Indiana Heads to Champaign for Tough Test Against High-Powered Illinois
After a much-needed breather, Indiana basketball is back in action Sunday afternoon, and the road ahead doesn’t get any easier. The Hoosiers travel to the State Farm Center to take on a loaded Illinois squad at 1 p.m. ET on CBS - a matchup that could have major implications for both teams as the Big Ten regular season winds down.
Indiana enters the game at 17-8 overall and 8-6 in conference play, riding a strong stretch that’s seen them win five of their last six after a four-game skid earlier in January. That bounce-back effort has nudged the Hoosiers onto the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, but with just six regular-season games left, every possession matters from here on out.
The challenge? Their next two games are both on the road, starting with an Illinois team that’s not only one of the best in the Big Ten, but one of the most dangerous offensive units in the country.
Illinois: Big, Deep, and Built to Score
Illinois comes into Sunday at 20-5 overall and 11-3 in the Big Ten. After back-to-back overtime losses - one at Michigan State and the other at home to Wisconsin - the Illini find themselves two games behind Michigan in the conference standings. A regular season title is still in play, but they can’t afford another slip-up.
Brad Underwood’s squad is built like a Final Four contender. They’re the tallest team in the nation, they shoot the lights out from deep, and they’ve been putting up offensive numbers that are hard to match. As of Friday morning, Illinois ranked No. 6 in KenPom, and they’ve been the toughest cover in the conference all season.
Even with injuries thinning out the rotation - guard Kylan Boswell (broken hand) and wing Andrej Stojakovic (ankle) both missed the Wisconsin game - the Illini remain lethal. Illinois played just six players in that loss, with freshman Brandon Lee logging a single minute off the bench.
The good news for Illinois fans? Boswell is nearing a return, and there’s optimism that Stojakovic could be back soon as well.
When healthy, both are major contributors. Boswell, a 6-foot-2 senior, is averaging 14.3 points, 4.2 boards, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting a blistering 60.4% on two-point attempts. Stojakovic, a 6-foot-7 transfer from Cal, brings 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game with similar efficiency around the rim (58.1% on twos).
Keaton Wagler: The Star Power in Champaign
The headline act for Illinois, though, is freshman guard Keaton Wagler - and he’s been nothing short of electric. The 6-foot-6 Shawnee, Kansas native has exploded onto the scene, averaging 18.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He’s shooting 43.7% from beyond the arc and leads the team in free throw attempts (180), knocking them down at an 80% clip.
Wagler wasn’t a blue-chip recruit - he was ranked No. 261 in the 247Sports Composite for the 2025 class - but he’s now a legitimate Big Ten Player of the Year candidate and a projected lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. His deep shooting range and ability to create off the dribble make him a matchup nightmare.
If Boswell and Stojakovic are healthy enough to join forces with Wagler down the stretch, Illinois becomes a serious threat to cut down nets in Indianapolis this April.
Supporting Cast: Shooters, Size, and Skill
Illinois doesn’t just rely on its stars - it’s a complete roster with plenty of weapons. Junior Jake Davis and senior Ben Humrichous are both dangerous from deep.
Davis is hitting nearly 40% of his threes, while Humrichous, at 6-foot-9, adds a stretch element to the frontcourt with 35.2% shooting from distance. Both have knocked down 37 triples on the season.
Freshman forward David Mirkovic is another name to know. The 6-foot-9 Montenegro native is averaging 12.6 points, a team-best eight rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He’s also a threat from long range, shooting 38.4% from three with 38 made threes.
And then there’s the Ivisic brothers - Tomislav and Zvonimir - who bring size, rim protection, and surprising mobility. Tomislav, a 7-footer, averages 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. Zvonimir, who previously played at Kentucky and Arkansas, adds 7.2 points, 5.4 boards, and a team-high 2.3 blocks in under 18 minutes per game.
Breaking Down the Numbers
Illinois leads the Big Ten in offensive efficiency, scoring a staggering 1.244 points per possession in conference play. They’re not just scoring - they’re doing it with volume and precision from beyond the arc.
Over half (54.8%) of their field goal attempts in Big Ten games are from three, and they’re converting at a 36.7% clip. Nearly 44% of their points come from deep - the second-highest rate in the league.
They also dominate the glass. Illinois ranks third in the conference in offensive rebounding and second in defensive rebounding. What they don’t do is force turnovers - they’re not a pressure-heavy team - and they rarely put opponents on the free-throw line, with the lowest opponent free throw rate in the Big Ten.
If Indiana wants to hang around, they’ll likely need a hot shooting night from the perimeter - something similar to what Wisconsin pulled off in Champaign, where the Badgers hit 16-of-36 from deep.
The Road Ahead for Indiana
This is, by the numbers, Indiana’s toughest remaining game on the schedule. KenPom gives the Hoosiers just a 16% chance of pulling off the upset, with Bart Torvik not far behind at 17%. Both models have Illinois favored by double digits.
But it’s also a chance - a big one - for Indiana to prove it belongs in the NCAA Tournament conversation. After a grueling West Coast swing that included two games in three days, the Hoosiers have had time to regroup. They’ll need to bring their best 40 minutes of the season to have a shot in Champaign.
With four more Quad 1 opportunities still on the board, the margin for error is slim, but the opportunity is still very real. And it all starts Sunday, in one of the toughest environments in the Big Ten, against one of the most complete teams in the country.