No. 13 Illinois (15-3, 6-1) defeated Minnesota (10-8, 3-4) 77-67 on Saturday morning, just before students returned to campus for the spring semester. Despite the absence of the Orange Krush, State Farm Center was sold out for an early tip, and the Illini did not disappoint the home crowd.
After starting slow in the first half, Illinois found a major boost off the bench from junior center Zvonimir Ivišić, who finished the contest with 18 points and nine rebounds. A second-half shooting resurgence and improved handling of Minnesota’s shifting defensive coverage also pushed Illinois over the finish line. The Illini have now won seven games in a row, their first win streak of that length since March 2024.
“It was just us staying composed and knowing we’re going to find our rhythm in this game, and everything will work out,” said freshman guard Keaton Wagler about the Illini responding to their slow start.
Flurries of threes from Minnesota
From the jump, Minnesota was hot from three, and Illinois was not. Gophers junior forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson quickly drained a pair of three-pointers, and the Illini missed on their first two possessions, so Underwood called a timeout just 72 seconds into the game.
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“That’s not a very repeatable conversation,” Underwood said about what he told his team during the early timeout. “Play harder. Play better. Let’s wake the heck up and shake the cobwebs off or this thing gets really ugly. …That was the most disappointing thing about today, was just that start after hoping to see some aggression at the start.”
Crocker-Johnson could not miss early on, scoring the visitors’ first 11 points. He made three straight 3-pointers with a layup sandwiched in between to start the game a perfect 4 for 4. He finished the first half with 17 points. For reference, the junior had only scored 17-plus in four games this season, and the Illini let him do that in a single half.
“Crocker-Johnson posed some problems as a shooting five man,” Underwood said. “We did great in the half court. We just lost him in transition.”
The Gophers shot 18 threes in the first half and made seven, four of which came from Crocker-Johnson. He carried Minnesota’s shooting early, but what hurt Illinois even more was its inability to make shots and answer back. The Illini shot just 5 for 21 from deep in the first 20 minutes, with designated shooters, junior wing Jake Davis and graduate student forward Ben Humrichous, going a combined 0 for 5.
Gophers’ defensive schemes throw a wrench in Illini offense
The problems for Illinois early on did not end with Minnesota’s offensive output. The Gophers’ defense also caused problems for the Illini, especially their zone. Illinois could not figure out how to handle the zone, and it flustered them early on. The offense looked stagnant, and it had no real direction for much of the first half.
“We couldn’t really get to our actions fast when they got to their zone, and it kind of just slowed down our offense and kind of got us out of sorts,” Wagler said.
At points, it seemed as if the Illini were trying to shoot their way out of the zone, and with the shots not falling, that didn’t really work. What made Minnesota’s zone even more challenging is that it was not strictly a zone. The Gophers would shift back and forth from zone to man coverage, sometimes within a single possession, so the Illini had to be even more on their toes.
“As soon as you hit the high post, they match up and go man,” Underwood said. “So they want you to get stagnant, and we fell in line with that early.”
Zvonimir, Petrović provide much needed boost
Even with their shooting struggles and lack of ability to dismantle the Gopher defense, the Illini still found a way to tie the game up at halftime, 34-34. Two players kept Illinois afloat: Zvonimir and sophomore guard Mihailo Petrović.
Zvonimir came off the bench and was an instant spark plug for the Illini on offense, scoring 13 points in the first half, including multiple energy-inducing dunks. The 7-foot-2 big man also showed off his improved offensive rebounding, grabbing three before halftime to give Illinois multiple second chances when Minnesota’s defense caused errant attempts. Zvonimir was able to thrive in the Gophers’ coverage better than the rest of his teammates because of unique build and skillset.
“They were in some zone early, and he’s very very difficult to zone because one, he can shoot it,” Underwood said. “Secondly he can play over the top of a lot of zones. His activity on the glass was elite. …His energy was great. I was really proud of him for that, and to see that was hopefully something that keeps carrying over.”
Although he was not expected to be an impact-player, Petrović was able to leave his mark on Saturday morning’s contest in just four first-half minutes. The 22-year-old Serbian was touted as a potential game-changing point guard coming into this season after being a stellar pro in Europe. However, with the emergence of Wagler, injuries, lack of practice time and some struggles in his limited minutes, Petrović hasn’t been given much run.
Despite all that, Petrović took his opportunity and made the most of it against Minnesota. He grabbed three rebounds, showed off his jet-like speed with a driving layup and knocked down a pull-up midrange jumper heading into halftime. That injection of energy from a player who has not been in the rotation all year was big for the Illini.
“My hat’s off to Mihailo–we don’t win the game without him,” Underwood said. “He changed the whole outlook of the game at the end of the first half. …That young man spends all day in the gym. He shoots, he works. He’s been the ultimate teammate. We don’t win it today without him, and I thought he was excellent.”
Second-half redemption
After halftime, just like against Northwestern, a switch flipped for Illinois. Suddenly, the home team was able to find the bottom of the net, and it was a big reason for the Illini being able to pull away from the Gophers.
Illinois shot 8 for 14 from three in the second half, with freshman forward David Mirković drilling three and Wagler and junior center Tomislav Ivišić each adding a pair. The Illini are versatile, and anyone can get hot at any moment. It’s been a consistent theme all year.
Each game, and sometimes each half, a different part of the team’s skillset shines. The positive thing is that almost every time that happens, Illinois utilizes a different weapon or combination of personnel, showcasing its depth and ability to solve problems when one thing isn’t working,
More shots fell for Illinois because it handled Minnesota’s defense much better in the second half. The Illini ran more ball screens and utilized their big men in the high post as offensive hubs. That helped them collapse the zone, which created more open opportunities on the perimeter and chances to cut to the rim.
It’s something that Illinois did not figure out in the first half, resulting in a willy-nilly offense. However, that changed after halftime, with Illinois’ ability to make the proper adjustments on display once again. The offense in the second half simply looked more intentional.
“They’re also pretty physical at the point of attack with the ball, but then once we figured it out and got the ball to the middle of the zone, that’s where we got our points from,” Wagler said.
Illini close game out at free throw line
The Illini don’t foul. At least not as much as other teams. They average the fourth least fouls per game in the nation and the least among high-major programs. That has allowed Illinois to be one of the best teams in the country in limiting opponent free throws, and it’s been a conscious effort.
“A foul is a defensive mistake,” Underwood said. “We’ve tried every single day to win closeouts without using our hands. To not be handsy. The downside of that is we don’t force a lot of turnovers.”
Illinois had 13 free throw attempts in the second half on Saturday, while Minnesota was only able to shoot two. The overall margin was 19-3, which is huge, especially seeing how dramatically the Illini extended the difference in the last 20 minutes.
The free throw differential, combined with a hot-shooting second half, made it much easier for Illinois to close out another conference win that looked like it could go either way at halftime. The Illini will have a good chance to tack another win onto that streak against Maryland (7-10, 0-6) at home on Wednesday before crossing the Indiana state line next Saturday for a highly anticipated game at No. 5 Purdue (17-1, 7-0).
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