By Robert Lastella
The 14th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini were on a bridge over troubled water in the first half on Saturday against 13th-ranked Tennessee, but by the end of the game, they were able to dream the impossible dream.
It was a back-and-forth affair for the majority of Saturday’s Music City Madness matchup, but the Illini used a 10-2 late run to pull away from the Vols, ultimately going on to win 75-62.
The Illini used a team effort throughout this game. Particularly down the stretch, as during that aforementioned 10-2 run, four different players scored for the Illini. Four Illini also finished in double figures overall, as Tomislav Ivisic and Keaton Wagler each finished with 16 points, Kylan Boswell added 15, and David Mirkovic chipped in 10.
Illinois had lost two consecutive matchups against ranked opponents heading into this game, but according to Brad Underwood, this team showed growth that they didn’t show in their losses to UConn and Alabama.
“I thought that we'd grown in a week. I was very pleased to see our sustainability. I thought defensively, our first shot defense was really solid. We knew they were one of the tough offensive rebounding teams, but the guy here to my left (Wagler) had eight rebounds, and we did a good job of helping Tomi and our frontcourt guys on the glass,” Underwood said.
Illinois now sits at 7-2 on the year, and they are currently not scheduled to face a ranked opponent until January 24th when they take on Purdue. This was an important win for the Illini, as it could provide a momentum booster to close out the non-conference slate and into Big-10 play.
Below are three takeaways from the Illini’s win over the Volunteers.
Keaton Wagler, an Underrated Freshman
The conversation around the top freshman in college basketball has been dominated by those mocked to be lottery picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Although Keaton Wagler hasn’t gotten that level of attention yet, through 9 games this season, he has proved to be a dependable option for Underwood and the Illini.
Wagler has now scored in double figures in 6 out of 9 games so far this season, averaging 13.5 points per game and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 42% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc.
Against Tennessee, Wagler hit three triples in the second half, and each one proved to be a momentum booster for the Illini. While the scoring was important, Wagler’s 8 rebounds were arguably the difference maker, as while Illinois struggled on the glass at times, Wagler did not, and his effort eventually permeated throughout the team as a whole.
It was also a career high in three-point attempts for Wagler, who finished 4 of 11 from beyond the arc. It was an aggressive approach on both ends of the court for Wagler, who played like a poised veteran for the Illini rather than an inexperienced freshman.
According to Underwood, Wagler’s ability to make an impact right away has a lot to do with his IQ and communication skills on the court.
“You know, I think his IQ is understanding. I think he believes in his guys. I throw Kylan a big kudos. He talks to him a lot. He helps him a lot, and I think it's one of the things that's helped ease him, but he just plays. The environment doesn't bother him,” Underwood said.
“It's just a matter of his getting comfortable. We didn't talk one second about shooting threes, but that's what he does, and we needed him to be more aggressive and more assertive. But, you know, the most impressive thing is, is no turnovers, and that's almost every single day. I mean, he just takes care of the ball, and he's a very, very mature decision maker, and that's usually not the case for freshmen.”
Illini Frontcourt makes Big Impact from Beyond the Arc
During the first half, at times, it seemed like there may have been a lid on the basket from beyond the arc for Illinois. By the second half, the Illini broke through from three behind a concerted team effort to make the extra pass.
Tomislav Ivisic fist pumps after burying one of his two triples vs. the Vols. (Photo Courtesy of Illinois Athletics)
Illinois assisted on nine of their 14 made field goals during the second half and their ability to move the ball opened up the floodgates for the Ivisic Brothers. Zvonimir and Tomislav Ivisic combined to shoot four of eight from three, combining with Wagler for 8 of the Illini’s 11 threes overall.
After assisting on only five of 14 made field goals in the first half, Illinois was able to improve upon that in the second half, and it unlocked the offense as a whole. When the Illini bigs can be a consistent threat from beyond the arc, it causes havoc for opposing defenses, as we saw during the second half tonight.
When the offense stalled during the first half, it could have been easy for Illinois to let that carry over into the second half; however, they didn’t. After the game, Wagler mentioned that the team made it a point of emphasis to move the ball better during the second half, and it paid off.
“I think that we knew that they were a really good defensive team and that we wouldn’t be able to just come off the first ball screen to the first action and get a shot, we knew that we have to move the ball, get the extra pass to get open shots and get the offensive rebound if they didn’t fall,” Wagler said.
Illini Defensive Lockdown of Gillespie and Ament
It wasn’t a pretty night for Tennessee Volunteer stars Nate Ament and Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Gillespie and Ament were the top two scorers, respectively, for the Vols; however, the duo combined to finish 10 of 34 from the field with 5 turnovers.
The physicality that the Illini were enacting in the paint prevented Ament from finishing at the rim. They also defended without fouling, which led to some less-than-desirable possessions for Ament when he attacked the basket.
As for Gillespie, he did start to heat up early in the second half; however, he eventually cooled off and wasn’t able to provide scoring in bunches like he is known for. Gillespie is a high-volume shooter, and the Illini made a concerted effort to defend his shots on the perimeter, and it worked.
While the offense was rocky at times, especially in the first half, the defense never trailed off, consistently pressuring Ament and Gillespie, which led to some cold streaks for the Vols offense. Eventually, the cold streaks caught up to the Vols and the Illini offense was able to finish the job.
After the game, Underwood described his defense as tremendous, noting that his team's defensive energy impressed him more than the offense's efficiency in the second half.
“The defense is tremendous, I mean, they've got one guy in double figures, and we know he's a high-volume shooting guy. Takes a lot of shots for them. I think we had one sequence in the first half where they scored five points back to back, three and two after we scored. And that was kind of the only sequence I didn't feel very comfortable with. But anytime you do that against a Rick Barnes’ team, you should feel pretty good,” Underwood said.
