No. 10 Illinois (22-5, 13-3) continues its trip on the West coast with a matchup against UCLA (17-9, 9-6) on Saturday after blowing past USC (18-8, 7-8), 101-65, on Wednesday night. The Illini are going into their second game with a complete, healthy rotation after junior wing Andrej Stojaković made his return against the Trojans off the bench and finished the game as the Illini’s leading scorer. However, UCLA is coming off a tough loss of its own earlier this week and is going to give the No. 2 team in the Big Ten its best shot.
“This is a team that’s very good,” said head coach Brad Underwood about UCLA. “They’re coming off a tough road trip, and I’m sure we’re going to get an angry and fired up UCLA team.”
Illini at full strength once again
For the first time since the end of January, Illinois wasn’t missing any key pieces of its usual rotation in its win over USC on Wednesday. With senior guard Kylan Boswell and Stojaković back from their respective injuries, both the Illini offense and defense were showing their complete capabilities with everyone healthy, and it was too much for the Trojans to handle. As seen against USC, Underwood now has a plethora of options to go to once again, which wasn’t the case a week ago.
Balanced scoring was the name of the game to start the Illini’s West Coast trip, with seven Illini scoring in double-figures in the matchup. In his return, Stojaković was the leading scorer with 22 points on 6 for 7 shooting, adding an athletic, aggressive driver back into the mix for Illinois. Even in limited minutes, Stojaković’s return gave the Illini another option to go to for perimeter scoring and ball handling. This is where Illinois struggled with Stojaković and Boswell out as freshman guard Keaton Wagler, and at times freshman forward David Mirković, handled that job themselves.
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Especially with Boswell back on the floor again, the Illini defense has not only improved, but Wagler doesn’t have to be the primary ball handler all the time. Wagler faced another physical, high-pressure defense against USC, causing him to commit two turnovers. Instead of forcing Wagler to play through the physicality on the ball all night, Illinois went to Boswell at times. Putting Wagler on the wing allowed him to find his shots through the motion of the offense, and he still scored 10 points.
“It’s just what the game gives us,” Underwood said. “There was no sense of (Wagler) having to fight all of that. Yet, he still made a lot of really good plays, but it just ignited everybody else and gave everybody else an opportunity to play and perform.”
Alongside his presence as another ball handler, having Boswell available again also brings tenacity and toughness back to both ends of the floor for the Illini. Boswell is fitting right into the rotation seamlessly in his first two games back and showing up all across the stat sheet. Against USC, Boswell had 12 points, five rebounds, eight assists and two steals, helping get Illinois’ perimeter back to full strength.
Despite having a complete, healthy rotation upon Stojaković’s return, Underwood isn’t dismissing the idea of keeping junior forward Jake Davis in the starting lineup. Davis was an instrumental part of Illinois’ lineup in Boswell’s absence. His leadership and desire to do the little things kept the Illini in games without their main senior leader. Although Underwood might not keep Stojaković coming off the bench permanently, Davis has earned his place right now.
“I always like bringing impact off the bench,” Underwood said. “We’ve had a lot of six-man of the year award type guys … I’ve never been overly concerned about who starts. It’s just got to be the right fit, and the pieces have got to play well together. Jake’s been sensational, and he’s earned the opportunity, and he’s a great fit.”
UCLA led by Bilodeau
UCLA isn’t short of offensive threats at its disposal, but the most dangerous one that Illinois needs to watch out for is senior forward Tyler Bilodeau. At 6-foot-9, Bilodeau is the Bruins’ leading scorer at 18.1 points per game, while also shooting 51.3% from the field, including 45.9% from 3-point range, so far this season. Efficiency is the name of the game for Bilodeau, and he doesn’t lack spots on the floor where he can score.
There’s nowhere on the floor where the Illini can get caught leaving Bilodeau open. He takes a lot of shots, but he makes a lot of shots as well, both from inside and outside the 3-point line. With his size, quick decision-making, and impressive footwork, Bilodeau faces up against his opponents in the midrange, and it’s difficult for defenders to decide whether he’s going to pull up for a jump shot or get to the rim because he’s so versatile. In ball screen scenarios, Bilodeau is also lethal from 3-point territory.
“Bilodeau’s special,” Underwood said. “He’s a tremendous talent in the mid-range, post area. He’s a guy that can pick and pop … If you leave him open, he can make six, seven, eight (3-pointers).”
Alongside his scoring, Bilodeau is also UCLA’s leading rebounder, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game. Bilodeau’s strength benefits him on the glass, and if the Illini aren’t ready to compete, he is going to be a problem. Mirković will more than likely be the primary defender on Bilodeau, as he’s been strong defensively for Illinois’ frontline as of late, and it will be a battle on the boards between each team’s leading rebounder.
Bounce-back opportunity for Bruins
Not only will Illinois be on the road for this matchup, but it will also be seeing a UCLA team that is hungry to get back on the winning track. On Tuesday, UCLA lost a blowout game in East Lansing, Michigan, to Michigan State, 82-59. The game was a tough one for the Bruins, with only two players scoring in double-figures. Bilodeau was UCLA’s leading scorer with 22 points on 8 for 16 shooting, and senior guard Skyy Clark recorded 12 points right behind him.
“Mick (Cronin)’s teams always play really hard,” Underwood said. “They’re well-coached, and they don’t beat themselves, and I’m expecting that same type of game, no matter what all the outside stuff is.”
Outside of Bilodeau and Clark, no other Bruin stepped up to the plate, and the game’s result reflected that, especially when the Spartans had four players hit double-digits in scoring. Senior guard Donovan Dent is UCLA’s second-leading scorer behind Bilodeau, averaging 13.2 points per game, and he only cashed in 6 points against Michigan State. Dent is dangerous in ball screens with Bilodeau and a downhill driver that aggressively gets to the rim. While he didn’t play his best on Tuesday, the Illini will need to stay in front of him on Saturday and limit his production in scoring as well as distributing.
From the 3-point line, the Bruins also didn’t shoot it at their best in East Lansing, only shooting 32% from 3-point range. With multiple players on the roster, including Clark, Bilodeau, sophomore guard Trent Perry and junior forward/center Xavier Booker, who can shoot over 40% from three, defending the 3-point line will be key for Illinois, as it usually is. More specifically, being active on the defensive glass will be just as important with the long rebounds that come from missed threes.
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