No. 20 Illinois (10-3, 1-1) finished off 2025 on a high note with a dominant 90-55 victory at home over Southern (4-9). The Illini spread the wealth offensively as not one Illini took more than nine shot attempts in the contest, and five finished in double-figures. Now on a two-game winning streak, Illinois can use this momentum before hitting the road to resume Big Ten play against Penn State (9-4, 0-2) this Saturday.
Southern brought defensive intensity
The Jaguars didn’t make it easy for the Illini to take care of the ball on the offensive end throughout Monday afternoon. For a team that hasn’t struggled turning it over recently, Illinois had an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers against Southern’s defense.
“Very, very impressive on the defensive side (with) what (the Jaguars) do,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “They’re very strong … very connected.”
Southern’s full-court pressure, which included plenty of trapping, put Illinois in tough positions that led to live-ball turnovers. In the half-court, the Jaguars didn’t give the Illini much space either. Whether inside or outside the paint, Southern had active hands when Illinois started to attack, helping it snag 10 steals.
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While the Jaguars ended up committing a lot more fouls than the Illini with this defensive scheme, it was still effective. Illinois’ response to Southern’s high-pressure defense highlights an area of focus for Illinois moving forward. Although the Illini have done well limiting their turnovers thus far in the season, they can’t get sloppy before Big Ten play truly gets underway.
No rest on offensive glass
Over and over again, Underwood continued to emphasize the importance of offensive rebounding for this Illini team. Illinois showed a glimpse what it is capable of on the offensive glass on Monday afternoon. Using their size advantage over the Jaguars, the Illini grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and scored 18 second-chance points off of them.
Nine Illini recorded at least one offensive rebound in the contest, with all of the Illini starters recording two each. Illinois’s offensive rebounding opened doors for it to stay in control offensively for the entire game by giving it extra possessions and 3-point opportunities.
If the Illini can keep offensive rebounding as they did on Monday, it will make their offense more dangerous. With the high percentage that Illinois is shooting from three right now, continuing to show effort and toughness on the offensive glass will only help it get more of those open looks.
Everyone takes their shot
There is a reason that Illinois sits as one of the most offensively efficient teams in the nation currently, and it put on a show on Monday. The Illini shot 51.7% from the floor, getting all players on their roster involved in the offense. It was also raining threes once again for Illinois as it shot 41.2% from beyond the arc. Ball movement and good shot selection led to the Illini’s strong offensive showing.
“I think we’re finding connectivity,” Underwood said. “I think we’re finding chemistry … We know where opportunities are coming from.”
Five Illini ended Monday’s contest in double figures with junior forward Jake Davis leading the charge, scoring 15 points in 21 minutes. From three, Davis played his best game of the season as he shot 5 for 6. When Illinois starts to move the ball well, Davis finds his moments to knock down threes confidently when his name is called off the bench.
“A big thing for (Underwood) is every day guys,” said Davis. “I think, for me, it’s that mentality … Come in, do my job every day, don’t ask for anything, don’t look for anything and keep doing what I’m supposed to do. What’s supposed to happen is going to happen.
Illinois played unselfishly in Monday’s matchup and made smart passes that helped it find uncontested shots. Freshman guard Keaton Wagler’s 10 assists contributed to the Illini offense finding this rhythm. Wagler’s impressive decision-making was on full display as he located teammates for open shots. The freshman also recorded his second career double-double with 11 points. Southern’s defensive pressure couldn’t rattle Wagler, but up to this point in the season, not much has.
“Keaton’s tougher than tough,” Underwood said. “I mean, that stuff (physicality) doesn’t even phase him and he’s stronger than you think.”
The Illini front court also took over on the offensive end with freshman forward David Mirković, junior center Tomislav Ivišić and junior center Zvonimir Ivišić all scoring in double-figures. The trio dominated both the paint and the 3-point line, showing off all three of their versatile skillsets against an undersized opponent.
As Mirković has struggled recently to get himself going offensively, his performance on Monday should be a confidence booster moving forward. Mirković had 11 points on 5 for 7 shooting from the field alongside two assists. The freshman finished better near the rim than he has in recent games while also getting involved in transition again, as he did early in the season.
The Ivišić brothers, Illinois’ only seven-footers, also didn’t shy away from taking over on Monday afternoon. Tomislav finished with 11 points on 4 for 9 from the floor, while Zvonimir scored 13 points, including 3 for 5 from three. The pair is once again proving that they are a threat from anywhere on the court, scoring at all levels. They were also tough to guard in transition, running the floor for dunks and layups for all 40 minutes.
Continuing to value defense
In its win over Missouri last week, Illinois turned a corner in showing more effort on the defensive end. That effort didn’t disappear against Southern. The Illini held the Jaguars’ top scorer, senior guard Michael Jacobs, to just 11 points. This was under his season average of 20 points per game. Overall, Illinois didn’t let Southern get too many uncontested shots as Southern shot 34.8% from the floor and 21.4% from three.
“I told our team after the game, ‘We’ve got to do what (the Jaguars) do,” Underwood said. “I thought we did a nice job. We took Jacobs, who is a proven 20 point a game scorer … and he had a long night. He got 16 clips up, but they were all challenged.”
The only area where the Illini struggled on defense was rebounding. Of Southern’s 26 total rebounds, 13 of them were offensive, leading to 13 second-chance points. With the size advantage Illinois had over Southern on the glass, it shouldn’t have given up as many offensive rebounds as it did. However, its rim protection was solid once again.
Aside from that, the Illini played another game of solid defense for all 40 minutes. Their communication continues to improve game after game, and it translates into better defensive performances. If the consistency stays, it’s a good sign for Illinois moving into its all-Big Ten schedule.
“I think we have a new intensity about us and a new want which I think is going to carry us through Big Ten play and hopefully we’re going to win another Big Ten title,” Davis said.
@evy_york2
