Coming off a tough loss to Alabama, the Illinois basketball team needed to make a statement on Saturday.
The Illini came out of the gates and were down right away. A 4-0 hole isn’t a big deal, but Long Island came out swinging. Illinois responded, though.
By the 12-minute mark in the first half, Illinois had turned the game around to a double-digit lead, 20-10. Illinois then surged toward the end of the first half, making this a 20-point game with a little over three minutes left and a 54-19 lead at halftime.
Illinois came out in the second half and continued to dominate. Everyone on the roster got a chance to eat at the trough. When the final horn sounded, the Illini had won the game over Long Island, 98-58.
Here are five big observations from the Illinois basketball win over Long Island
1. Keaton Wagler is great at commanding the offense
I have raved about the two Illinois freshmen so far this season, but Keaton Wagler is really starting to stand out. While David Mirkovic is a double-double machine, I think Wagler is someone who can be the No. 1 option on the team in the future.
Wagler continued to show his command for the Illinois offense and, really defense for that matter. He was sensational against Long Island, going for 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor.
The ability for Wagler to thrive in every situation is what catches my eye the most. He can do the team ball by moving the rock around and finding the open player. That is when Illinois is at its best.
Wagler is more than just a team guy, though. I think Brad Underwood has mentioned this before, but Wagler reminds me a lot of Ayo Dosunmu. He is someone you can give the ball to when you need a bucket. He can be the guy who clears out everyone at the end of a game with the score tied, and he is going to knock a shot down in your eye. He is a special talent.
2. Movement is key to the Illinois offense
I touched on this in the first observation, but the Illinois offensive movement on Saturday was brilliant. Everyone was moving, and it is when this program is at its best.
In the last game against Alabama, one of the big reasons why the Crimson Tide had a run at the start of the second half was due to Illinois being stagnant. We got too complacent, and it bit us in the butt.
Illinois didn’t do that much against Long Island. The ball was swinging around the perimeter. That is when players like Ben Humrichous are at their best. He is more of a spot-up shooter, so when he receives it at the end of the rotation, there should be a wide-open shot.
You have to give a ton of credit to certain players, making sure the ball is moving around the court at all times. I think Mirkovic is one of those players.
While Mirkovic isn’t a traditional point guard, he is someone who is going to get the ball moving. When he gets to the top of the key and either sets a screen or receives the ball, then Illinois can get into their offense. He orchestrates a ton offensively.
As long as Illinois keeps that movement, we should be able to win plenty of games this season. Against Long Island, we were moving, and the 98-spot with 15 assists proves that.
3. Having two 7-footers is going to be so valuable
There are a ton of things to talk about when Illinois takes the court. We have superstar freshmen. There are experienced guards who can take over games. But one thing that slaps you in the face when the dust settles is the fact that Illinois has two 7-footers.
Back in the day, Illinois having one 7-foot player was a big deal. And even when that happened, the player was usually not too coordinated or didn’t have a ton of talent.
That isn’t the case with this Illini unit. We have one 7-foot-1 and one 7-foot-2 big man. No, they aren’t uncoordinated. Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic are arguably the two most coordinated 7-footers in program history.
I would likely put Meyers Leonard in that conversation. As far as coordination goes, he was probably more coordinated. But then you have to throw in the fact that both Ivisic brothers can shoot from anywhere on the court.
They are a wild duo down in the paint. Having those two big men on the court at the same time or more likely rotating in and out for each other is so invaluable. I am not sure any other team in the country has that luxury.
It was nice seeing both playing more toward their regular minutes. The two combined for 37 minutes and put up 17 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, four assists, and three steals while shooting 8-of-11 from the field.
Illinois is going to need both of these towers this season. Having them back in action is huge for the program.
4. A healthy Illinois is a scary Illinois
The first five games this season were a bit of a patchwork team. Illinois didn’t have our full repertoire of weapons, but we still played pretty well.
On Saturday, against a bad Long Island squad, Illinois finally had everyone on the court. We had our full roster available, and all key players moving forward saw some action.
Both Ivisic brothers were playing after missing time this season. Tomislav looked good, and he was the one who didn’t have a great game against Alabama.
Underwood is still working Mihailo Petrovic into action. He only played nine minutes against Long Island, but he is still gearing up and trying to get into game shape. Those nine minutes are going to be huge in his development.
Lastly, Illinois fans got the first sighting of Brandon Lee. The four-star freshman hadn’t played this season, but he registered 13 minutes against Long Island.
Lee looked solid, but he still has to get into game shape, and there is chemistry he needs to build with the rest of the Illinois roster. Lee still finished with four points, one assist, and one steal, but he also had two turnovers.
It was exciting to have our full roster playing in a game. Illinois was already a top 10 team in the country without the missing pieces, but now I believe we can truly contend for a national title with everyone involved. This team just got way more dangerous.
5. Illinois needed this type of victory
It was a tough loss against Alabama. Illinois could have easily won the game, but we let it slip away when the second half started. A few missed opportunities late didn’t help the situation either.
Illinois could have had a hangover game from that loss. Compiling a tough loss with a bad performance against a bad team would have been pretty devastating for the Illini.
That didn’t happen, though. Illinois didn’t play with our food, and we took care of business from about the 15-minute mark in the first half on. This was a sound beating without any doubt throughout the game.
I was pleased with how Illinois took this game seriously, too. It was a Saturday afternoon, so who knows how college kids will respond to that type of tip-off time. But Illinois came out and played a sound game.
The Illini finished with 15 assists to 12 turnovers, so that was a decent mark. The hustle was there, as Illinois won the rebounding battle 40-22. And the defensive effort was on point with 11 blocks in the game.
Illinois looked good all around, and it was a nice sight to see. This game could have been messy because we knew we were better than Long Island. Illinois came out and played some quality basketball, and I think that is important moving forward.