In true Illinois basketball fashion, we went into Ann Arbor and demolished Michigan.
Just a little over a week ago, the Illini lost to Duke by 43 points. This was the biggest loss in program history. Things were not going well, as this was our third straight loss too.
Brad Underwood got Illinois back on track, though. A big win over Iowa gave the Illini some confidence. But Michigan was a different animal. This was a solid Wolverines squad that ranked No. 15 in the country. On top of that, it was on the road on Senior Day.
Illinois didn’t care. This was supposed to be a different Michigan team now that Juwan Howard was not the head coach, but clearly he being in the building rubbed off on Dusty May.
The Illini hung tough in the first half, taking a lead by one point into halftime. The game was close in the early stages of the second half until Illinois caught fire. Big shot after big shot put Michigan behind the eight ball. The Wolverines couldn’t rebound, figuratively and literally. This led to a 93-73 thumping of Michigan and the ninth straight win for Illinois in the series.
Here are five glorious observations from the Illinois basketball win over the Michigan Wolverines
1. Kylan Boswell helped set the tone for Illinois
I will be the first to admit, Kylan Boswell hasn’t been one of my favorite players this season. There have been times when he is jacking up three-point attempts, and he isn’t doing what is best for the Illinois offense.
On Sunday afternoon, Boswell was exactly what this Illini team needed, though. He was the spark, the energy, the grit, that Illinois had to have against the best Michigan squad I have seen since before the pandemic.
Boswell helped keep Illinois strong in the first half. He dabbled in three-pointers, but he didn’t fall back on the shot. Boswell continuously went to the hole and drew contact in the first 20 minutes. This set the tone for what the Illini were going to do against the Wolverines.
Driving to the basket and getting easier buckets helps put points on the board. We aren’t good at shooting from three-point range, and seeing Boswell do this helped drive other Illini players to do the same.
In the first half alone, Illinois was 11-of-23, 47.8%, from two-point range. This helped keep us afloat when we shot 3-of-14, 21.4%, from three-point range in the same half. Boswell played a huge part in the scoring, as he had 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.
Boswell not only set the tone for Illinois, but I would argue this was potentially his best game as a member of the Illini. Giving Illinois 17 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and one steal on the road against No. 15 Michigan on Senior Day is a huge performance. This type of Boswell is a deep NCAA tournament run type of Boswell.