Illinois basketball just had one of the biggest wins of the season by any program.
It is a tough ask to have a starter out with an injury and to keep playing well. The Illini were without Kylan Boswell in the blowout win against Maryland, but that was a bad Terrapins team.
The game on Saturday against No. 4 Purdue was going to show us if Illinois was going to be okay without Boswell. This was the stress test in Bar Rescue when you pack the bar with patrons and see where the bar is failing so you can fix it.
Well, that stress test in Purdue showed us that our bar is functioning just fine. The Boilermakers looked like they had control of the game early, but Illinois just kept throwing Keaton Wagler at the problem. Wagler was dazzling all game long, and in the second half, he got some help from his teammates.
Illinois was getting a great game from Purdue as well. It is not like the Boilermakers played a bad game. The Illini were just better on Saturday. This great performance led to an Illinois win over Purdue, 88-82.
Here are five monster observations from the Illinois basketball win over Purdue
1. The Illinois bench played well
There was obviously one star of the show on Saturday afternoon, but Illinois had to have other parts of the team step up.
I was pleased with what we got from the shallow bench. Brad Underwood doesn’t have many tools right now, but both Ben Humrichous and Zvonimir Ivisic played some crucial minutes off the bench for the Illini.
Humrichous finished with six points on 2-of-4 shooting from three-point range. He also used his size to pull down four rebounds. Ivisic logged four points on 1-of-4 shooting from three-point range, and he also had two rebounds and one assist.
The big thing about Ivisic was his defensive presence. Purdue struggled inside at times, and it was due to Ivisic. He made the Purdue big men think about what they are going to do, and he also had two blocks on the day.
Illinois doesn’t have much depth right now, but having these two come off the bench is so valuable to the team. That experience and ability aided in one of the great performances of all time.
2. I was disappointed in Andrej Stojakovic
Andrej Stojakovic had a great game against Maryland on Wednesday. He dropped 30 points on them and was extremely efficient, going 9-of-18 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range.
Early on in the game against Purdue, Stojakovic tried to summon that same juice. Sadly, he didn’t have it, and you could tell immediately.
Stojakovic had just four points in the first half on 2-of-6 shooting from the field. He also had three turnovers. He was struggling to get going. He wanted to get that same game he had against the Terrapins, so he was forcing the offense.
Nothing really changed throughout the game, either. This was a tough matchup for him. Purdue is a big team, so he couldn’t use his size as an advantage.
For the game, Stojakovic played 37 minutes and had just five points on 2-of-9 shooting from the field and missed all three of his three-point attempts. He had seven rebounds, three turnovers, and one assist.
I expect more out of a player who is now in his third year with his third different team. You have so much experience and knowledge. You should be the one who takes a leadership role. Stojakovic just didn’t have it on Saturday.
3. Illinois only has one guard right now
As I reminisce about the massive win for Illinois, I am looking at the numbers and thinking to myself, wow, we are extremely shallow.
Illinois doesn’t have a ton of depth due to the Kylan Boswell injury, but moreover, that injury put a spotlight on another glaring issue. Illinois only has one guard right now.
Keaton Wagler is the only guard the Illini are putting out on the court. I guess you could consider Stojakovic, Humrichous, or Jake Davis a guard, but they are forwards who hover around the three-point arc.
I didn’t really think about it at the time, but there were a few times when other players besides Wagler were bringing the ball up the court. Humrichous did it a few times, and I think David Mirkovic did as well.
When I look at the box score, it really stands out that Illinois doesn’t have another guard who is up to speed. It also makes me think, dang, it would have been nice if we had hit on Mihailo Petrovic and Brandon Lee.
For another month, this is going to be the case. Boswell’s depth is missed. Wagler is a monster, but we saw what Illinois looked like for the minute he was off the court on Saturday.
4. David Mirkovic had a big second half
Wagler was spectacular in the win over Purdue. We couldn’t have even come close to the Boilermakers without him going off. But I also have to give some shine to Mirkovic.
Mirkovic has turned into Illinois’ scrappy, do-it-all guy. He is someone who can bang around in the paint, get under the skin of the opponent, and then step out and hit a three-pointer.
On Saturday, he did it all. After a quiet first half of two points on 1-of-4 shooting from the field and 0-of-2 from three-point range, Mirkovic decided to help Wagler in his pursuit to knock off the No. 4 team in the country.
Mirkovic was all over the court in the second half. He was hustling for the ball, and he was hitting some big shots. In the second half alone, Mirkovic finished with 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from three-point range.
The three-pointers were pretty crucial, too. Those shots were coming down the stretch when Wagler was starting to get more defensive pressure. The ball would start to move, and Mirkovic found open shots.
By game’s end, Mirkovic had 12 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. His second half took what could have been a great game in a loss to a legendary game in a huge win. Don’t overlook Mirkovic’s performance.
5. Ball movement was the best all season
Wagler had an incredible game that was filled with big shot after big shot. It wasn’t just one half that was loaded with scoring, either. He produced in both halves.
But in the second half, Purdue started to change up their defense. They put different players on Wagler, and they also threw some double teams at him.
What stood out to me when this happened was Illinois’ great ball movement. It wasn’t just one player pounding the rock and then chucking up a bad shot.
On the perimeter, Wagler would get a double team, or the switch would happen on a screen that forced a Purdue player to be in no-man’s land. The ball would then start swinging. It would usually find an open player in the corner for a three-pointer.
Wagler did a great job driving the lane. The defense collapsed, and the ball would start moving. He finds someone in the corner, who then sends the ball to the wing, and that player hits a shot.
If Illinois were selfish, this game would not have been a win. Illinois moved the ball well, and I would say this was the best ball movement game of the season. I was impressed by the unselfish play of the entire team.