Illinois basketball came out of the gates flat against Nebraska, and we never recovered.
It was such a difficult game to watch. Nebraska had more hustle and heart in the game, and the Illini just chucked up three-point attempts like the Cornhuskers weren’t going to be a tough fight.
We are nearly 24 hours removed from the loss, and I still can’t help but feel disappointed in what I saw. Illinois mailed this one in. We weren’t all there, and it showed on the court. Nebraska punched us in the mouth and continued punching until they eventually beat us in overtime, 80-74.
Here are five disheartening observations from the Illinois basketball loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers
1. Turnovers were the deal breaker for Illinois
On paper, the Illinois basketball team was evenly matched with Nebraska on Thursday night. We had numbers that mirrored the Cornhuskers, but there was one glaring issue.
When you lose the turnover battle against the opponent, it is hard to win games. When you get clobbered by the opponent in the turnover battle, then it is nearly impossible to win. The fact Illinois took this game to overtime is nothing short of a miracle.
Illinois had 17 turnovers on Thursday night. While that is an ugly number, the fact Nebraska only had six is even more incredible. They beat us by 11 turnovers in the game.
The 17 turnovers for the Illini were the second most of the season. The only other game in which Illinois had more turnovers was in the narrow win over Oakland back in early November. The -11 turnover margin was a high mark for the season thus far.
In games that Illinois has lost the turnover battle this season, we are 5-7 overall. That means we are 9-0 in games where we have won the turnover battle.
Kasparas Jakucionis is a great player, but he is trying to do too much, and I don’t think he is fully healthy. His six turnovers paced the Illini against Nebraska. Kylan Boswell didn’t do anything in the game but still managed two turnovers. Five Illinois players had at least two turnovers and all but Carey Booth who played had at least one turnover.
It is unacceptable how often Illinois coughs up the ball. If we continue at this pace, not only will the Illini be struggling to get into the NCAA tournament, but if we make it, this team will be an early out.
2. It is time to make the move away from Ben Humrichous
I think back in the past to transfers Illinois has landed but never panned out. There have been a few of them before the transfer portal became a thing.
Alex Legion was supposed to be a really good get for the Illini. He was a top 40 recruit in the country and decided to bolt Kentucky after one season. Legion averaged 3.2 points with Illinois. The Illini secured a transfer in Western Michigan’s Darius Paul in 2013. He is the brother of Brandon Paul, and I thought that was going to be a great get. Paul was arrested and kicked off the team.
There is a list of disappointing transfers for one reason or another over the years. I believe Ben Humrichous is dangerously close to making that list.
I thought Humrichous was going to be one of the best additions in the transfer portal. Illinois had all of the pieces, and we just needed a shooter who could space the floor. Humrichous was that guy.
Humrichous dropped 14.7 points and shot 41.4% from three-point range with Evansville last season. This should be a smooth transition to the next level. That hasn’t been the case, though.
In his first 21 games with Illinois, Humrichous is averaging 8.5 points and shooting 34.7% from three-point range. That 34.7% is a bit of a mirage as well.
Since the start of December, Humrichous has had more sub-26% three-point shooting nights, seven, than he has had three-point shooting games of 34% or better, which amounts to four.
The thing with Humrichous isn’t that he is being guarded heavily or he has had to do everything on his own. He has had plenty of open looks, and nothing is going in. Humrichous was 0-of-7 from three-point range against Nebraska on Thursday night. He has had 0% three-point shooting nights in two out of the last three games as well.
It is time to go away from Humrichous in the starting lineup. Bring him off the bench and see if that shakes something loose. Get Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn in there with his shooting and energy. Illinois needs it in the worst way.
3. I was happy to see Will Riley playing well
There is so much bad to take away from the game on Thursday night. Illinois didn’t do a lot to praise, but there were a couple of things that I thought were good for the program.
Will Riley seemed to be getting out of his funk against Nebraska. The superstar freshman finished the night with 16 points, four rebounds, and one assist while shooting 6-of-16 from the field and 4-of-10 from three-point range.
Brad Underwood gave Riley the green light for shooting, and we got to see what the kid could do. Shooting 40% from three-point range is encouraging. That is the second-best three-point shooting percentage since the start of December.
I like Riley’s aggression to the basket. He seemed more involved in the game, and this helped him get more comfortable with his shot. The size he brings to the table is phenomenal as he rises up from three-point range. I can see why the NBA is eyeing this kid.
With the way some of the starters are playing, Riley’s development and confidence could be key down the stretch. He is an important piece to the puzzle, and the more comfortable he feels, the better this program will be.
4. Jake Davis is a great role player
Great teams need players who can lead and those who fill in the gaps and do the little things to help the team.
Illinois has plenty of players who think they are the guy. While most of them should be role players, nearly all of them think they are stars. And then you have someone like Jake Davis.
Davis came to Illinois after a great freshman year with Mercer. He could have gone anywhere or even stayed at Mercer and been the No. 1 option. Instead, he picked the Illini and knew he was going to ride the pine.
Brad Underwood has been gaining more and more trust with Davis. The transfer only saw double-digit minutes in one out of the first nine games this season. That number has now skyrocketed. He has seen double-digit minutes in eight out of the past 10 games for the Illini.
On Thursday night, Davis continued to earn trust. He logged a season-high 20 minutes for the orange and Blue. While the box score won’t blow you away, Davis does more than just stuff the stat sheet. He is someone who does whatever the team needs of him.
Against the Cornhuskers, Davis finished with three points, four rebounds, and one assist. He was 1-of-4 from three-point range as well. Even when Davis isn’t giving Illinois massive numbers, he is hustling everywhere. He goes for rebounds and gives the opposing team headaches.
Davis’ four rebounds were a season high. He isn’t just in this for himself, and Illinois needs more players like Davis. He has so much heart, and I hope Underwood continues to give him minutes.
5. Where is the world is Kylan Boswell
Okay, I did a few positive slides, so now it is back to the disappointment. Illinois played one of the worst games of the season on Thursday night, and there is no way to sugarcoat it.
I was disappointed in quite a few players, but Kylan Boswell was easily one of the most disappointing for the Illini. When he came back home after two years at Arizona, I thought Illinois landed a future leader for this team. We needed someone to come in and give the program veteran experience and knowledge.
Boswell hasn’t been that guy. I can sit here and say, he was pretty disappointing Thursday night and for much of the 2024-25 season.
Nebraska was able to shut down Boswell. He finished with eight points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Bowell also had two turnovers and two fouls while shooting 0-of-4 from three-point range.
When Boswell is at his best, he is driving in the lane and using his body around the bucket. When he is at his worst, he is chucking up three-point shots with no purpose. Illinois had a lot of that against Nebraska.
That type of production while burning through 32 minutes of action is disheartening. Boswell has failed to make a three-pointer in four out of the past six games, and in the past eight games, he is 5-of-30, 16.7%, from three-point range. That is an average of 3.75 three-point attempts per game, and those are completely wasted attempts.
Boswell isn’t giving Illinois enough from his experience and knowledge of the game. There is no excuse for him to ever shoot zero free throws in a game, he did that on Thursday. He has not been the guard we need in the backcourt.