Illini come away with tough road win in Big Ten opener

Key Highlights

• Keaton Wagler (23 points), David Mirkovic (22 points), Andrej Stojakovic (17 points), and Zvonimir Ivisic (13 points) all reached double figures in the scoring column. Freshman Keaton Wagler looked spectacular once again, as he continues to outplay his high school recruiting ranking.
• Wagler provided Illinois with a steady, calming offensive presence which is rare for a freshman, especially one in his first career conference road game. The Kansas native recorded five assists and hit a number of timely shots.
• His biggest play of the night came when he drew two defenders and dished it to Tomislav Ivisic for a clutch three-pointer which extended the Illini’s lead to six with 44.7 seconds to go. The Illini were on fire offensively in the opening half.
• David Mirkovic nailed his first three three-pointers, leading Illinois to a 24-15 lead at the under-12 media timeout.
• But his hot start paled in comparison to the start Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton got off to. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe senior guard almost single-handedly kept the Buckeyes in the game in the first half.