Illinois Fighting Illini Best Iowa Hawkeyes 106-94
The Illinois Fighting Illini advanced in the Big Ten Tournament Thursday night with a win over the Iowa Hawkeyes. Kylan Boswell set a career-high with 24 points to help the 24th-ranked Fighting Illini advance to the next round. Illinois scored a Big Ten Tournament program record 106 points to beat Iowa by 12 and earn the right to play Maryland tonight. The quarterfinal matchup is a rematch from a January 23 contest at the State Farm Center when Maryland beat down the Fighting Illini 91-70.
Against Iowa, five players scored in double-figures for Brad Underwood’s team. The true team effort helped stave off the surging Hawkeyes throughout the game. Four key runs by the Fighting Illini proved too much for Iowa to overcome. The Hawkeyes’ prospects of winning faded, and they began to lose their cool. Long-time Head Coach Fran McCaffery was ejected in the second half after receiving two technical fouls. With Morez Johnson Jr. healthy and back in the rotation, Illinois looks like a fierce opponent to contend with for the rest of the Big Ten Tournament field.
Illinois Fighting Illini Notch Triple Digits In Second Round Win
The Illinois Fighting Illini put on an offensive clinic in their 106-94 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes Thursday night. In this second-round matchup of the Big Ten Tournament, the 24th-ranked team in the country showed why they are a threat to win the Big Ten Tournament for the second year in a row. After downing the Iowa Hawkeyes 81-61 earlier this season, Illinois followed it up with a second victory to advance to the quarterfinal round. They will take on the Maryland Terrapins, the second overall seed in the tournament and 11th ranked team in the country.
Five players scored in double figures against Iowa for Underwood’s team including Boswell, who set a career-high mark of 24 points with an incredible 10-of-14 shooting performance. Tre White and Will Riley also had outstanding shooting performances in this one, with White putting up 22 on 7-of-11 shooting and Riley chipping in 21, going 9-of-14 from the field. Tomislav Ivisic and Kasparas Jakucionis each reached the double figures plateau, scoring 19 and 10 respectively.
The contest was neck-and-neck in the first half, with eight ties and ten lead changes. There were four key runs in the game that Illinois used to put the Hawkeyes away. After Iowa closed the gap to two early in the second half, a 7-0 run widened the gap and McCaffery’s bunch was never that close again. McCaffery wouldn’t see the game to the end, as he was ejected halfway through the second half after picking up a second technical foul. Illinois led by as many as 17 in this one and coasted late to the 106-94 victory.
Final Thoughts
Illinois is rounding into form as the big-time basketball ramps up. They got a much-needed infusion of size with the return of Johnson Jr. and the offense looked masterful in this matchup. Iowa is no defensive juggernaut and the road only gets tougher from this point on, but the Fighting Illini put on an absolute clinic Thursday night. Their defensive effort left plenty to be desired and I’m sure Underwood will harp on that before the team looks for revenge tonight against Maryland. All-in-all, this was a solid performance by a superior Illinois team.
After losing to Maryland earlier in the year due to a lack of physicality, being able to send Johnson Jr. out onto the floor is a huge advantage. He is rounding back into form at just the right time and while Iowa didn’t put up a huge fight, especially in the second half. Illinois is going to need him to be at his best if they want to have a chance to repeat as Big Ten Tournament champions.
The 106-94 final score doesn’t reflect how lopsided the second half was. Even though the margin of victory was less in last night’s win compared to the 81-61 win in the regular season, I am encouraged by this outing and it gave me more confidence that the Illini are ready for this crucial rematch against Maryland. It is set to tip off tonight at 5:30 and all signs are pointing to it being a lot closer than the Big Ten and AP rankings suggest.
