After spending the last week only on the practice floor, No. 20 Illinois (9-3) arrived in St. Louis with a fury on Monday night, blowing out Missouri (10-3) 91-48. The Tigers had no answer for the Illini on either end of the court, giving head coach Brad Underwood’s squad its third straight Braggin’ Rights win. The 43-point victory was also the largest ever win in the rivalry game’s 45-year history.
“Tonight we made shots, we played good,” Underwood said. “I’ve said it many times, and I don’t want it to sound like an excuse: we needed practice … Just nine days of getting back to our daily vitamins, our essence of who we are on the defensive end. ”
Illinois played its best defensive game of the season, holding Missouri to under 50 points, and they matched that with efficient offensive production on the other end, knocking down just over half of their shots. Freshman guard Keaton Wagler led all scorers with 22 points, junior wing Andrej Stojaković scored 16 and junior center Tomislav Ivišić had 14. The win was a resounding bounce back for the Illini after a disappointing home loss to formerly No. 23 Nebraska on Dec. 13.
Illini find defensive grit, stifle Tigers’ offense
Illinois has had one of the best offenses in the country this season, but against Missouri, it showed that its defensive potential can be just as impressive. The Illini held the Tigers to an abysmal 28.6% shooting night, stopping their best players from getting any good looks.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“It’s the start of what can become a very very very good and dialed in defensive team, and I hope they feel that tonight,” Underwood said.
Missouri’s leading scorer, senior forward Mark Mitchell, was held to just 5 points in the first half on 2 for 6 shooting. It was more of the same in the last 20 minutes, with Mitchell only playing eight minutes and scoring a single point. The ball didn’t stop with Mitchell. Graduate student forward Jacob Crews, the Tigers second leading scorer, shot 1 for 9.
“The one thing with Mark is you can’t let him get in transition,” Underwood said. “I thought that was first and foremost, that we were attentive in transition. Secondly, not one guy is going to stop him. I thought we were very active in our gaps with him.”
Hustle plays, fighting for loose balls, forcing tough shots, strong perimeter defense – it was all there. Add in eight blocks, including three from junior rim protector Zvonimir Ivišić, and it was tough for Missouri to find a good shot anywhere on the floor, let alone around the rim.
“(Z) came out with a lot of energy,” Stojaković said. “I think he’s the best shot blocker in the Big Ten.”
The defensive intensity in St. Louis was not something that the Illini have showcased this year. If they can figure out that side of the ball consistently, then it turns them into a legitimate two-way force that could make a serious run come March.
Second chances bless Illinois
The Illini were extremely active on the boards, especially on the offensive end, and it served them well. Although Illinois only grabbed three more offensive rebounds (15-12), it converted on those at a much higher level compared to Missouri. A 29-5 second chance point margin helped bury the Tigers, and it’s a testament to the Illini’s energy on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, converting those second chance opportunities came because the shots were falling – both inside and out. The Illini shot 15-33 from three, often crashing to offensive glass and kicking out to open shooters. Inside the arc, Illinois watched 60% of its shots go through the net. When a team has so much offensive firepower and is scoring efficiently from anywhere on the court, allowing a second chance on a possession is a death sentence, and the Illini showed exactly why.
“It just opens up a lot more stuff for us,” Wagler said. “When everyone crashes the glass, teams get worn out from that, and they don’t really want to box out every time. And we know if we all go, we’re going to get the ball.”
Defensively, Illinois’ physicality prevented the Tigers from scoring, even when they found offensive boards. Missouri had multiple follow-up opportunities after missed shots to start a possession, but Illinois was able to regroup well, stopping those second chance opportunities from turning into easy buckets around the rim or kick-out threes.
“One of the keys to beating them is not allowing second chance points,” Underwood said.
Illinois’ big men, who have been slow to shift on defense this season, often leading to careless fouls, looked much better in that respect. Freshman forward David Mirković, who was tasked with stopping Mitchell for much of the game, was effective at not sending him to the free throw line or allowing him to clean up any of Missouri’s misses.
“I thought we did a really good job of not letting (Mitchell) get easy ones on the offensive glass,” Underwood said. “I thought David did a really good job with not fouling him.”
Wagler wows again
The surprise of the season struck again for the Illini in St. Louis – Wagler had his ninth double-digit scoring game and third 20-point game of the season. His 22 points came thanks to a blistering hot shooting performance; the freshman drained 5 of 6 threes. However, Wagler did more than just score; he impacted the game in every way, tallying eight rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
“I get on (Wagler) in practice and ride him, and he’s stoic,” Underwood said. “He’s got an emotional balance that is very mature. Now I think he’s starting to see confidence come from his teammates toward him. He didn’t practice Saturday. He was up all night throwing up … He just takes the moment all in stride, and his poise is well beyond his years, and it’s pretty impressive to see.”
Wagler is looking like a lottery pick, surprising people across the nation after being an under-recruited prospect who only had two high-major offers. His combination of ball security, shooting, facilitating and emotional maturity stacks up with some of the best guards in the nation, even at just 18-years-old. Despite all the buzz around his name and potential draft status, Wagler is keeping his head down and staying focused on all that really matters: basketball.
“I try really not to pay attention to any of that,” Wagler said. “My focus right now is just on getting better and just winning games, making our team the best that we can be.”
Illinois separates in second half, celebrates more than a win
Illinois was already up big at halftime, heading into the break with a 16-point lead. The story stayed the same in the second half, and Missouri could just not find a way back. After a relatively quiet first half, Tomislav came out and sunk two triples in the first few minutes of the second. A three from Mirković was sandwiched in between, fueling a 11-3 run that put the Illini up 24 early in the final 20 minutes.
The score differential just kept getting larger, and Humrichous knocked down a pair of big threes with under two minutes left, stretching the Illini lead to 40-plus. Those triples spurred a ring celebration from Humrichous, a tribute to his upcoming marriage on Tuesday to former Illini women’s basketball player Adalia McKenzie.
“Ty Rodgers, after I came out, said, ‘If this is your last game before you go get married, what are you doing shot faking?’” Humrichous said with a smile about taking his last minute threes.
Humrichous will tie the knot with McKenzie after proposing in October. The pair have been dating since Humrichous’ first year at Illinois last season.
“She’s been such a blessing to me,” Humrichous said. “We can talk about the basketball stuff … but then off the court she encourages me and she points me to Jesus when I’m having hard times. She’s incredible.”
@sahil_mittal24
