Illini Men Keep Rolling with Road Wins, Freshman Star Shines Bright
If there were any doubts about Illinois’ ability to compete in the Big Ten this season, those questions are starting to fade fast. Brad Underwood’s squad just wrapped up back-to-back road wins in the span of five days-first in Iowa City, then in Evanston-and they’re doing it with a mix of veteran poise and some serious freshman firepower.
Let’s start in Iowa, where Illinois walked into Carver-Hawkeye Arena-a building that’s been anything but friendly to them in recent years-and came out with a hard-fought 75-69 win over the Hawkeyes. The tone was set early.
The Illini opened with an 8-0 run and built that into an 18-point lead with just over seven minutes left in the first half. Kylan Boswell’s tip-in just before the break gave Illinois an 11-point cushion heading into halftime.
From there, it was a game of runs. Iowa clawed back, trimming the lead to four with just over a minute to play. But Illinois held their nerve, closing things out at the free-throw line to secure the win.
The star of the show? Freshman guard Keaton Wagler.
The buzz around him has been growing all season, and he delivered again with 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He looked every bit the rising star he’s been billed as-confident, composed, and in control.
He had plenty of help, too. Andrej Stojakovic and Boswell each added 17 points, while David Mirkovic anchored the glass with 12 rebounds and chipped in a team-high five assists.
Statistically, Illinois won the key battles. They outrebounded Iowa 38-31, shot nearly 50% from the field, and committed just nine turnovers compared to Iowa’s 13. And while Iowa got a spark from their bench with 36 points, Illinois clamped down on the Hawkeyes’ top scorer, Bennett Stritz, holding him to just 12 points-well below his season average.
That win bumped Illinois up three spots in the AP Poll, from No. 16 to No. 13. But they weren’t done yet.
Wagler, Ivisic Power Illini Past Northwestern
Next up was a trip to Evanston, where a winless-in-conference Northwestern team was still playing with a chip on its shoulder. Don’t let the record fool you-this Wildcats team had been hanging tough, with only one Big Ten loss by more than 10 points. And they’ve got firepower, especially in the form of Nick Martinelli, the nation’s leading scorer who came in riding a streak of seven straight 20-point games.
Illinois found themselves in a back-and-forth first half. Wagler was quiet early, managing just two points, while Martinelli dropped 11 and Jayden Reid gave Northwestern a lift off the bench with eight. But Illinois countered with Tomislav Ivisic and Boswell, who combined for 16 points to help the Illini take a five-point lead into halftime.
Then came the second-half explosion.
Wagler came out of the break like a man on a mission. He poured in 13 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half and finished with 22 for the game-his ninth straight game in double figures and 14th in 17 games this season.
Ivisic caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down four threes, including two in a 40-second span. He matched his season high with 21 points.
Northwestern didn’t go quietly. Martinelli extended his 20-point streak to eight games, and Reid erupted for 28 points.
But when it mattered most, Illinois’ defense held strong, and the offense closed. Wagler and Ivisic scored the final 10 points for the Illini, sealing the win and pushing their Big Ten road record to a perfect 4-0.
Next up? A home matchup against Minnesota with a shot at cracking the top 10. If Illinois keeps this up, they won’t just be climbing the rankings-they’ll be making a serious case as a Big Ten title contender.
Illini Women Bounce Back in a Big Way
After dropping back-to-back games to ranked opponents in Michigan State and Ohio State, Shauna Green’s Illini needed a response. And they got it in University Park, where they took care of business against Penn State behind two standout performances from Barry Wallace and Maddie Webber.
Wallace came out blazing, scoring the first 12 points for Illinois and adding seven more before halftime on her way to a 28-point night. She was relentless, attacking the rim, hitting from midrange, and setting the tone with her energy. Not to be outdone, Webber caught fire in the third quarter, scoring 13 of her 26 points and helping Illinois pull away.
Despite some issues with ball security-Illinois turned it over 21 times, leading to 31 Penn State points-they made up for it in other areas. They dominated second-chance opportunities (20-13) and got out in transition, outscoring the Lady Lions 12-8 on the break.
The shooting numbers tell the story of a team locked in. Illinois hit nearly 60% from the field, 50% from three, and 86% from the line. Defensively, they held Penn State to just 43.3% shooting and kept them in check from long range.
Now sitting at 14-3, the Illini women face a tough road test Thursday at No. 8 Michigan. But if Wallace and Webber continue to play at this level, don’t count them out-this group has the tools to make some noise in the Big Ten.