5 big observations from the Illinois basketball win over Oakland

It didn't end up being an easy win, but the Illinois basketball team still managed to take down Oakland in a close contest.

Nov 13, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) looks to pass against Oakland Golden Grizzlies guard DQ Cole (10) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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4. Tomislav Ivisic is nearly unstoppable in the paint

There isn’t a lot of positive to say about the Illinois basketball performance on Wednesday night. This was an ugly game from about the 15-minute mark in the first half until the final buzzer.

The brightest spot for the Illini by far was big man Tomislav Ivisic. He had a huge game for the Orange and Blue, as Oakland had no answers for him inside the paint.

Ivisic finished the Oakland game with 20 points, six rebounds, and four steals. He was 9-of-14 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.

Illinois needed Ivisic on the floor because he was the zone breaker. Oakland played a lot of zone defense against the Illini, and we would dump the ball into Ivisic just inside the free throw line, and he was able to hit nearly all of his shots from this area.

Without Ivisic, Illinois probably falls to Oakland. He was the heart and soul of the Illinois offense, and he has been a lot this season. Ivisic is now averaging 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

I am honestly blown away by how good Ivisic looks already. He was highly touted, but I didn’t think he was going to be this good this quickly. If he continues at this pace, Ivisic will only last one season in Champaign.

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