Key Highlights
- Louis, turning a rivalry game with tons of hype into a cakewalk by the end of the first half.
- They won the second-chance point battle 29-5, finished +19 on the glass and rejected eight shots.
- That wasn’t just a win from good shooting, it was domination in almost every category. That win confirmed what many Illini fans already believed: on its day, this roster can turn a game on its head pretty quickly and be one of the most dangerous programs in college basketball. Illinois already has plenty of lethal weapons on the offensive side.
- That part is settled. But what can elevate this Illini squad to one that can make a run in March is figuring out how to create more opportunities for themselves. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIf they can control the glass and create extra possessions, they don’t have to shoot well to win games.
- Missed shots stop being seen as mistakes, and instead they become opportunities for kick out threes for guys like freshman guard Keaton Wagler. This roster was built for possession dominanceIt’s not all that hard to realize that Illinois head coach Brad Underwood hand-picked this roster with a blueprint of what these players could become and how they could fit into the Illini’s gritty play-style. Keaton Wagler obviously has a nose for putting the ball in the basket, but he possesses a mental maturity that few players have, one that drives him to hunt for loose balls and offensive rebounds.