2. Illinois didn’t get enough from Kylan Boswell in a big spot
Tomislav Ivisic disappearing in a big moment is something that is disappointing but isn’t terribly surprising. This kid is technically a sophomore, but this is his first season in the college ranks. He will have bad games.
One player who should step up in a big spot and perform is Kylan Boswell. He is an experienced guard playing in his third season. This kid needs to be a leader on the Illinois basketball team, especially with Kasparas Jakucionis out with an injury.
I was impressed with Boswell earlier in the week with his performance against Penn State. But, man, what we saw on Saturday against USC was massively disappointing.
Boswell finished the game with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and five steals. On the surface, that seems like a great game, but when you break it down, he didn’t give Illinois enough on Saturday.
In addition to those solid stats from Boswell, he also had six turnovers in the contest. He also only shot 2-of-8 from the floor and missed all five of his three-point attempts. He did all of this while playing 34 minutes in the game.
Boswell is allowed to have bad outings, but there were a few things that I took issue with on Saturday. Defensively, he had some good moments, but there were too many times he was getting blown by. This would get Illinois’ defense on its heels, and USC would take advantage and score at the rim.
All game long, Boswell looked slow. He was a step behind the entire USC squad, and that usually doesn’t happen. He didn’t look himself, and it affected the entire team.
On the offensive side of the court, Boswell made some bad decisions. He was selfish with the ball too often, and some of his three-point attempts were bad shots. He didn’t move the ball well enough, and the Illini suffered on the court. This kid is a better player than we saw on Saturday, and it is disappointing to watch.