It was a big night for the Illinois basketball program, as the No. 11 team in the country gave us a huge test.
The Illini welcomed in Texas Tech and their superstar roster. The Red Raiders were down by double-digits multiple times throughout the game, but they always fought back and gave Illinois everything they had.
JT Toppin was phenomenal for the Red Raiders. He is going to be a Wooden Award candidate by season’s end, but Illinois was too much for him and his Texas Tech program. Despite a scare at the end, Illinois ended up beating the Red Raiders, 81-77.
Here are five massive observations from the Illinois basketball win over Texas Tech
1. That is why you go get a player like Andrej Stojakovic
Illinois had somewhat of an under-the-radar offseason. Overall, our class of 2025 ranked No. 44 in the country. This includes a transfer ranking of No. 37. The recruiting rankings didn’t favor the program one bit.
Brad Underwood didn’t go for talent on paper. He figured out what pieces would fit best and pinpointed those recruits and transfers. On Tuesday night, it showed that landing a player like Andrej Stojakovic is huge for the Illini.
Stojakovic finished the game with 23 points, three rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and one assist while shooting 11-of-16 from the field. He was as advertised and more.
The aggression on the offensive end of the court was phenomenal. Stojakovic could get to the rim and finish around the bucket. He also has a buttery mid-range game that killed Texas Tech.
I would argue that the most impressive aspect of Stojakovic’s game was his defense. I didn’t think he had that type of defensive prowess, but he played great on the defensive end of the court.
Illinois went out and put a lot of resources into recruiting a player like Stojakovic. Those efforts are now paying dividends in a big way. What an offseason addition to the team.
2. Illinois had a great game plan for Texas Tech
Texas Tech has a good team. That is why the program was ranked No. 11 in the country. There is more than just JT Toppin on the roster. With that being said, Illinois’ game plan against the Red Raiders was brilliant.
You could tell that the idea was just to shut down everyone else and just make Toppin beat us. We didn’t double-team him, and that enabled Toppin to go for 35 points in 39 minutes. Instead, Illinois made sure to lock down the rest of the team.
The only other player who scored more than eight points was LeJuan Watts, who finished with 21 points on the night.
Besides Toppin and Watts, the rest of the Red Raiders team went 9-of-29, 31%, from the field. This included three turnovers as well.
This strategy also forced Toppin to go into Superman mode, so he was trying to do too much. He was forced into tough situations, which resulted in six turnovers on the night.
Illinois played a brilliant game defensively. That is a Texas Tech team that could make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. We just sent them home with a loss.
3. Keaton Wagler might be a Freshman All-American
It is much easier for freshmen to ball out against bad teams. They are better than those players on the bad teams, so they can look great despite it being a mirage.
The real test for freshmen is when the competition gets ratcheted up a bit. Tuesday was the first true test for the Illinois freshmen, and let me tell you, Keaton Wagler passed with flying colors.
I am still shocked that Wagler is this good. While he was the Kansas Player of the Year, there were only two power-four programs that were vying for his commitment. Why no other power-four programs, including any in-state programs, wanted him is beyond me.
Wagler was incredible on both ends of the court for Illinois. The offensive side is what stood out the most, though. He finished the night with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Listen, I know those numbers don’t jump off the page. What doesn’t jump off the page either is his 3-of-9 shooting from the field and missing all three three-pointers he attempted. But if you watched the game, you can see this kid is good and effective.
Wagler was great going downhill all night long. He kept the Texas Tech defense on their heels. Wagler finished second on the team by attempting six free throws in the game. He converted five of those attempts.
This freshman plays at a senior level. Not everyone is going to have a great shooting night, but when that happens, you have to find a way to be effective and score. Wagler has that knowledge already. His level of maturity is beyond his years.
4. The Illini adjusted well to a smaller lineup
It is disappointing that Tomislav Ivisic is out with an injury. He will be out for a little while, and this hurts Illinois’ depth at the No. 5 spot.
Illinois went into the Texas Tech game with his brother, Zvonimir Ivisic, at the No. 5 spot. He had a great game, too. Ivisic finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. He was also 2-of-4 from three-point range.
Having a 7-foot-2 big man have three blocks and shoot 50% from three-point range is dangerous. But what Illinois experienced last night was a lack of depth that has size.
Underwood tried to dip his toe in the Jason Jakstys waters, but he was pulled quickly after three early minutes. Instead of having Jakstys play in place of Ivisic, Illinois went with more of a smaller lineup.
The Illini had a combination of David Mirkovic and Ben Humrichous to help out in the paint. Texas Tech wasn’t a big team, so we could afford to have our No. 5 stand at 6-foot-9. These two helped Illinois stabilize the defense when Ivisic was on the bench resting up.
I was impressed with how well Illinois adjusted without having Ivisic on the court. This team took the smaller lineup in stride. With our ability to rebound at all positions, I think we can get away with it in the future, too.
5. Kylan Boswell’s year-two progression is evident
So, coming into the 2025-26 campaign, the theory was that in year two of the Underwood system, players take a big leap.
This can be seen most recently by Terrence Shannon Jr. He wasn’t anywhere near an NBA-caliber player, and in year two at Illinois, he blossomed into a dynamic guard who took us to the Elite 8.
Kylan Boswell is now in year two, and the hope was that he would take the same type of leap. He had a rough first season in Champaign, as he shot just 25% from three-point range.
Well, what Tuesday night against Texas Tech confirmed to me is that the leap happened. Boswell did what he needed to do in the offseason to make that leap, and the results are blowing me away.
Boswell finished the game on Tuesday with 22 points, three assists, two rebounds, and one steal while shooting 5-of-10 from the field and getting to the free throw line 12 times and converting nine of those attempts.
The thing that stuck out to me is his three-point shooting. Boswell was 3-of-5, 60%, from three-point range against Texas Tech. That was his third-best three-point shooting night since coming to Illinois.
Through three games of his senior season, Boswell is now attempting 5.7 three-pointers per game, which is a career-high. He is also shooting a career-high 52.9% from three-point range. Those are outrageous numbers.