Coming into the game on Sunday afternoon, I had Illinois basketball in a must-win contest.
The Illini were 13-6 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten heading into the game against Northwestern. We had dropped three out of the last four games, and the last time we played the Wildcats, they clipped us in overtime.
Illinois needed to turn the tides in a positive direction. From the jump, that is exactly what happened. The Illini jumped on Northwestern quickly. Illinois had a double-digit lead by the 10-minute mark. That lead ballooned to 20 points with five minutes left in the first half.
By halftime, Illinois was up 22 points. The second half started solid as well. Toward the end of the game, the Illini let our foot off the gas, and Northwestern had a little pulse. But, by the final horn, Illinois still managed to beat the Wildcats, 83-74.
Here are five big observations from the Illinois basketball win over Northwestern
1. Best game Jake Davis has given Illinois
Northwestern wasn’t much of a matchup in the first half, but they came storming back at the end to make things interesting. Thankfully, Illinois had enough firepower to keep them at arm’s length.
A big weapon for the Illini on Sunday afternoon was Jake Davis. When Illinois landed Davis in the offseason, I thought he could be a sneaky addition for the program. He hit 38.7% from three-point range with Mercer as a freshman, so the sky was the limit with this kid.
Earlier this season, Illinois throttled No. 9 Oregon by 32 points. Davis had a season-high of 12 points in that game. He was 5-of-6 from the field and 2-2 from three-point range. While that is the highest number he has scored this season, I think the game against Northwestern was a better outing.
Davis managed to drop 11 points and three rebounds on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. The reason I believe the game against the Wildcats was his best game this season was the magnitude of the outing.
Illinois pounded the Ducks. Without Davis’ 12 points, we would have won the game by 20. That isn’t the case with the Northwestern game. Throughout the contest, Davis was hitting big shots. He was a reliable three-point threat, which we don’t have right now full-time.
The Illini needed someone to step up in the absence of Tomislav Ivisic, and Davis answered the call. His ability to space the floor and his hustle crashing the glass make this kid a fan favorite in my eyes.