Illinois basketball was on a heater, as they were on an 11 game win streak after beating the last team to beat them, Nebraska, in Lincoln. Illinois has had to do some of this and will continue to have to play for the next month without Kylan Boswell, who recently broke his hand in a practice. Even with the recent loss to Michigan State in OT, they will still remain within the top 8 teams in the country. Illinois as a whole has looked like a national championship winning team, and here are the pieces that have gotten them there.
The main reason for Illinois’ recent success would be Keaton Wagler. With the injury to Kylan Boswell, Keaton has had to step up and be the primary point guard for the Illini, and he has thrived. Keaton Wagler this season has averaged 18.5 points a game, along with 4.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and shooting 43.7% from three point range. Keaton’s signature games have come as of late, as he put up a whopping 46 points against Purdue during a 3 game stretch of scoring 20+ in each game. His presence as a true point guard who can navigate the pick and roll with ease makes him one of the best freshmen in the country. It will be interesting to see how the back court will look after Boswell returns from his injury but as long as Wagler continues to play at this outstanding level, Illinois has a chance to win big.
The pieces around Wagler have been excellent too, especially on defense. Andrej Stojakovic, who was thought of as the number 1 option going into this season, has taken a secondary role due to the quick rise of Keaton Wagler as a primary option. In that role he has greatly succeeded, as he has stepped on to score when Illinois has needed him to, as against Maryland he put up 30 points. But his main strides have come as a defender. Brad Underwood, Illinois’ head coach, talked about the strides he helped Stojakovic take as a defender, saying; “I was really frustrated with the start of the year because I didn’t get to grind on him,” Underwood said. “I didn’t just demand and get after it with him defensively. I’ve always known he was a capable scorer, but what do you do that 95% of the time when you don’t have the ball? … He’s taken coaching at a really really high level. … I couldn’t be happier.” This helps the Illini be able to count on another guy to be a high level defender while Boswell is out, which he usually is the number one guy when he plays. With that help, the Illini have really settled themselves in as one of the top teams in the country.
Overall, the Illini have improved greatly over the course of the season. Even with recent injuries, they still look to be one of the favorites going into tournament time. Time will tell if they can really go all the way, but the future of the rest of the season looks bright for them.
