Illinois basketball needed to come out strong against Oregon to help erase some of the recent bad memories.
The Illini couldn’t afford another loss. We had already dropped two in a row and four out of the last six. Another loss would have sent us tumbling down the rankings and projected NCAA tournament seeding.
On Tuesday night, Illinois didn’t leave any question about which program was better. Oregon got out to a quick lead, but the Illini buried them after that. A 21-0 run followed, and the Ducks couldn’t recover. Illinois took a 20-point halftime lead and added on to it in the second half.
This game got out of hand quickly, and that is what the Illini needed to do. We are a much better team than Oregon, and we couldn’t play with our food. This led to an 80-54 dismantling of the Ducks.
Here are five encouraging observations from the Illinois basketball win over Oregon
1. That is the Andrej Stojakovic Illinois needs
Andrej Stojakovic has been on the missing list for the last couple of weeks, but it looks like Illinois finally found the talented wing.
One of the most frustrating players in the back-to-back losses against UCLA and Michigan was Stojakovic. We know he has talent, but he just wasn’t playing up to the level we all knew he could.
Thankfully, Illinois had a bad Oregon program on the docket, and Stojakovic went to town. He had his best game since the USC outing, dropping 21 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and one steal on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
I loved that Stojakovic didn’t settle for three-pointers, and he was aggressive to the basket. He wasn’t taking mid-range jumpers. This kid knew what put food on the table, and that is getting to the hoop and getting buckets, or at least getting to the free throw line.
Stojakovic started this play early, too. He got going at the beginning of the first half, and this helped boost his confidence throughout. Illinois needs this Stojakovic to show up the rest of the season.
2. I loved how Illinois was moving the ball
From the jump, I was impressed with Illinois’ ability to move the ball on Tuesday night. We didn’t just stand around and watch Keaton Wagler pound the rock. The ball was moving from side to side well.
While there were only 13 assists from the Orange and Blue, I thought the big men set the tone with ball movement early on.
Tomislav Ivisic had the ball in the paint. He was able to do a behind-the-back pass to an open man underneath the hoop. I loved how unselfish David Mirkovic is with the ball. He gets it, and if the shot isn’t there, that ball keeps moving.
You then have Wagler. His decision-making with the basketball is up there with the best of the best in program history. He almost always makes the right decision. His lone turnover on the night was early in the first half.
Ball movement is key to Illinois gelling on offense. If we get stagnant, we don’t produce offense. The Illini moved the ball well on Tuesday night, and it showed in the result.
3. Brad Underwood corrected the poor defense
One of the biggest things that stood out in the Brad Underwood postgame press conference following the Michigan loss was his mentioning Illinois’ lack of defense.
You could hear in Underwood’s voice that there was going to be a change in the way Illinois was playing defensively. He was tired of teams trucking us, and we needed to get back to the way we were used to playing defense.
Whatever Underwood implemented in practice clearly worked. Illinois had given up 95 and 84 points in the last two games. On Tuesday night, we surrendered just 54 points against Oregon. Those 54 points were the fourth-lowest total we have allowed this season.
I was most impressed with Illinois' perimeter defense. Nate Bittle tried to get going early, but he shot just 1-of-7 from three-point range. Illinois was great at rotating and getting a hand up in the offensive player’s face.
For the game, Oregon struggled mightily from distance. They shot just 5-of-29, 17%, from three-point range. This includes their starters going 3-of-19.
Oregon had no answers for the Illini defense all night long. When the three-point shot wasn’t working, they would try to go down low, but that was stifled by some great interior Illinois defense. This is where players like Zvonimir Ivisic shone brightly.
Illinois needs great defense down the stretch. We can do some damage in the postseason if we can just lock down other programs.
4. Illinois is going to live and die by David Mirkovic
Wagler is the star of the show every game. He commands the offense and is an electric player on both ends of the court. But as time goes on, it is pretty clear that Illinois lives and dies by the way Mirkovic plays.
I think a teddy bear could have been out there at Mirkovic’s position, and Illinois still wins this game by double-digits over Oregon. But Mirkovic’s presence was huge for Illinois. He was such a nightmare for Oregon, as the Illini big man dropped 19 points, seven rebounds, and one assist on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor.
Mirkovic is such a unique talent. He is going to take you inside and rough you up. That is where he gets most of his points. The fact that he didn’t get to the free throw line is a bit shocking.
Teams think he is on the perimeter just to move the ball and set screens. That is when he knocks down a three-pointer in your eye. He was 3-of-8 from three-point range against the Ducks.
This season, when Mirkovic shoots below 40% from the field, Illinois is just 2-4. When he hits 40% or better from the field in a game, we are 20-3. This kid matters in a big way.
5. The Illini bench finally woke up
Illinois is finally getting some of our depth back, although we are not as deep as I thought we would be this season. Still, Illinois can now go eight strong in each game.
I have been a little disappointed in how the Illini bench has played lately. When we needed a pick-me-up, the bench hasn't been there to deliver.
An example of this was in the previous game against Michigan. The Illinois bench had a chance to shine, but they only produced seven points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field. They also had seven fouls compared to just four rebounds in the game.
That changed against Oregon. The Illinois bench came alive, and they were a big reason we expanded the lead.
Stojakovic led the charge off the bench with 21 points and 12 rebounds. I was also pleased with both Ben Humrichous and Ivisic. They did some great work to help the Illini on Tuesday night.
Humrichous has been formed into a utility player who can do a little bit of everything. He bulked up and is pulling down three rebounds, but then stepping out and hitting three-pointers. He finished with six points and three rebounds.
I loved Ivisic’s defensive capabilities off the bench. He shut down Oregon’s interior presence and finished with eight points, five rebounds, and two blocks.
The Illini bench has to come through in the postseason. Getting this type of production off the bench will be crucial in taking down teams like UConn and Michigan.