In what many fans and members of the media labeled as a trap game, No. 9 Illinois (18-3, 9-1) was able to pull out its 10th straight victory of the season, taking down Washington (11-10, 3-7) on Thursday night at home.

After a win at now No. 12 Purdue in which freshman guard Keaton Wagler stole the show with a dominant 46-point performance, Thursday’s win was secured due to three strong outings. Each game in this win streak has called for a new solution, and the versatility that the Illini have has been key in keeping them steady, even in tough moments.

“Every game presents its different problems,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “We’re trying to step up and meet those challenges. There’s nights when we’ve made shots. There’s nights when we haven’t. There’s nights when we’ve guarded and been really good at it. Maybe some other teams stress us in some different ways. I think we’ve just kind of been able to adapt.”

*Andrej Stojaković (C): Junior wing Andrej Stojaković started off slow against Washington, missing his first three shots, including two badly misdirected jumpers. However, he picked it up soon after.

Stojaković was able to get downhill against the Husky defense and made 4 of his next 8 shots. He finished with 8 points and chipped in three rebounds and a block. It wasn’t anything special like he’s shown in bursts this year, but Stojaković was solid after a rough start to the night.

Over his last five games, Stojakovic has failed to score double-digits in four of them. It’s the same lack of offensive output that Illinois saw from him over an important two-game stretch in New York City and Nashville, Tennessee earlier this season. Stojaković just hasn’t been consistent this year, which is something that needs to change if he hopes to plant himself firmly on NBA radars.

*Keaton Wagler (A): Wagler had another phenomenal performance on Thursday night, despite being targeted heavily by Washington. Wagler faced intense ball pressure from the Husky defense, but the young Illini once again showcased his signature poise. 

Nothing fazed Wagler, and he still went to work despite the physicality, dropping 22 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Not only did he score, but Wagler turned the aggressiveness of Washington’s defense into an advantage. He drew 10 fouls, giving Illinois chances to get in the bonus early.

“Looking at Keaton’s statline, obviously they tried to face guard and crawl in him early,” Underwood said. “(Washington) paid a lot of attention to him. It’s great. He drew 10 fouls, and I obviously thought there was three or four or five more that could have been called that weren’t.”

Wagler’s game-high 22 points is impressive for any freshman, but after a 46-point outburst over the weekend at Mackey Arena, these types of nights are starting to become the standard for Wagler.

He’s having double-digit scoring games like it’s nobody’s business, and he’s active on the glass and creating for teammates at the same time. Wagler added eight rebounds and five assists to his statline, proving again that he is a complete player and worthy of consideration for not only Big Ten Freshman of the Year, but Big Ten Player of the Year.

“From a guard standpoint, no,” Underwood said when asked if he’s had another freshman with Wagler’s consistent poise. “I wanted to bark at him for missing free throws, but he steps up, makes them all in the second half. So, it’s just the way he handles it. It’s his demeanor.”

*David Mirković (A): Freshman forward David Mirković played his first college game in front of his parents, and he showed out. Mirković had 19 points on 7 of 15 shooting and grabbed six rebounds, three of which were on the offensive glass. Mirković was guarded by Washington’s star freshman Hannes Steinbach for much of the game. It was very physical coverage, evidenced by a large scratch on his arm, but Mirković still managed to be very effective.

“We have a team that has a lot of great defensive players that all can shoot, and that allowed me to have spacing, to attack, to get to my spots, to get a lot of open threes today,” Mirković said.

While his teammates were flat to start the game, Mirković teamed up with his fellow freshman Wagler to spark the Illini. They each contributed evenly to Illinois’ first 16 points of the game and got the home team’s offense going after starting down 7-0.

Mirković also brought the ball up many times during the game, something Underwood has utilized since senior guard Kylan Boswell has been out to give Wagler a break from ball pressure.

“Without Kylan, that’s a great option and great idea from (assistant coach Tyler Underwood) because no bigs in the league are going to come to pressure me full court,” Mirković said. “Keaton just can walk down there, and I will hand off him the ball and we can start our plays as me being point guard. It’s been effective.”  

*Tomislav Ivišić (C): Junior center Tomislav Ivišić was cold from deep on Thursday, shooting 1 for 8 from three. The shots were mostly good looks, but they just did not fall. However, Ivišić did find other ways to contribute, grabbing six rebounds, including two offensive boards and dishing out three assists.

“Tomi didn’t let a tough shooting night affect him on the offensive glass and rebounding,” Underwood said. “Made great pass to (Stojaković) for a layup, made a great pass to Ben.”

Ivišić may have had a rough shooting night, but that’s not what sticks out as most concerning for the big man from an offensive standpoint. Ivišić was primed to be one of the best players on this Illinois team, but despite having a few standout games, he has noticeably regressed. Ivišić is a stretch-five, so he should shoot threes, but his 7-foot-1 frame is mostly going to waste around the rim on offense.

He has only attempted 26 two-pointers over his first 10 Big Ten games this season, compared to 48 over the same period last year. Ivišić has been passive, and as many who follow the Illini have pointed out all season, he needs to be more aggressive and use his strength to score down low.

*Jake Davis (C+): Junior wing Jake Davis was quiet offensively, only putting up two 3-pointers and making one. It wasn’t his night to get shots, but he played his role and also added three rebounds.

“I think we’ve got a couple of the greatest role players in college basketball in Jake and Ben,” Underwood said. “They just do their job, and Jake created tremendous advantages. He didn’t have one of his electric shooting nights, but guess what? Ben did.”

Ben Humrichous (A): Graduate student forward Ben Humrichous had his best game of the season on Thursday, scoring 14 points on 4 of 6 shooting from three. Humrichous made three of his treys and had two offensive boards in the second half, helping Illinois pull away and add another win to a streak that just keeps growing.

After starting the new year shooting 4 for 17 from three, Humrichous has found a groove over his last three games, knocking down 8 of his 14 attempts from deep. When he’s shooting well, that’s great for the Illini, but where Humrichous has really made an impact this season has been in every area besides scoring. He’s become a high energy glue-guy that rebounds, defends and just gives an all-out effort.

“Here at the University of Illinois, we stress a lot about winning plays, about what matters to winning, and that’s defense and rebounding,” Humrichous said. “I want to do what’s going to help this team win, and that’s what coach Underwood needs me to do.”

That improvement has been the result of intentional hard work starting this past summer. Humrichous wants to win, and he’s willing to do anything to make that happen.

“Being very honest, last year I’m not sure Ben could guard a dead man,” Underwood said. “Probably would give up 20 to (Tom) Izzo’s mom last year. This year he’s guarding everybody and just doesn’t make mistakes. …Ben’s phenomenal. Like I said, he does everything that he’s supposed to do and talks, communicates, accepted his role. I’ve said it for two years, he’s a really really good shooter.”

Zvonimir Ivišić (C-): In only 15 minutes on the court, junior center Zvonimir Ivišić shot a poor 1 for 5 from the field, including missing all three of his 3-point attempts. The 7-foot-2 big man picked up two fouls just 10 minutes into the game and sat for the remainder of the first half.

Ivišic did have some positive impact on defense though. He recorded five defensive rebounds, one block and a steal. Ivišic is currently on the watchlist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and has blocked at least one shot in every one of Illinois’ 10 straight wins. 

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