Scouting Notes: Illinois

Indiana basketball is coming off of one of the worst losses in the Mike Woodson era, a 25-point loss to Iowa. Now, it welcomes in No. 19 Illinois to Assembly Hall.

Illinois enters Tuesday’s matchup at 12-4 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play. The Illini are ranked 24th in the country with an offensive efficiency rating of 117.8. Defensively, they are ranked 11th in the country with a rating of 92.6. Overall, they rank 13th in the nation in KenPom’s ratings.

Here is a deep dive into some of the challenges Illinois could give the Indiana basketball program.

Key Players

Kasparas Jakucionis îs the go-to player for Illinois and has not only been one of the best freshman around the country, he’s been one of the better players, as well. The 6-foot-5 ball dominant guard is equally good a scorer as he is a playmaker, and is the ‘head of the snake’ for Illinois. Jakucionis leads the team in scoring (16.4) and assists (5.4) and does a tremendous job picking his spots. He has scored 20+ points six different games this season. He’s effective when he’s looking to get into the paint but uses hit shooting ability to open up the rest of his game. He’s shooting 41.4 percent on 2.1 made 3s a game and has eight games with at least two made 3s. While he’s fifth in the Big Ten in assists per game — including six games of at least six assists — he also fifth in the league in turnovers, averaging 3.6 a game. Defensively, his length and size gives him the ability to defend multiple positions. He’s one of the top defenders in the league, ranked 9th in the league in defensive rating. Jakucionis is questionable, however, after missing the past two games with a forearm injury.

Another freshman standout for Illinois is center Tomislav Ivisic. Ivisic has terrific size at 7-foot-1 and 255-pounds and has great touch and athleticism for his size. Illinois loves to use him in high pick and rolls and is very effective as a roller and finishing in the paint. His ability as a roller opens up a lot of the offense for Illinois because he’s also very effective at stretching the floor, shooting 35.8 percent from three on 1.4 made 3s a game. He’s made at least one three in 13 games this season, including six against Arkansas earlier this year. On the block, Ivisic is very patient and can turn over either shoulder in the paint. If there is a double team, he’s a very capable passer, averaging nearly two assists a game. While Ivisic is a good rebounder, he’s not going to kill opponents on the offensive glass, but his defensive rebounding ability will limit opportunities for opponents, and will be something to watch for Indiana basketball.

In the backcourt with Jakucionis is Kylan Boswell, an Arizona transfer. Boswell is a true floor general who is extremely physical on both ends of the floor. Offensively, Boswell is going to look to set up teammates before looking for his points, but he’s averaging a career-best 11.2 points per game this season. With a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, he has six games of at least six assists. His scoring has seen a significant uptick in the last month, however. In the past eight games he’s averaging 13.4 points per game while shooting 36.7 percent on 2.3 made 3s a game. That’s compared to 9.0 points on 20.6 percent from three in the first eight games. While Boswell has seen up increase from three, that’s not his game. He is best attacking the basket and using his physical frame to get to the foul line or finish at the rim. He has one triple-double this season. Defensively, Boswell is an extremely effective on-ball defender and will make life extremely difficult for opposing ball handlers, a matchup Indiana basketball needs to win on Tuesday.

On the wing is Louisville transfer Tre White. White is an extremely versatile perimeter play who can play both on and off the ball. White is most effective slashing and attacking downhill, or in transition. But, he can be used as a secondary ball handler, especially if Jakucionis is out. White is not going to hurt defenses from the perimeter, shooting just 28.3 for his career. White has great length and can finish over and through defenders at the rim. On the other end of the floor, his 6-foot-7 athletic frame gives him all of the tools to be a very good defender. He’s 10th in the Big Ten in defensive rating, giving Illinois three extremely impactful on-ball defenders.

In the front court with Ivisic is Ben Humrichous — a 6-foot-9 hybrid forward. Humrichous is best known for his ability to stretch the floor, shooting 37.5 percent on 2.5 made 3s a game. 67.9 percent of his made field goals this season are from three. After just four double-digit scoring performances in the first 12 games of the season, he has three in the last four games while averaging 15.3 points and shooting 44.8 percent on 3.3 made 3s a game. Outside of Humrichous’ ability to hit 3s, he’s limited a bit offensively and

Off the bench is another terrific freshman in wing Will Riley. Riley, who reclassified up a year, is averaging 10.9 points a game this year. The 6-foot-8 wing has terrific length and is wired to score. He had 31 points in his debut and has eight games with at least 10 points. After shooting 50 percent from three on 2.6 makes a game across the first seven games, he’s just 5-of-35 in the last nine games. He has the ability to score off of the dribble or catch, so Indiana basketball needs to make sure to stay home on him because if he gets hot, it’ll quickly turn into two or three made 3s.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn is another guard wired to score off the bench for the Illini. He has terrific quickness and a great ability to get to the rim. He doesn’t have great size, but his explosiveness is where he wins most matchups. He’s averaging 7.2 points per game on the season but has increased that to 11.0 a game over the last four outings.

Illinois is thin up front as Morez Johnson Jr. is the lone reserve big man who sees consistent minutes off the bench. He’s extremely productive, with a per-40 minute average of 15.9 points and 17.9 rebounds. His rebounding ability is tremendous, with eight games of at least eight rebounds this season all off the bench. Johnson is very well built as a freshman, at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds.

Key Tendencies

Illinois is an extremely talented and effective offensive team, with a lot of versatility and depth on the perimeter. With six players averaging 9.5 points or more, its ability to come at opponents in waves is what sets them apart. With a lot of their wings wired to score, there is a lot of 1-on-1 or high ball screen action with Ivisic to open up the driving lanes. Illinois is best attacking downhill and having that open up passing lanes to shooters on the outside. While it shoots just 33.1 percent from three, Illinois ranks 8th in the nation in 3pt attempts at 31.5 a game — making 10.4, ranked 22nd in the nation. It has five games with at least 15 made 3s. While the Illini live and die with the 3-ball, their ability to rebound the ball is critical to their success. Illinois is ranked 26th nationally with an offensive rebound rate of 36.2 percent and has 13 games with at least 10 offensive rebounds as a team. They rank 3rd in the nation in rebounds per game.

Defensively, with the versatility that it has, Illinois does a tremendous job forcing offenses into difficult shots. Opponents are shooting just 28.1 percent from three and 43.4 percent overall from the floor — both top-10 nationally according to KenPom. They ranked first in the nation in defensive rebounding so IU’s ability to get second chance opportunities will be limited. While Illinois does have tremendous length and size, teams aren’t turning the ball over at a high rate, as the Illini rank 344th with just a 7.1 steal rate.

Indiana basketball will have to work on the offensive end, and will need to do what it can to steal some possessions in transition. With Indiana’s difficulty scoring in the half court setting, forcing the issue and not allowing Illinois to get set is key. Illinois will want to push the pace, ranked 13th in adjusted tempo, so make or miss, Indiana needs to get back defensively — something it struggled with against Iowa. The keys to focus on; rebounding, transition and defending the 3. Any of those that are significantly tilted towards Illinois will likely be the deciding factor.

Projected Starters

G – Kylan Boswell (Junior; 6-2, 195)

Stats: 11.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.1 apg

G – Kasparas Jakucionis (Freshman; 6-6, 205)

Stats: 16.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.4 apg, 41.4% 3pt

G – Tre White (Junior; 6-7, 210)

Stats: 11.3 ppg, 5.5 apg, 1.1 apg

F – Ben Humrichous (Senior; 6-9, 220)

Stats: 9.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 37.5% 3pt

F – Tomislav Ivisic (Freshman; 7-1, 255)

Stats: 12.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg, 35.8% 3pt

Key Notes