No. 20 Illinois (9-3) earned Braggin’ Rights on Monday night in St. Louis, defeating Missouri 91-48 for the largest point differential in the rivalry’s history. Nine days of practice before this matchup was beneficial for the Illini and helped them hone in on their defensive fundamentals. Illinois’ lockdown defense and sharp shooting were key factors that led it to its third consecutive Braggin’ Rights victory.

*Andrej Stojaković (A): Even going back to the locker room in the first half with an apparent ankle injury couldn’t stop junior wing Andrej Stojaković from yet another efficient offensive performance. Stojaković finished his Braggin’ Rights debut with 16 points, shooting 5 for 8 from the field and a perfect 4 for 4 from the free-throw line. If there was any takeaway from Stojaković’s overall performance, it was that he is back to dominating the offensive end consistently as he did early on in the season. 

While he only played nine first-half minutes before limping off the court, Stojaković didn’t miss a beat coming out in the second. The junior drove through traffic and got to the free-throw line as he normally does with ease, even throwing down a massive dunk later in the half that showed Illini fans the injury won’t be a problem for him moving forward. 

“I knew I was going to be fine,” Stojaković said. “We say the ankle is as tough as the mind.” 

*Kylan Boswell (C+): Due to foul trouble early on in the first half, senior guard Kylan Boswell didn’t play his normal 30-plus minutes against the Tigers. Instead, Boswell played 22 minutes and scored 6 points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists. The senior also struggled from 3-point range, going 0 for 3. 

Uncharacteristically, Boswell was in a supporting role on Monday night with an off performance on both ends of the floor. With other players stepping up in roles Boswell usually fills, his off night didn’t keep Illinois from leaving St. Louis with a win. There is no doubt that Boswell will bounce back to his usually consistent play.

*Keaton Wagler (A): In his Braggin’ Rights debut, freshman guard Keaton Wagler didn’t disappoint, though he hasn’t disappointed the Illini many times through the first part of the season. Wagler filled the stat sheet in almost every positive way. He ended the game with 22 points, five triples, eight rebounds and four assists. The freshman even added two blocks and two steals, contributing to Illinois’ tough defensive effort. 

“What makes (Wagler) special is that he’s doing a little bit of everything,” Stojaković said. “We have a bunch of guys on the team that can do that and for our freshman to stay consistent, it’s amazing for us. He keeps improving week by week, and we’re thankful to have him on the team.” 

When Stojaković went down, Wagler was the one who stepped up for the Illini. The freshman’s sharp shooting, aggressive drives to the rim and offensive rebounding helped give Illinois a hefty lead going into the final 20 minutes. As always, Wagler played with a poise and maturity that is rare for a freshman. Even the pressure of winning a historic rivalry game wasn’t enough to faze Wagler in this matchup, and the nation is starting to take notice. 

“My focus right now is just getting better and just winning games,” Wagler said. “Making our team the best that we can be.”

*David Mirković (B+): Illinois’ nine days of practice did wonders for freshman forward David Mirković. After a disappointing outing against Nebraska, Mirković started to show glimpses of his impressive play from the beginning of the season. Mirković scored 9 points and grabbed five rebounds in 29 minutes of play, earning himself more minutes than he did in the previous game. 

What was most impressive about Mirković on Monday night was on the defensive end of the floor. Head coach Brad Underwood challenged Mirković with guarding arguably Missouri’s best player, senior guard Mark Mitchell. The key to limiting Mitchell was keeping him off the free-throw line, and Mirković did just that, only allowing him two free throw attempts. Even with Mirkovic’s three turnovers, his defense kept him on the floor and will continue to do so if he can consistently lock in on that end. 

“I thought we did a really good job of not letting (Mitchell) get easy ones on the offensive glass,” said Underwood. “He had a really big night against us last year. I think he shot 12 free throws and we talked a lot about it. I thought David did a really good job of not fouling him.” 

*Tomislav Ivišić (B): After committing two early turnovers, junior center Tomislav Ivišić played only 10 minutes in the first half, scoring 4 points. Ivišić found his shooting stroke in the second half and finished the game with 14 points, including three 3-pointers. His 3-point shooting helped Illinois continue to stretch out its lead throughout the entirety of the second half. 

Ivišić also did a solid job of keeping Missouri off the offensive glass by grabbing five rebounds, all of which were defensive. Similar to Boswell, Ivišić blended in on Monday night, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He made the plays that were needed to help the Illini win in the long run. Yet, with his size and talent near the rim, there are still opportunities for Ivišić to grow and dominate more in that area.

Zvonimir Ivišić (A-): Junior center Zvonimir Ivišic was the perfect spark off the bench that Illinois needed defensively, especially on the glass. Ivišić played for only 10 minutes in the first half and made the most of his time. He grabbed eight defensive rebounds that kept Missouri from second-chance opportunities and recorded three blocks, showing off his rim protection once again. 

In recent games, Illinois’ interior defense has struggled to protect the paint, leading to a lot of defensive breakdowns. That wasn’t the case against the Tigers, though, and it was greatly due to Ivišic’s performance. Although the junior wasn’t able to sink a three, his defensive effort made up for it and provided the Illini with the interior presence they desperately needed.

Ben Humrichous (B+): Graduate student forward Ben Humrichous had plenty to celebrate after his Braggin’ Rights performance. Humrichous had 9 points on 3 for 5 shooting from three, one of his better outings from deep range this season. Although he didn’t get as many rebounds as usual, Humrichous was also a solid defender, yet again, contributing to holding the Tigers to their lowest team point total this season.

“We know what Ben can do,” Stojaković said. “For himself to see a couple go in tonight was huge for him, I bet. We were obviously glad to see him knock down a couple.” 

Jake Davis (C): Junior forward Jake Davis had many open looks both from the three-point line and a couple near the rim. However, Davis went 1 for 5 from the field, knocking down one 3-pointer in the first half. On the other hand, Davis’ defensive effort didn’t fall short of what Underwood was looking for from his squad on Monday.

Brandon Lee (C): After not receiving any minutes during the Big Ten home opener, freshman guard Brandon Lee was brought in early in the first half when Boswell went to the bench in foul trouble. Lee did his job on the defensive end and didn’t make any detrimental mistakes that gave Missouri easy buckets in his five minutes of play.

“I thought with Brandon’s physicality, he fit really well into this game with (Missouri sophomore guard Annor) Boateng and some of their stronger guys,” Underwood said. 

Mihailo Petrović (C): Sophomore guard Mihailo Petrović didn’t check into the contest until there were two minutes left and didn’t attempt a field goal. The sophomore did record two assists though, showing off his playmaking abilities in a short amount of time. At this point in the season, he is out of the rotation, and questions are starting to surface about if he will play any significant minutes this season.

Jason Jakstys (C): Redshirt freshman forward Jason Jakstys didn’t play for long, but he did rebound well when he got the chance. Jakstys had three rebounds, including one offensive board that led to a putback layup for the big man.

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