No. 5 Illinois (19-3, 10-1) went into Lincoln, Nebraska and got its revenge on No. 9 Nebraska (20-2, 9-2), defeating it on Sunday afternoon, 78-69, after a heartbreaking loss in the first meeting between the two teams in mid-December. Illinois is now on an 11 game winning streak heading into the back half of their Big Ten schedule and share the top spot in the Big Ten standings with No. 2 Michigan (20-1, 10-1).

“It gives us a lot of confidence being able to come on the road and just know that we can win these games,” said freshman guard Keaton Wagler. “Just staying poised, staying together, just keep getting better each day.”

*Andrej Stojaković (B-): In the first half against Nebraska, junior wing Andrej Stojaković was practically a no-show except for his three assists. Nebraska’s defense didn’t make it easy for Stojaković to get himself going, as he didn’t score a single point and only attempted three field goals. Nebraska made it tough for Illinois to attack the basket by sending double teams into the driving lanes, which forced some costly turnovers. Stojaković ended up with two first-half turnovers trying to break through these double teams, both in the half-court offense and trying to get downhill in the full court. 

While Stojaković didn’t make a complete 180 on the offensive end coming out of halftime, he made some subtle yet solid improvements that contributed to Illinois’ victory. Instead of trying to drive the basket, which hurt him in the first half, Stojaković did more work off the ball. His two made field goals were scored on cuts to the rim that junior center Tomislav Ivišić found him on. Since teams are now figuring out where Stojaković’s strengths lie and scouting him well, off-ball movement could be the key to getting his offensive production back up.

*Keaton Wagler (A): Through the first 20 minutes, it looked like an opposing team had finally figured out how to slow down the standout freshman Wagler. Nebraska senior guard Jamarques Lawrence was physical with Wagler from the tipoff, which held the freshman to only five first-half points on 2 for 9 shooting from the field. Similar to Stojaković, Wagler couldn’t drive the basket comfortably, and Nebraska did a nice job forcing Wagler into contested 3-point shot attempts. Although he wasn’t at the same scoring level as usual, Wagler still distributed well with three first-half assists. 

Wagler proved he can’t be held down for long, though, and erupted for 23 second-half points on 5 for 6 shooting from the field, including three triples. Most impressively, Wagler went 10 for 12 from the free-throw line and figured out how to not shy away from Nebraska’s physicality, but rather use it to his advantage. Illinois’ increased ball movement also helped Wagler find more open looks from 3-point range to increase his point total as well. 

“(Wagler) just settled in in the second half and just again took what the defense gave him,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “When he was open, he seemed to make it and when he wasn’t, he got fouled 12 times. It’s a pretty good sign.”

Wagler has shown over and over again that he doesn’t get fazed by big moments, but he proved on Sunday that he isn’t fazed by his own poorer performances as well. He can make adjustments mid-game, showing his maturity and IQ to know what he needs to change to will his team to another win. Wagler is also still working to improve his game amidst all the accolades. The freshman got in passing lanes more on the defensive side and recorded two steals, a season-high in that category. This was a focus for Wagler going into this matchup defensively. 

*David Mirković (B+): Consistency was the name of the game for freshman forward David Mirković in Sunday’s game as he put up an all-around solid performance for his full 33 minutes of play. Mirković was a standout, especially on the defensive side, keeping Nebraska out of the paint and not allowing any easy layups as he did in the first meeting between the two teams. Another key for Illinois in winning this game was effort on the defensive glass and not letting Nebraska get second-chance opportunities, especially from 3-point range. Mirković did his job by grabbing six defensive rebounds, eight in total. 

Mirković’s versatility with his ball handling also benefited the Illini when Underwood chose to go with a bigger lineup at points throughout the game. For the second straight game, Mirković was trusted with bringing the ball up the floor to take the pressure off Wagler, and he delivered, only recording one turnover.

“Mirk gives us that luxury because of his ball handling and his passing,” Underwood said.

The freshman’s size near the rim also changed the game for Illinois as he scored with ease in the paint against Nebraska senior forward Rienk Mast, who wasn’t at 100%,  and an undersized Nebraska lineup. Mirković finished the matchup with 10 points on 4 for 10 shooting from the field, however didn’t record a made 3-point field goal. Overall, Mirković got his revenge on Nebraska, showing off his improvements in staying engaged for the entire game. 

*Jake Davis (B+): Junior forward Jake Davis continued to play his role to a tee in the starting lineup with senior guard Kylan Boswell still sidelined. Davis is becoming even more of a consistent presence from beyond the arc, hitting three triples against Nebraska. The junior even got fouled on two 3-point attempts in the game and benefited from not shying away from Nebraska’s physicality on the perimeter by going to the free-throw line. Especially when Illinois started to increase its ball movement at points in the game, Davis excelled by remaining shot-ready no matter where the ball came from.

Defensively, Davis kept doing all the little things that have improved Illinois’ defense over the last two months since the loss to Nebraska back in December. This includes communicating with his teammates, grabbing rebounds and making hustle plays. On Sunday, Davis recorded one block against Nebraska star junior guard Pryce Sandfort on a layup in transition. It’s plays such as these that separate Illinois from its opponents and are invaluable to its current and future success.

“Jake never shuts up,” Underwood said. “Ben’s the same way. They’re talking about the game … They’re talking about the play, whatever it is. That brings energy and it brings involvement.”

*Tomislav Ivišić (A): In a game where Illinois needed his size, offensive versatility and rebounding, Tomislav delivered in all capacities. When Wagler was struggling in the first half, Tomislav and the rest of the Illinois frontline were the ones to step up and keep the score close with Nebraska. Tomislav contributed to holding Nebraska to only four points in the paint in the first half, and made it difficult for Mast to make an impact on the game offensively for Nebraska. While Mast wasn’t at 100% after being sidelined with an illness recently, Tomislav helped hold one of Nebraska’s top scorers to just 5 points on the game, all coming in the second half. 

“We got our principles before every game,” Tomislav said. “We talk about what we’re going to do. Who we are going to guard a certain way. I feel like everybody’s locked in. Everybody’s focused on what we do.”

On the offensive side, Tomislav showed off his versatility and got more touches in the paint than he has so far this season, which made all the difference for the Illini. With Nebraska’s undersized lineup, Illinois was able to make a lot of passes over the top of the defense, and that worked in Tomislav’s favor in the paint. That didn’t mean that Tomislav didn’t take his opportunities to step out and shoot it, though. The junior went 2 for 4 from the 3-point line, another example of how dangerous he is offensively. 

As Illinois started to move the ball more, Tomislav became a willing distributor, a trait that Underwood has complimented him on multiple times this season. Tomislav dished out three assists, including an incredible volleyball-type pass to Davis for a wing three. If the Illini can continue to have more ball movement as they did on Sunday, it will only give Tomislav more chances to be a distributor and find teammates for open shots. 

“I was right on the top of the key,” Wagler said about the pass Tomislav made to Davis. “I saw the shot clock. It was like three or four seconds left. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh’ and then Tomi hits it and I’m like ‘What is he doing?’ He goes straight to Jake and I’m like ‘Oh, yeah, that’s money.’”

Zvonimir Ivišić (B+): Alongside his twin brother and Mirković, junior center Zvonimir Ivišić was also part of the bigger lineup that Underwood played together that gave Illinois a bit of an advantage over Nebraska. When Zvonimir came into the game, he made an impact almost immediately as he was able to also play over the top of Nebraska’s defense with his twin brother, scoring 7 points on a perfect 3 for 3 from the field. 

On one particular play, Wagler was able to throw a lob from the wing to a cutting Zvonimir from the corner for a high-flying dunk. Having a player with that type of athleticism and ability to read defenses makes Zvonimir an asset for Illinois whenever he’s on the floor. After how successful it was offensively, it could be a more regular occurrence to see the twins play together with Boswell still out. 

As usual, Zvonimir wasn’t slacking on the defensive end either. His energy on that end of the floor spread to his teammates as soon as he checked into the game. Zvonimir’s rim protection was, as always, a benefit for the Illini as he recorded two blocks in the contest. While it was tough for him to defend Nebraska’s 3-point shooters at times, he made up for it by rebounding Nebraska missed attempts. Zvonimir finished the contest with seven rebounds, five of those being defensive.

Ben Humrichous (C+): While graduate student forward Ben Humrichous had one of his best shooting nights of the year against Washington, he fell flat against Nebraska. Humrichous went 0 for 6 from the 3-point range even though he was getting good looks that swung to him within Illinois’ offensive ball movement. Luckily, it didn’t matter in this matchup with other Illinois players stepping up to hit those shots and others, but Illinois will need Humrichous to figure out how to be more consistent from three as it will matter down the road.

As always, though, Humrichous showed up doing small things that are sometimes unseen to help Illinois win. Humrichous recorded two blocks and one steal, which are small defensive statistics to some, but in a tight game against a top-10 team, they matter.

@evy_york2 

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