EVANSTON, IL - JANUARY 14: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) drives against Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) during a college basketball game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats on Januar …
Illinois basketball continues its roll.
The Illini beat the young Northwestern Wildcats 79-68 behind a surging Keaton Wagler and their towering post players.
That's five in a row for the Illini after dropping a home game to the surging Nebraska Cornhuskers in December. The loss is Northwestern's fourth in a row, dropping the 'Cats to 0-6 in Big Ten play.
Here’s what we took away from the Illini’s win over Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday.
Illinois pulled away with its deep roster
Northwestern did well in the first half in terms of limiting Illinois in the first half.
Keaton Wagler has been on a tear this season, averaging 15.7 points per game. NU held him to just two points at halftime. Andrej Stojakovic, most likely Illinois’ best offensive guard, had just four points at the break.
Even with the size advantage of Zvonimir Ivisic, Tomislav Ivisic and David Mirkovic, the biggest moments in the first half were rebounds and an off-balance Mirkovic 3-pointer.
In the second half, the offense flowed. Advantage: Illinois.
The Wildcats have Nick Martinelli, one of the best scoring players in the Big Ten and the nation. Illinois worked hard to deny him opportunities close to the basket. Jayden Reid provided scoring for NU. But, with 1:58 left, Tomislav Ivisic hit his second 3-pointer in a row to put Illinois up 10.
Eight players scored for Illinois, three in double figures. Six scored for Northwestern, with Reid and Martinelli in double figures.
Illinois just had more firepower.
Rotations still bug Northwestern
The ‘Cats have struggled with their defensive rotations since the beginning of the season. A mid-season defensive reset helped, but NU still struggles with rotations on rebounds.
Illinois outrebounded NU 22-17 in the first half. In the second half, Northwestern’s defense go stops and was limiting a high-powered Illinois offense.
But, the rebounding remained an issue for NU.
That was to be expected against the Illini. They boast height and size. The Ivisic brothers were active on the glass, and that made it difficult for Northwestern to control the pace of the game.
It hurt NU in key moments, too. With Illinois leading 64-59, Northwestern needed some key defensive stops to try and inch Illinois’ lead to just a single possession. The defense was there for NU, until the final seconds of the shot clock when freshman point guard Jake West rotated to defend Tomislav Ivisic in the post.
Ivisic easily hit the jump hook and got the foul call. Moments like that kept Northwestern from chipping away further.
Boswell remained a steady presence for Illinois
Northwestern was gritty on defense.
The ‘Cats may have struggled on the boards, but they were getting after the Illini at the perimeter and in the passing lanes.
Luckily, Illinois had Kylan Boswell.
Bam finished with 11 points, six assists and four rebounds, which doesn't illuatrated how much he helped his team. He also took care of the ball in key moments when the NU momentum was climbing. When Northwestern cut the lead to just four, Boswell got a layup to go, got a steal and then forced a foul on the other end to help stymie the Northwestern momentum.
When the Illini needed to calm things down, Boswell was there to handle the situation.
Jayden Reid kept Northwestern in the game
Keaton Wagler has scored in double figures in every Big Ten game so far this season for Illinois.
That’s why it was a little surprising to see the star freshman sitting with just two points at halftime for the Illini.
In the second half, Wagler got back to form. He hit seven points in the first four minutes of the second half to push the Illinois lead to double digits. He matched every punch that Northwestern had for the Illini after that.
When Northwestern was threatening to cut into the Illinois lead with 11 minutes left in the game, Wagler hit a layup with a foul to push the lead to 12.
He hit a 3-pointer with just under 10 minutes to play to push that lead to 15, which felt like a 25-point lead.
That would have had Illinois running away with the game, had Jayden Reid not matched that with a fiery game of his own.
He warmed up in the second half, and had 23 with eight minutes to go. Reid hit a 3-pointer coming off an upgraded Flagrant I foul that cut the Illini lead to eight. Whatever Wagler had for the ‘Cats, Reid made sure it wasn’t too much.