energy when he was on the bench also stood out. In all, Ivišić went 3-3 from the field, a comeback shooting performance from him.

“He’s capable of making those shots anytime,” Tomislav Ivišić said. “He’s a great shooter, especially in those times where we’re playing better and the score is on our side.” 

Mihailo Petrović (D): Sophomore guard Mihailo Petrović didn’t contribute much to this victory, as he went 0-3 from the field, all on missed layups. Petrović also played six minutes, the least amount of minutes of any player in Illinois’ rotation. When Petrović is struggling to finish at the rim, it’s difficult to put him on the floor over the other Illini guards. 

Ben Humrichous (B+): The unsung hero for the Illini on Saturday night was graduate student forward Ben Humrichous. Humrichous didn’t attempt or score a field goal in his 26 minutes of play, but it didn’t matter. His defense, rebounding and overall effort made all the difference in the game’s outcome. 

“I would be very remiss if I didn’t think the MVP of the game didn’t attempt a field goal,” Underwood said. “Ben Humrichous. Ben was absolutely phenomenal tonight … I don’t pay much attention to stats and who scores what, but the impact tonight of Ben Humrichous and the job he did in his 26 minutes was quite large.”

While Humrichous’ role for the Illini is to be a knock-down three-point shooter, he is starting to find a nice role as someone who does the little things that may not come up on a stat sheet. Along with grabbing five rebounds, Humrichous also assisted in defending Ament and keeping him from impacting the game. 

Jake Davis (C-): Junior forward Jake Davis played limited minutes, but did what he was supposed to do in those. Davis hit a corner three late into the second half, which got the Illini crowd at Bridgestone Arena on their feet. It was good to see Davis hit a three-pointer in such a critical part of the game, and hopefully, it gives him some confidence moving forward. 

@evy_york2 

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