Illinois head coach Brad Underwood told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that senior guard Kylan Boswell is out with a fractured bone in his right hand. As of now, Boswell will be sidelined for about a month after sustaining the injury during practice on Monday.
“He’ll be out for a little bit, expecting a mid-February return to action for him,” Underwood said. “Unfortunate. Feel terrible for Kylan as he’s obviously a senior… and he’s having such a phenomenal year. It’s the ‘next man up’ mentality with our team. It’s exciting that we’ve been able to develop the depth. We’ll see what that looks like as we move forward.”
Boswell is in his final season of college basketball and second year in Champaign, where he’s turned into a potential second-round draft pick and one of the best two-way players in the nation. In addition to averaging 14.3 points, Boswell is a gritty defender that not only shuts down guards his size, but often defends star players that are much bigger than him. In his own words, he takes pride in being a “pest.”
“He’s our best defensive player,” said freshman forward David Mirković. “I think that’s everybody (who needs to step up). We’ve got to have better team defense, better team communication. Trying to play harder. I mean, it’s really hard to replace him because he’s our most important player. We’re going to give our best. We’re going to try. Everyone is going to talk more, fight more, and that’s it.”
Losing Boswell could not come at a worse time for No. 11 Illinois (15-3, 6-1), which was won seven straight. Maryland (8-10, 1-6) visits Champaign on Wednesday, and graduate student guard David “Diggy” Coit is coming in on a heater. He’s dropped 30 and 43 points in his last two Big Ten games and will be a tough defensive assignment. On Saturday, Illinois travels to Mackey Arena for a highly anticipated matchup with No. 4 Purdue (17-1, 7-0) and All-American senior guard Braden Smith. Away games against undefeated No. 7 Nebraska (18-0, 7-0) and No. 10 Michigan State (16-2, 6-1) are also on deck while Boswell is expected to be out.
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Sophomore guard Mihailo Petrović and freshman guard Brandon Lee will both likely see role increases in Boswell’s absence. Lee is a hard-nosed defender who Underwood has used in small spurts to provide some defensive energy. That will now be needed in larger quantities. Petrović, who has barely cracked the rotation all year, had a breakout game against Minnesota on Saturday. He should finally get his chance to play increased minutes and support freshman guard Keaton Wagler in running the offense.
“I was really happy, and I think everyone on the bench was happy for Mihailo (against Minnesota) because they know his situation is not really good,” Mirković said. “He works a lot. He probably works more than anyone here. …He’s one of the guys that’s got to step up now. He has a great chance to step up now and show his real potential he has.”
Despite Illinois’ guards clearly needing to step up, Underwood expects his entire team to adjust to the new norm for the next month.
“It’s going to be a of of different guys having to move into different roles,” Underwood said. “You don’t replace Kylan defensively. It’s going to take an adjustment from everybody to do just a little bit better defensively, especially on that end. It will take everybody. I’m not going to single out one person. It’s going to take the whole crew.”
Although Boswell is out, he will still be a strong voice for his teammates, just like redshirt junior guard/forward Ty Rodgers has been throughout his injury recovery. Boswell is this roster’s leader, and that will not change while he’s hurt.
“He’ll be an integral part of everything we do from the coaching side of it,” Underwood said. “When he’s not with (athletic trainer Justin Games) or (strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher) he’ll be with us. He’s still an integral part of everything that we’re doing even though he’s not on the court.”
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