Sometimes you can’t think too much about a game, and that applies to the Illinois basketball performance on Saturday night.
The Illini came into the game and really didn’t play well. We were all over the court, getting into foul trouble and not looking like we were all there mentally.
Illinois still fought, though. This was a game that could have easily slipped away, but the Illini had enough talent to make sure Penn State didn’t put us on upset watch.
Despite some unsavory play, Illinois still managed to keep the Nittany Lions at arm’s length. A 14-point halftime lead was narrowed in the second half, but the Illini came away with the 73-65 win over Penn State.
Here are five big observations from the Illinois basketball win over Penn State
1. Love the way Keaton Wagler fought through adversity
The freshman sensation Keaton Wagler hasn’t gone through a lot of adversity this season. For being his first year, this is has been the smoothest transition from high school to college that I have seen in years.
Wagler finally had some bumps in the road on Saturday night. He played a little sloppily, and this got him into some foul trouble. In addition to the fouls, Wagler also had a couple of unusual turnovers in the first half.
Logging four fouls throughout the game limited the star to just 20 minutes of action. Normally, a freshman who is having a bad night would fold up shop and have an all-around bad game. What did Wagler do? He helped carry the Illini.
In just 20 minutes, Wagler made a massive impact with 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists. He was aggressive, getting to the free throw line and knocking down 7-of-8.
Being Illinois’ second-leading scorer and pacing the team in rebounds, but only playing half the game, is an impressive feat. I continue to say it, and it is obvious to the world now, but Wagler is so special.
2. Tomislav Ivisic’s night was super confusing
Coming into Saturday night, Penn State was a small team that couldn’t rebound the ball well. This was a chance for Illinois’ big men to not just play well, but to dominate in every facet of the game.
Tomislav Ivisic missed the memo. He physically arrived at the game, but as far as his game is concerned, that was left back in Champaign.
Ivisic got the start, but he only played 17 minutes, as he too got into some foul trouble and was just awful while on the court. He finished the game with zero points, two rebounds, and one steal on 0-of-3 shooting from the field and missing his lone three-point attempt.
Only Mihailo Petrovic and Brandon Lee, both playing combined seven minutes, finished with fewer rebounds than Ivisic. He is 7-foot-1 and can’t grab more than two rebounds. That is a wild thing to say.
This has been a trend during the 2025-26 season. Ivisic is a magician. Sometimes he makes his game appear, and sometimes he makes it disappear. He made it disappear against Penn State.
3. Illinois had to have a great night from Zvonimir Ivisic
What is crazy is that Illinois has Ivisic’s brother on the bench. Zvonimir Ivisic is a very similar player to Tomislav, but on Saturday night, they looked like two different players.
Ivisic came off the bench and saved Illinois in so many ways. Offensively, he stretched the floor and was more of a threat from outside of the paint. He set screens well, and he was moving all around the court.
On the defensive side, he was way more effective than his brother, too. Ivisic was a nightmare for Penn State when they would come around the rim.
Ivisic had great patience and wasn’t just jumping at the offensive player. He waited until he was in a good position for a block and would swat the ball away. I was amazed by Ivisic’s smarts, too. He knows when to go after a block and when to pull back and not foul. It is quite impressive.
The production off the bench for the Illini was phenomenal. Ivisic gave us 23 minutes and finished with six points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks. He was great in every facet of the game, and Illinois needed him greatly to fend off a pesky Penn State bunch.
4. The Illini sleepwalked through the Penn State game
If you watched the game against Penn State, you know that overall, Illinois didn’t play crisp basketball. This was a team that, honestly, looked like they didn’t want to be there.
This happens in college sports. There is a lot going on in a player’s life where they may not always focus on the game. I mentioned this in an early part, but for the Illini, it was like their bodies were playing basketball, but their minds were still a few states away.
Even the Illinois players who finished with good numbers seemed like they didn’t have the juice on Saturday night.
Kylan Boswell dropped 18 points, but his shooting was off, and there wasn’t a ton of spark. Wagler started the game badly, and he thankfully recovered a bit from that start.
I already mentioned Ivisic. He was nowhere to be found. I didn’t really care for the game from Ben Humrichous either. He was on the court, but there wasn’t much going on while he was playing.
Illinois has one of these games every once in a while. They sleepwalk through the contest, and thankfully, no one for Penn State went off.
5. Winning on the road in the Big Ten is never easy
Now that I have kind of been negative about the Illinois win on Saturday night against Penn State, I will pivot to some positivity. Despite the sluggish play, Illinois still came away with the victory.
I would argue this was the worst Illinois could play, and yet, we still managed to go on the road in the Big Ten and beat a team in Penn State that has one of the best freshmen in the college game.
In the past, Illinois has dropped these games. This team is built differently, though. I have to give a lot of credit to the way Brad Underwood has constructed the roster.
I mentioned this a lot earlier in the year, but this is the deepest squad I have seen in Champaign, maybe in my lifetime. When one player has a bad game, there is always someone waiting in the wings who can pick them up.
Saturday night was the perfect example. Tomislav was having a bad game, and this offseason, Illinois brought in Zvonimir to back him up. He did so against Penn State and had some crucial plays.
Some people may be discouraged by what we saw on Saturday night, but I am encouraged. We got a stinker game out of the way, and it was still an eight-point win on the road in the Big Ten. I will take that every day of the week and twice on Sundays.