Illinois basketball was in a battle on Saturday night that didn’t go our way.
It is a feeling Illini fans haven’t had in a while. We went into a game and didn’t come away with a win. That is something I don’t want to get used to.
While Illinois didn’t play well as a team, this was a great game on the scoreboard. Michigan State went on a little run to take a four-point lead at the end of the first half. Illinois would obviously fight back, and it was a battle throughout the final 20 minutes of action.
There wasn’t enough action in the two halves of basketball, so the game ended up going to overtime. This is where the Spartans got the best of us. Illinois continued to fight, but Michigan State still ended up beating the Illini, 85-82 in overtime.
Here are five sad observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Michigan State
1. Thank you for your service, Jake Davis
Illinois as a team didn’t play a great game. Even one of the stars of the game, Jake Davis, had a bad stat line.
Davis finished the contest against Michigan State on Saturday with six points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field. He also added three rebounds and an assist. It was a rough night for most, but Davis came through in the biggest of moments.
That final shot that was called a foul was huge. What was even bigger was the ice in Davis’ veins, as he stepped to the free throw line and had to make both free throws.
Davis managed to convert on two of the biggest free throws of his life. Without him getting to the charity stripe, Illinois doesn’t take that game into overtime. Davis didn’t have a great game, but he had the biggest moment.
2. Keaton Wagler was bound to have one of those games
I mean, we were kind of all waiting for Keaton Wagler to be human, right? A true freshman couldn’t go this long without having a bad game.
Even the best players in the world are bound to have a stinker every once in a while. On Saturday, Wagler had his biggest stinker of the year.
Wagler finished the Michigan State contest with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three turnovers while going a dreadful 2-of-16 from the field and 2-of-8 from three-point range.
All night long, Wagler was forcing the issue. He was trying to get buckets, and that is what he has done all season. But this time around, when he reached back for his magic, there was nothing there.
I will give the kid credit; he still found ways to score points. He was 10-of-12 from the free throw line, which helped Illinois greatly. That is what the elite players do. When they don’t have their juice one night, they can find ways to positively affect the team.
Wagler is still our leader. He is still great. But on the road in the Big Ten against a top-10 program, he laid an egg. It happens to the best of them.
3. I love Andrej Stojakovic’s approach
Coming into the game, I was starting to get sick of Andrej Stojakovic shooting three-pointers. He was 0-of-11 from beyond the three-point arc in the last four games combined.
Stojakovic ended up taking the same number of three-pointers as usual, two, but he did manage to make one against the Spartans. What impressed me the most about his game was his aggression and ability to shoot in the paint.
All game long, Stojakovic managed to get downhill and was able to break down the Michigan State defense. He took plenty of little fadeaway mid-range jumps, and this is his game.
Stojakovic finished the game with 17 points and seven rebounds on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from three-point range. It was a beautiful game by him, and I would argue that it was one of the best games he has played all season.
Moving forward, I am good with Stojakovic taking 14 shots per game if we can get 12 of those shots somewhere in the paint and within 10 feet of the basket. That is his range, and he can tear up opposing teams.
4. Illinois’ rebounding performance was disappointing
Illinois is a much bigger team than most opponents, and on Saturday, we were bigger than Michigan State.
This was a chance for Illinois to control the glass once again, but that didn’t happen. In fact, this was one of the worst rebounding performances the Illini have had this season.
Illinois lost the rebounding battle 48-38. This -10 rebounding margin is the second-worst for the Orange and Blue during the 2025-26 campaign, only behind the -15 rebounding margin against Tennessee back in early December.
It is also a rarity that Illinois lost the rebounding battle. Only three times this season has the Illini failed to square up the rebounds or win the rebounding battle, and we are only 1-2 in those contests.
I was really disappointed in Tomislav Ivisic. As a player who is 7-foot-1 and plays 29 minutes, how do you not slop into more than two rebounds? You would think, naturally, more than two rebounds would just fall into your lap.
Allowing Michigan State to pull down 15 offensive rebounds was disheartening, too. Of course, you aren’t going to win games allowing 15 offensive rebounds. Illinois has allowed 14 or more offensive rebounds in a game this season, and we are 2-2 in those contests. For the biggest team in the country, we can’t afford to lose rebounding battles.
5. David Mirkovic was impressive in the paint
I would say Illinois played a C+ game against Michigan State. This wasn’t a great outing, and we still almost knocked off a top 10 team.
One of the bright spots for me was David Mirkovic. I thought he played pretty well on both ends of the court, and he was a huge reason why Illinois was in this game down the stretch.
While one freshman in Wagler was struggling, another freshman in Mirkovic was picking up the slack. He finished the Michigan State contest with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range.
I thought Mirkovic’s ability to get in the paint and work some incredible magic with his shots was impressive. He took some difficult attempts and converted.
Mirkovic also did the other things on the court. He wasn’t just trying to score, but Mirkovic was hustling all over the place. He had six rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block in the contest, too.
I wasn’t blown away by much on Saturday night, but the performance of Illinois’ other freshman was exciting. Illinois is a fun team. When one player is down, the team gets stronger. When Wagler was struggling, others picked up the slack. That is special.