No. 16 Illinois (12-3, 3-1) hits the road once again, but this time it won’t have to go too far. The Illini head to Iowa City to face long-time rival, the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes (12-3, 2-2) for their second top 25 Big Ten matchup this season. Winning on the road in the Big Ten Conference is always a challenge, and Illinois is determined to secure another road win on Sunday, especially against a rival. For that to happen, though, here are three keys for the Illini to walk out of Carver-Hawkeye Arena victorious.
“It’s a great place, great arena,” said junior center Tomislav Ivišic. “Excited to see how it all looks, but we also have a goal. We have to win there and that’s our job.”
Limit Stirtz, don’t forget his supporting cast
After Iowa hired its new head coach, Ben McCollum, after the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, multiple players from Drake, where McCollum previously coached, followed him to Iowa City. One of those players was senior guard Bennett Stirtz, and he’s taken the Big Ten by storm to start the season. Stirtz is the general of the Hawkeyes’ offense, leading the Hawkeyes in points per game, total assists and field goal attempts.
Through the first half of the season, Stirtz is averaging 18 points per game while shooting 50% from the field and 40.7% from three. Stirtz is a consistent player as he has only recorded two single-digit scoring performances for Iowa this season and scored 20-plus points in his last three games. The senior has also dished out 75 assists, showing his ability to be a willing distributor and find open looks for his teammates.
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“Just what you would want in a very cerebral, smart, processor, decision maker,” said head coach Brad Underwood about Stirtz. “Nothing rattles him. He’s got that ability to make his teammates better, and everybody talked about him as an All-American and deservedly so.”
Iowa’s offense runs through Stirtz and his production, whether that is scoring or passing, is how Iowa scores most of its points. Stirtz has attempted 176 field goals so far this season and 86 3-pointers. Comparatively, the second most attempts in both of those categories for the Hawkeyes are 88 and 45, respectively. The Illini will have their hands full with Stirtz as he will have the ball in his hands for most of Sunday’s game, but he isn’t anything they haven’t seen before. It will be a complete defensive effort from Illinois’ guards to keep Stirtz from getting too hot.
However, Illinois can’t put too much of its attention on Stirtz. While he is the offensive driver for the Hawkeyes, he knows how to distribute and doesn’t forget to get his teammates involved. Iowa is lethal from the 3-point line and has multiple threats from beyond the arc that Illinois needs to watch out for. Redshirt freshman forward Cooper Koch and junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras both shoot an impressive 44.4% from three. The Illini can’t leave Stirtz’s supporting cast alone to shoot threes for 40 minutes and must know where Iowa’s main offensive threats are at all times.
“They’re pros,” Underwood said about Iowa. “ … (Stirtz) has got really good players around him. They’ve put a heck of a team together … That’s a very talented basketball team.”
Use all offensive weapons against Hawkeyes’ defense
Illinois doesn’t lack star power on the offensive end, as it sits at No. 3 in the country in offensive efficiency halfway through the season. Against the Hawkeyes, though, the Illini will need a complete team effort similar to the one they used against the Scarlet Knights on Thursday. Iowa has allowed its opponents to average only 60.8 points per game, and is a solid defensive team that makes opposing teams take their time on the offensive end to find an uncontested shot.
Notably, the Hawkeyes are also holding their opponents to 29.9% shooting from 3-point range through their first 15 games. Iowa’s size and length from a perimeter standpoint help it on the defensive end to not allow opponents offensive opportunities from beyond the arc without a hand in their face. That length also allows the Hawkeyes to get in passing lanes on the perimeter, as they are averaging 8.2 steals per game. Stirtz also leads Iowa in steals this season with 25.
“It’s about taking care of the ball,” Underwood said. “They force a lot of turnovers. They’ve got great hands. They’re going to be as physical as any team in this league. We’ve got to handle that.”
The focus for the Illini offensively needs to be being patient and utilizing all of their talent. Iowa’s goal on the defensive end is to play physical and force its opponents to make mistakes, including taking a contested shot. For Illinois not to succumb to Iowa’s defensive scheme, ball movement is a must. When the Illini move the ball by driving the lane and distributing to one another, they are hard to stop offensively because everyone gets involved.
Against Rutgers, Illinois had four players who scored in double-figures and two others who were one or two points away from that mark. The Illini’s deep rotation will benefit them against the Hawkeyes if they search for a good shot instead of rushing. They will also need their assist leaders, senior guard Kylan Boswell, freshman guard Keaton Wagler and freshman forward David Mirković, to be willing distributors to move the Hawkeye defense.
What Illinois needs to take advantage of the most, though, is offensive rebounding. Overall, Iowa doesn’t crash the glass the same way Illinois does on either end of the floor. Underwood puts emphasis on offensive rebounding every game, but it is especially important against Iowa. If all five of the Illini can go to the offensive boards, they will give themselves extra possessions where the Hawkeyes are out of position defensively.
Need production from Ivišić twins
Across the board, Iowa doesn’t lack size, and it matches up well with Illinois’ taller, longer perimeter players. Yet, the Hawkeyes still don’t have any players who have the size that junior centers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić add to the Illini roster. Both offensively and defensively, Illinois needs both of the Ivišić twins to be locked in on scoring near the rim, grabbing rebounds and contesting shots in the paint from Stirtz and Iowa’s other guards.
Tomislav had an impressive 14-point bounce-back performance in Thursday’s win over Rutgers after a stretch of games where he struggled to make a positive impact. The Illini will need him to keep that play rolling into Sunday for them to be successful against the Hawkeyes’ physical defense. Illinois also needs Tomislav to be an active presence on the glass.
Although Zvonimir didn’t quite have the offensive stat line that his brother did on Thursday, he is still a much-needed piece for Illinois on Sunday. His height allows him to be a dominant presence in the paint, leading the Illini in blocks this season with 37. Zvonimir disrupts opposing teams near the rim, and that will only benefit Illinois against Iowa.
“Even if (Zvonimir) doesn’t block it, he’s still heavily contesting it,” Tomislav said. “Those layups aren’t easy at all when he’s around. He’s always had that ability.”
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