Saturday night’s Big Ten matchup in Philadelphia was not pretty, despite the backdrop being a historic venue: the 99-year-old Palestra. In 40 minutes, 43 total fouls were called on now No. 16 Illinois and Penn State, and neither team shot above 23% from three. However, the Illini did just enough to stay ahead and pull out a 73-65 victory. Multiple standout performances kept Illinois afloat, while one caused concern amongst those who follow the team.
*Keaton Wagler (B+): Standout freshman guard Keaton Wagler was slowed down by foul trouble on Saturday night, but when you really look at it, he didn’t falter much at all. Wagler only played 20 minutes, but he was still a game-high plus-17.
Wagler missed a couple of shots to start the game and picked up two fouls, but Illini head coach Brad Underwood kept him in. After that, he went on a tear, scoring 10 points in just five minutes on the court. Eventually, he picked up his third foul late in the first half and his fourth just 33 seconds into the second, so he had to sit for a while.
“It’s going to be really hard for me to challenge him on his third one when he’s going for an offensive rebound,” Underwood said. “He’s one of the top rebounding guards in the country. So, that’s what we preach. I thought his fourth one was just hilarious, almost comical, but that gets called. He’s an intelligent player. I trust him.”
When Wagler got back in the game with under eight minutes to go in the second half, he turned the jets back on, getting to the line and making all six of his free throws. Even in limited minutes, Wagler still was very productive, finishing with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists. Yes, there were some weak points, like shooting 1 for 5 from three or the four fouls, but Wagler still found a way to be impactful and poised in a tough situation.
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“We sure don’t want to play without Keaton half a ballgame like we did tonight,” Underwood said. “Keaton hung in there, ended up having a solid night.”
*Kylan Boswell (A): Senior guard Kylan Boswell was a steady veteran presence for the Illini in an otherwise disjointed game. Boswell got the game started with 5 quick points on Illinois’ first two possessions, kickstarting a 13-3 opening run for the visitors.
“Every game I come out with an aggressive mindset,” Boswell said. “I know what I can bring to this team.”
When Penn State fought back, he continued to produce offensively. Boswell finished the game with a team-high 18 points and grabbed four rebounds. He also went a perfect 6 for 6 from the line and continued to show intense ball pressure on the defensive side.
“Kylan, I thought, played a tremendous ball game having to play extended minutes,” Underwood said.
*Tomislav Ivišić (F): The questions keep building for junior center Tomislav Ivišić in his second college season. Against the Nittany Lions, the Illini big man had the worst game of his career, going scoreless and only grabbing one rebound in 17 minutes.
“He had a tough night tonight because they doubled him every trip,” Underwood said. “No one trusts Tomi more than me. It’s a night where they rotated really hard to him shooting it, and like I said, I think it’s one of the beauties of this team … whatever the defense throws at us, I think we’ve got some answers.
Although Underwood defended his starting center, it’s come to the point where the concerns about him taking a step back from an impressive sophomore season are real. Tomislav had strong games against Tennessee and Missouri this year, but when it comes to Big Ten play, he is averaging just 3.3 points and three rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game. The Illini are going to need a lot more out of Tomislav over the rest of the conference schedule, and he cannot continue being passive if he hopes to get drafted this summer.
*Andrej Stojaković (A): Junior wing Andrej Stojaković had a strong outing on Saturday night, scoring 12 points on 4 for 9 shooting and 4 for 4 from the charity stripe.
Underwood has also been vocal about trying to get Stojaković more active on the glass this season, and against Penn State, the swingman showed that he could. Stojaković had three defensive boards and, more importantly, another three rebounds on the offensive end. Everyone knows that he can score, but seeing Stojaković be engaged down low is a promising sign to start a physical conference season.
*David Mirković (A): It was a quiet first half for freshman forward David Mirković against Penn State, but in the final 20 minutes, Illinois relied on him heavily. When Zvonimir took a step back in the second half and Wagler had to sit with four fouls, Mirković stepped up. He scored 11 points on 3 for 4 shooting inside the arc and drew contact to get to the line, hitting 5 of 6 free throws. Most impressively, Mirković grabbed five offensive boards.
“They wanted me to attack from the low post because (Penn State) doubled all the time, and I made some really good decisions through the game,” Mirković said.
Add in three assists on the night, including a cross-court bullet to junior wing Jake Davis for a corner three, and Mirković did a little bit of everything in the win.
“(Davis) was just ready; when I see his arms, I just throw it,” Mirković said. “That was a dime, and he made it.”
Mirković did deal with some foul trouble, picking up four, but without his presence in the second half, Illinois would have been in trouble. Mirković had himself a complete game that showed off everything he can do: his scoring abilities, presence on the glass and skills as a facilitator.
“He’s a great, great passer,” Underwood said. “We made a nice little run there in the second half, and he had a couple of nice little passes and just in some booty ball stuff. His youth as a as a point guard allows him to do those things. He’s comfortable in it. To do that at 6-foot-9, 255 pounds is a nice advantage to have.”
Zvonimir Ivišić (A-): The Zvonimir-hosted block party continued on Saturday night, and it was one of the most impressive 40 minutes yet. The junior center wowed the crowd at the Palestra with four first-half blocks to deny Penn State a chance to get anything going down low. His length also forced a myriad of other missed shots and second thoughts from Penn State players about attacking the rim.
“Z defensively is one of the premier players in, and not just in the Big Ten, in college basketball because he can really move his feet, and then his shot blocking and his intimidation is real,” Underwood said.
Zvonimir finished the contest with 6 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in 23 minutes. He was a fantastic defensive presence, and the only real knock on his performance was shooting 1 for 4 from the free-throw line.
Mihailo Petrović (C): Sophomore guard Mihailo Petrović, who is mostly out of the rotation at this point, played four minutes in the second half on Saturday because Wagler was in deep foul trouble. He missed one shot and dished out one assist in his limited minutes, so there isn’t much to note. Unless there are extraneous circumstances, do not expect Petrović to see any important minutes during the rest of Big Ten play.
Ben Humrichous (B-): It was another solid night for graduate student Ben Humrichous. The recently married man had 5 points on 2 for 4 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Humrichous was aggressive in trying to crash the glass and position himself for offensive rebounds, even if they didn’t bounce his way.
Defensively, the effort and fight is there, which is what you want to see from a guy coming off the bench, even if there still are some plays where he doesn’t execute all that well. Humrichous is establishing himself as a glue guy for the Illini who will leave it all out on the floor.
Jake Davis (D): In 15 minutes against Penn State, Davis shot five triples, but he only made one. Davis is supposed to be a knockdown shooter, but that did not show itself for him or the rest of the Illini against the Nittany Lions.
Brandon Lee (C): Underwood continues to use his backup guards sparingly, as he puts almost all of the load on Wagler and Boswell or plays bigger by sliding Davis or Stojaković into one of those spots. Freshman guard Brandon Lee only saw the hardwood for three minutes against Penn State, and he picked up one foul.
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