Illinois basketball took care of business on Sunday in a game that we needed to take care of business.
The Illini couldn’t play with our food against Indiana. This is a Hoosiers’ program that has shown they can knock off some good teams, and they were hungry for a road win.
This was a pretty close game through much of the first 20 minutes of action. Illinois clearly had control, but the Hoosiers kept things close, which can always be a little scary.
Illinois went into halftime only up 38-31. In the second half, things started to go off the rails for the Hoosiers. They only scored 20 points in the final frame, and Illinois jumped on them early. A double-digit lead three minutes into the second half never shrank after that. Illinois ended up winning the game 71-51.
Here are five awesome observations from the Illinois basketball win over Indiana
1. That might have been David Mirkovic’s best game
I don’t think I have ever seen Illinois have two freshmen who led a team in my lifetime. There have been good freshmen who have come through the program and played well, but this squad is different.
Most games, you are looking at Keaton Wagler as the leader between the two freshmen, but on Sunday against Indiana, it was David Mirkovic who shone brightest.
Mirkovic finished the game with 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal. He was 10-of-16 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range.
On top of his great numbers, Mirkovic didn’t have a single turnover and played 37 minutes of action. That is the most efficient I have seen him play this season.
It honestly felt like Mirkovic was in the zone on Sunday. He couldn’t miss. There was one time he got the ball on the left wing just short of the three-point arc. He did a little fadeaway off of one leg, and the ball went in. I had to rub my eyes to make sure that wasn’t Nikola Jokic out there.
Mirkovic had what I believe is his best game as a member of the Orange and Blue. This was an incredible performance against one of our biggest rivals.
2. Illinois’ offensive rebounding was much improved
Coming into the game against Indiana, one of my crucial keys for Illinois getting the win was to fix offensive rebounding. We were beaten by Wisconsin in this department 14-8 in the last game, which was a loss in overtime.
What the Illini did on Sunday was something more than just winning the offensive rebounding battle. We demolished the Hoosiers.
Illinois finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds to only four for Indiana. That was a +11 offensive rebounding margin.
This was a collective effort by the entire Illini squad, too. Everyone seemed to be flying around trying to get extra opportunities at the hoop. Illinois played seven players, and ironically, the only player who didn’t get an offensive rebound was our tallest player, Zvonimir Ivisic.
Illinois clearly had a focus on offensive rebounding after the loss to the Badgers. This was worked on in practice, and it was a huge reason Illinois won this game by 20 points.
3. Kylan Boswell’s defensive leadership was evident
The Illini defense hasn’t been good lately. We have missed a defensive spark, and that spark returned in the form of Kylan Boswell.
I wasn’t sure what Boswell’s impact was going to be on the Illini, as he had missed nearly a month and his hand was still wrapped up for the game. But what I quickly realized was that he was going to be huge for the team.
Boswell was the defensive stopper the Illini needed. He was able to shut down Indiana’s best scorer, Lamar Wilkerson. He averages 21.2 points per game and shoots 38.7% from three-point range. On Sunday, Wilkerson had 21 points and shot 28.6% from three-point range.
It was more than just shutting down Wilkerson, though. Boswell’s communication and leadership in the defensive department were clear. Illinois had more fire on the court when it came to shutting down Indiana. Boswell’s presence is definitely a welcome sight.
4. The Illini took care of the basketball
There are always little things in a basketball game that can turn the tide, whether you are playing well or not. One of those things is turnovers.
Illinois was one of the best turnover teams in the country coming into Sunday. We averaged 9.4 turnovers per game, which ranked No. 16 in the nation.
Over the past few games, the Illini haven’t been taking care of the ball, though. We had 13 turnovers against Wisconsin, and even though we won by 40 points, Northwestern forced 11 turnovers.
Indiana was going to stay competitive in this game if the Illini had another double-digit turnover game. Instead of letting the Hoosiers hang around, we came out and played the most efficient game of the season.
Illinois had a total of two turnovers against Indiana. That is not a typo. Two total turnovers in a Big Ten game is unheard of. This was the fewest turnovers in a game for the Illini this season, and I believe it is the fewest turnovers in a game over the last 47 seasons.
5. Great team win despite bad shooting day
Before the game, if I told you that Illinois would shoot 44% from the field and 23% from three-point range, you would probably say that it is a close game.
On top of those horrible shooting numbers, you mix in the fact that the Illini only got to the foul line seven times. That is a recipe for a bad outing.
What is so special about the Illini is the fact that even when the ball isn’t always going in the hoop, we find a way to scrape through the tough times. The win on Sunday shows you the resiliency of this program and the ability to tough out a win despite a bad shooting game.
This section of the observations article kind of encompasses everything before it. When Illinois is shooting poorly, everything else needs to be clicking.
The Illini didn’t turn the ball over, as we had just two turnovers. When we missed shots, there was hustle for the offensive rebounds. The defensive effort on the perimeter was spot on, and that gave Illinois more momentum on defense.
I would argue this was one of the worst offensive performances of the season for the Illini, but on the same note, it was one of the best wins. Great team victory for the Orange and Blue.