No. 5 Illinois (20-4, 11-2) picked up its fourth loss of the season on Saturday night, falling 82-85 to No. 10 Michigan State (20-4, 10-3) in an overtime thriller in East Lansing. The ball wasn’t going through the net consistently for the Illini at the Breslin Center as they shot a poor 36.6% from the field, including 27.8% from 3-point range. On a night of poor shooting overall, Illinois also made costly mistakes, such as lane violations and early fouls, that it couldn’t afford to make on the road against a top-10 Big Ten opponent.
Andrej Stojaković (A-): When freshman guard Keaton Wagler couldn’t find an answer or consistency against Michigan State’s defense, junior wing Andrej Stojaković found ways to effectively get downhill through traffic, especially down the stretch. Stojaković played patiently within Illinois’ half-court offense and read Michigan State’s defense well to decide when to drive the basket. This helped him not record a single turnover, even against a physical Michigan State defense. Stojaković was also as efficient from the field as he’s been recently, going 8 for 14 with 17 points. In the last two games, Stojaković has started to find his offensive groove once again and plays aggressively when he gets the ball in his hands in the framework of the offense.
Along with taking a larger offensive load, Stojaković also took on arguably the toughest defensive assignment of the night, defending Michigan State redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. Fears is not easy to guard as he is not only the Spartans’ top scorer, but also leads the country in assists per game. Fears also plays well in ball screen action, making good decisions on whether to score or distribute. Stojaković struggled defending Fears a lot of the night, both in the half-court and in transition, allowing Fears to record a 26-point, 15-assist double-double. With Fears’ crafty playmaking abilities and quickness, Stojaković couldn’t slow him down.
“He controls the team’s offense,” Stojaković said. “Coach Izzo trusts him obviously to do so. He’s been like this since high school. I’ve known Jeremy for quite some time now. So, it’s his instinct to have that leadership mentality.”
Keaton Wagler (C+): After putting up stellar performances against top-10 teams over the last two weeks, Wagler finally showed weaknesses against Michigan State’s physical defense. In ball screen action, Wagler wasn’t able to drive the lane comfortably and finish at the rim with his usual ease. While the freshman has played and excelled against physicality previously, he couldn’t find his rhythm from the 3-point line, at the rim, or anywhere in between, for that matter. Wagler shot a poor 2 for 16 from the field, one of his worst shooting outings of the season so far. He also recorded three turnovers, which is uncharacteristic of the freshman who usually rises to the challenge against pressure.
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Wagler still finished the matchup with 16 points despite his shooting struggles, thanks to a plethora of trips to the free-throw line in the second half. For Wagler on Saturday night, getting to the free-throw line was how he found himself still contributing to the Illini offense. He started to play into Michigan State’s physicality more down the stretch, shooting 12 free throws and going 10 for 12 on his attempts. Even if it wasn’t shooting from the field, Wagler didn’t let himself disappear from the offense completely. He also recorded three offensive rebounds, a key focus for the Illini in this game. However, there’s no doubt that Wagler will bounce back from a bad shooting night in the coming games.
“I don’t think Keaton struggled,” Stojaković said. “He’s a freshman. I thought he played to his best capabilities considering the crowd, how he’s been playing recently. He’s shown a certain standard that he’s been playing with, but this shouldn’t be a surprise. He’s a freshman. People have to give him some slack.”
Jake Davis (C): Despite grabbing the offensive rebound and hitting the two free throws at the end of regulation to tie the game up at 71 apiece, junior forward Jake Davis also suffered from a small shooting slump against the Spartans. Davis went 1 for 5 from the field, on all 3-pointers, for just six points in 29 minutes of play. Other than not knocking down shots, Davis didn’t hurt Illinois on the offensive end, as he didn’t turn the ball over and grabbed an offensive rebound. However, from a rebounding standpoint, the Illini needed Davis to be more active on the offensive glass to match the Spartans’ intensity, but he didn’t perform to that level.
Continuing the trend of doing the little things that may get overlooked, Davis recorded two steals in the contest. The extra effort on the defensive side from Davis to get those skills was a positive for him in the game, and proves that defensively, he’s in the right place to make those plays. This once again shows the improvements he has made since his first season as an Illini and how those efforts can keep his team in the game.
David Mirković (A): When one Illini freshman struggled, another stepped up and played another well-rounded game on the road against a top-10 opponent. Freshman forward David Mirković filled every positive category of the stat sheet, leading the Illini with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Mirković wasn’t fazed by Michigan State’s physical size at the rim and finished tough, contested shots against talented interior defenders. His size and strength were also advantageous to him when driving the lane on the perimeter because he could compete with the Spartans’ bigger lineup on the floor.
Mirković also got another opportunity to bring the ball up the floor, a common occurrence for the freshman in games as of late. As his ball handling has improved over the course of the season so far, committing fewer turnovers than he was at the beginning, Mirković is giving the Illini’s opponents a different look on the perimeter than they are used to seeing. When Mirković brings the ball up the floor instead of Wagler at times, it forces defenders who don’t usually guard on the perimeter to be put in uncomfortable positions, giving Illinois an edge.
From a rebounding standpoint, Mirković did his job in staying active on both the offensive and defensive glass as he recorded six rebounds, half offensive and half defensive. Mirković’s ability to continuously stay a threat on the boards, no matter who the opponent is, will continue to be important for Illinois down the road. A big reason why the Illini stayed in the game against the Spartans was by limiting their second-chance points, and that was greatly due to Mirković’s effort.
Tomislav Ivišić (B): On the offensive end, junior center Tomislav Ivišić played efficiently and effectively by showing off his ability to stretch the floor by knocking down triples, but also backing down defenders in the lane. Tomislav hasn’t scored much as of late by posting up and finishing at the rim, so it was a different look for him on Saturday night, but he proved his versatility once again. Before fouling out during the overtime period, Tomislav recorded 12 points on 5 for 9 shooting from the field, including two threes. In the first half, especially, Tomislav’s offensive efforts were crucial to keeping Illinois in a tight game with Michigan State without Wagler’s usual contributions.
However, where Illinois needed Tomislav arguably most in this matchup was on the glass, and he didn’t show up there. Tomislav only recorded two overall rebounds compared to the 12 he recorded against Northwestern on Wednesday. Michigan State’s activity on the glass is one of its biggest assets, and containing it was a key focus for Illinois going into Saturday’s game. Tomislav wasn’t engaged in that area, and it hurt the Illini in the long run. The junior big man also played a part in letting Michigan State’s forwards and centers become active at the rim off Fears’ assists, especially in transition, which was a difference maker in the game.
“I think that rebounding is something that leads to winning, and I like to win,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “I’m a really crappy loser. We haven’t been out-rebounded very much, but we work on it. If you come to our practice, you’ll know why we’re good at rebounding most days.”
Zvonimir Ivišić (C+): In the first half against the Spartans, junior center Zvonimir Ivišić changed the game with both his scoring and his defensive abilities. On the offensive side, Zvonimir knocked down a three and completed a put-back dunk off a miss in transition from Wagler for 5 points. His rebounding also made all the difference for the Illini as he grabbed six rebounds in the first half, including two offensive ones. Per usual, Zvonimir’s spark off the bench ignites Illinois when he comes in the game and gives it a more athletic, dangerous look defensively with his rim protection.
The second half was a different story for Zvonimir, though. He was practically a no-show through the last 20 minutes of regulation and overtime, missing all three of his 3-point attempts down the stretch. Zvonimir also only grabbed two rebounds in the second half after an active first half on the glass. Yet, Zvonimir’s rim protection was still vital for the Illini in the second half as he recorded two blocks against the Spartans. He did get caught ball-watching Fears at times, though, and allowed Michigan State’s high-flying forwards and center to reap the benefits of Fears’ court vision.
Ben Humrichous (B-): Similar to Zvonimir, graduate student forward Ben Humrichous was an extra boost off the bench for the Illini in the first half, especially with his 3-point shooting. Humrichous continued his hot streak from 3-point range from Wednesday’s game against Northwestern by hitting two threes in the first half on Saturday night. He also put in a layup off a Davis assist and totaled 8 first-half points alongside two rebounds and two assists.
Humrichous disappeared offensively in the second half, though, and only attempted one three-point field goal, which he didn’t make. He still grabbed two more rebounds through the final stretch of the game, helping Illinois keep Michigan State off the glass. Humrichous also got one block in the matchup, which once again showed off the little things he does on the defensive end to help the Illini play close games against top talent. Still, Humrichous’ small efforts weren’t enough to push Illinois past Michigan State.
