After two losses in a row, No. 8 Illinois (21-5, 12-3) cruised to a win at home over Indiana (17-9, 8-7) on Sunday afternoon, 71-51. The Illini were led by their two freshmen, forward David Mirković and guard Keaton Wagler, who had 25 and 18 points, respectively. Despite junior wing Andrej Stojaković still being out with a high ankle sprain, the Illini benefited from the return of senior guard Kylan Boswell, who added 9 points and seven rebounds in his return from a broken hand.
“In a night we didn’t shoot the ball very well, to have a 20-point win against a team that’s won five of six, against a team that’s an NCAA tournament team, that speaks volumes to our defense and our intensity,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. “All in all, nice win, and it’s nice to get Kylan back, and now we get ready for the next one.”
Boswell makes immediate impact
After being out seven games, Boswell made his return to the court on Sunday, and the home crowd responded. The cheers reached a deafening level when the Champaign native was announced in the starting lineup.
“Just being grateful for all these opportunities, you know,” Boswell said. “Been in college for four years and back home where I was born and raised. Hearing my name, like I said earlier, getting called out in the starting lineup here is emotional for me, but I think the biggest thing is just being in the present and enjoying this time now.”
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Boswell brought an energy that Illinois has missed a little bit in his absence. He was aggressive from the jump, getting active on the boards to create second-chance opportunities for the Illini. Of his seven rebounds, four were offensive from the 6-foot-2 guard. He may not be the biggest guy on the court, but he brings the most heart of any player onto the hardwood.
“The insertion of Kylan, you pick up a different energy,” Underwood said. “He’s a veteran. He knows what this is supposed to look like.”
Despite his impact, it will still take some time for Boswell to fully adjust to game scenarios. The veteran missed some easy shots around the rim that he would normally make, and the padding on his hand is still foreign. Even with the adjustment period still underway, Boswell will find a way to impact the outcome of games, just as he did against Indiana.
“Today I missed a couple of easy layups,” Boswell said. “I was just trying to get more adjusted on it, but overall it’s fine. Whatever the case may be, if it’s not going offensively, then I’ll just do my best to do other things to help our team win.”
Dominance down low
Neither team shot the ball well from deep, but where Illinois separated itself from Indiana was in the post. The Illini outscored the Hoosiers 40-24 in the lane, giving them a way to win even when the deep ball didn’t fall.
Junior center Tomislav Ivišić was a perfect 5 for 5 inside the arc and once again showed off his ability to use his physicality to back down defenders and score around the rim. Wagler was also efficient inside the 3-point line, making 6 of his 11 twos and displaying his ability to still score under lots of contact.
Second-chance buckets were huge for Illinois in building its lead. The Illini had 17 second-chance points compared to just 5 for the Hoosiers, and that was fueled by their dominance on the glass. Illinois won the rebounding battle 38-25, but where it really hung its hat was on the offensive glass. A 15-4 offensive rebounding margin gave the home team a major advantage over the visiting Hoosiers, and everyone contributed. Six of seven Illini had an offensive board, and four had multiple.
“I thought one of the big keys to the game was just getting back to us on the glass,” Underwood said. “Kylan four offensive rebounds, Tomi four offensive rebounds. I thought that we were so poor in the Wisconsin game. We’d been getting worse. Just a reemphasis on that for two days was great.”
Mirković’s change in mentality
Mirković was a force to be reckoned with on Sunday, just missing his career high in points by 2. The freshman was extremely efficient, shooting 7 for 10 from two and giving the Illini a boost from deep (3 for 6 from three) on an afternoon where treys were hard to come by.
After the game, Underwood revealed that Mirković, who has taken winning extremely seriously all year, was extra locked in on Sunday. The losses to Michigan State and especially Wisconsin bothered him personally, and he was ultra-focused on doing everything he could to secure a win and bounce back.
“It wasn’t two minutes after I left the building, and I get an incredible text from Mirk after the Wisconsin game, taking the blame for it because he wasn’t mentally what he thought was at his best,” Underwood said. “It was a very lengthy one. He practiced at a different level and that showed off today. He was dominant on both ends, and it’s as focused defensively as I’ve seen him.”
With Wagler taking up much of the national spotlight, the freshman year that Mirković is having has gone somewhat under the radar. Mirković is averaging 12.6 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 assists, all while shooting an impressive 38.4% from three at 6-foot-9. He’s been used as a bully in the paint, a point guard, a passing big in the high post and a shooter. Mirković is easily one of the most versatile players in college basketball right now, and it’s something Underwood wishes people would appreciate more.
“Mirk was, I think, Freshman of the Week twice early, and then he’s really got kind of gotten overshadowed by (Wagler),” Underwood said. “And that’s probably not fair to talking about how good Mirk’s been all year. I mean, he’s a playmaker for us. He is a guy that has played in just about every position that we can extend and put him in.”
Defensive grit
In addition to its stellar play in the paint, Illinois was able to get the win because of its defense. The Illini are notoriously a team that plays a very traditional style of defense. They guard, and they don’t foul. Because they don’t do too much with their hands, they don’t allow opponents to shoot a lot of free throws, but they also don’t force a lot of turnovers. Against the Hoosiers, however, that was not the case.
Illinois did a great job of getting in the passing lanes, stealing the ball seven times. Indiana had nine turnovers compared to just two for Illinois, and the home team capitalized. The Illini scored 14 points off turnovers, further supplementing the lead they built off of their second-chance points and offensive rebounding.
“I thought the tempo, and I thought our connectivity on the defensive side and awareness was really good,” Underwood said.
Bonds that last a lifetime
Illinois had three former players, all of whom are playing professionally, in the crowd at State Farm Center to take in the win. Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakučionis and Washington Wizards wing Will Riley, the No. 20 and No. 21 overall picks in last year’s draft, sat next to each other courtside. It was a familiar group playing in front of the two NBA rookies Sunday, as they had spent last season at Illinois with much of the core group that is a part of this year’s roster.
“Those are my youngins, you know, like last year, and now they’re in the league doing great things,” Boswell said. “Surreal moment. Continuously seeing them just grow as men and just continue to be better as basketball players. Next year, I’ll be there (NBA) to lock their ass up, too, though.”
Dain Dainja, a key piece on the 2024 Elite Eight team and current forward for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the NBA G League, was also in attendance. Dainja, who spent his final college season at Memphis before turning pro, is still welcomed in Champaign, and he was in the locker room with Riley and Jakučionis after the game to celebrate the win.
“Well, other than the win, the best part of today was my locker room after the game,” Underwood said. “Even though Dain left us, but this is (his) home. When you get those dudes back, and then you have some newbies in the room that haven’t worn the jersey yet, and your current players, that’s what this is all about. We can talk wins and losses, but the relationships and all that are pretty cool.”
Although he was not at Sunday’s game, Illini great Terrence Shannon Jr. was on campus during the NBA All-Star break, and he was a valuable part of Illinois preparation for Indiana. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard served on the scout team, and he went at Boswell for the past few days as he got ready to return. Boswell credits that challenge in practice for his being prepared to play on Sunday.
“He was helpful for the last two days for me for sure,” Boswell said about Shannon. “That’s a huge thing for me with my confidence. I was a little worried sometimes about my hand and things like that the last two days. … Him guarding me throughout practice definitely helped my confidence for sure.”
Stojaković update
Stojaković was seen taking jump shots before the game on Sunday, but he was unable to go for the second straight game. After the game, Underwood said that Stojaković is still working on coming back from his high ankle sprain. He is unsure if this will continue to be a day-to-day issue for Stojaković or if it will cause him to miss extended time, but he wants to make sure the Illini wing is doing everything possible to get back on the court.
“My biggest concern is the health of us long term,” Underwood said. “If that means he needs to stay at home from LA and that trip and live in the hyperbarics and get treatment, then we’ll do that.”
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