The Illinois basketball team looked good in the first half against Xavier.
This was a good back-and-forth game, and the Illini played some of the best basketball I have seen them play in a while.
Xavier had a push toward the end of the first half, but Illinois fought back. A huge shot by Kylan Boswell at the end gave the Illini a 40-35 lead heading into halftime.
Here is the Illinois basketball good and bad from the first half against the Xavier Musketeers
Good
- What a threat from Tomislav Ivisic
I have always thought Tomislav Ivisic was the best big man I have ever seen suit up for the Illini. But over the past month or so, he kind of dropped off.
In the first half against Xavier, Ivisic of old showed up. He was great. He hit open shots and was deadly in the pick-and-pop. On top of that, the threat of Ivisic hitting from three-point range opened up the lane for players like Will Riley to drive and get buckets. He was huge for Illinois.
- Morez Johnson Jr. set the tone defensively
Xavier likes to run up and down the court, and without help defense, Illinois would have struggled.
Morez Johnson Jr. came into the game, and things changed a bit defensively. Xavier started to run the court, and Johnson had the basketball knowledge to stop the ball rather than just go to his man. This helped stop numerous buckets and kept Xavier in check.
Johnson’s defensive effort helped set the tone for the Illini. His fight was great, and it rubbed off on the rest of the squad.
- Impressive all-around game from Kasparas Jakucionis
Illinois’ talent really performed in the first half. Kasparas Jakcuionis looked like the talented player we have all come to know.
Jakcuionis was aggressive toward the basket. He didn’t settle for too many shots, and he got everyone involved. On top of the great play offensively, Jakcuionis was also a monster on the glass.
I believe when this game is all said and done, Jakucionis will be extremely close to a triple-double. That would be pretty impressive.
Bad
- Illinois needs more aggression from Kylan Boswell
There wasn’t a lot of bad for Illinois. One thing I would like to see more of is Kylan Boswell's aggression.
Boswell did drive to the hoop a couple of times, and it usually resulted in, at minimum, free throws. But there were too many times Boswell would pretend to get into the lane, and then he would circle back out and pass it away. Illinois needs aggressive Boswell.
- Ben Humrichous minutes are confusing
I will admit, I was happier with Ben Humrichous’ defense than his offense against Xavier in the first half.
That doesn’t happen often. Usually, Humrichous is awful defensively, but he wasn’t terrible. But overall, I am confused by the minutes Humrichous is getting. He isn’t giving Illinois productive offensive minutes. He turned it over once. He isn’t hitting shots. And he can’t back his man down effectively.