The Illinois basketball team has fought through two overtime games in the last two contests, but we have come up just short both times.
This team could easily be 22-3 overall and 13-1 in the Big Ten, but the conference is physical and injuries happen. Right now, the Illini are being plagued by a late-season injury bug.
In the last week or so, Illinois has lost starters Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell. On Saturday, Brad Underwood gave an update on both players, and Boswell is the one who seems the closest to playing right now.
“Kylan is practicing. We will see what that status looks like as we get closer to noon, in terms of being able to play. We sure don’t want to put him out there if not somewhat close to healthy and 100%.”
Later on in the pregame press conference, Underwood talked a little more about the Boswell injury and where he is with it.
“It’s day of. Most of it is the pain is not there, and surgically, it’s repaired and doing fine. It’s all about the swelling. We’ll see how it reacts through the course of the day today and what tomorrow looks like.”
While Illinois has looked good as a team without some of their starters, it would be nice to get a player like Boswell back in the fold. Illinois has played seven games without him and has a record of 5-2, with the only two losses being those overtime heartbreakers. We have also beaten two top-five teams.
When Boswell isn’t on the floor, the Illini are missing 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. What is missed even more is Boswell’s defensive prowess.
It sounds like Illinois will be without Andrej Stojakovic a little longer than Kylan Boswell
If Boswell isn’t back for the Indiana game, then I would imagine he returns for the USC matchup on Wednesday. This stretch run is key, and having him back is crucial.
The other update Underwood gave was on Stojakovic. This one doesn’t sound as close to a return as Boswell, though.
“Andrej has been dealing with a high ankle sprain. A decent amount of pain and soreness, so we’ll see what his status is.”
A high ankle sprain, especially in basketball, is something that isn’t easy to come back from. It honestly wouldn’t shock me if Stojakovic is out for the next three games and returns at home against No. 2 Michigan.