No. 19 Illinois dominates Indiana behind Jakučionis’ return

It was all Illinois (13-4, 5-2) at Indiana (13-5, 4-3) on Tuesday night. The Illini destroyed the Hoosiers, who were chosen to win the Big Ten, 94-69. It was a masterclass from Illinois on both ends of the ball. Its 28-point lead at halftime, which elicited loud boos and “fire (head coach Mike) Woodson” chants from Hoosier fans, was too much for Indiana to overcome.

Illinois locks down paint in 1st half

A lack of defensive energy and effort on Saturday against USC did not travel with Illinois to Indiana. The Illini removed the Hoosiers’ most dangerous offensive option, redshirt senior center Oumar Ballo, from the opening tip.

Ballo had only one field goal attempt in the first seven minutes as Illinois consistently protected the paint from drivers and entry passes. Ballo made four buckets in the first half, mostly on the pick-and-roll, but the early defensive lockdown by Illinois made it tough for anything Ballo did to generate momentum for Indiana.

The rest of the Hoosiers shot 9-29 in the first half and didn’t make any of their six three-point attempts. The Illini’s protection of the perimeter and the paint forced the Hoosiers to take many mid-range shots, which is exactly what head coach Brad Underwood wanted his team to do.

The Illini also out-rebounded the Hoosiers 29-18 in the first 20 minutes, including 10 offensive rebounds. Five Illinois players grabbed an offensive board in the first half. The team’s effort was high early, and Indiana’s lack of energy was apparent. The Hoosiers failed to box out in the paint, helping the Illini get offensive boards and easy second-chance points. On both ends of the floor, everything seemed to go right for Illinois, while Indiana could not have been more lifeless.

Ivišić’s Big Ten breakthrough, Jakučionis’ return fuels 1st-half barrage

Sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić started the season strong for Illinois in its nonconference schedule. However, his Big Ten play up until Tuesday night left much more to desire. Ivišić only scored in double-digits in one of six Big Ten matchups and posted single-digit rebounding numbers in the last four.

However, that all changed for the big man at Indiana. He scored 15 points (6-8 shooting) and grabbed eight rebounds in the first half alone. Ivišić got open in pick-and-pop situations, making three of his five three-point attempts, including an extremely deep heat check.

Not only was he hot from the field, but Ivišić was extremely active on the offensive glass, with half of his eight rebounds in the opening 20 minutes coming at the end. He had two straight possessions in the first half in which an offensive board led to second-chance points. One was a dunk by Ivišić, and the other was him dropping a dime to freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis for a bucket under the rim.

Jakučionis was also spectacular in the first half after missing two games due to a forearm injury. The future NBA lottery pick looked like he hadn’t lost a step, scoring 19 first-half points on 6-10 shooting, including 3-6 from three. He also dished out four assists.

Jakučionis was left wide open in the first few minutes of the game, knocking down two unguarded threes in the first two and a half minutes. Even when the Hoosier defense pressed him more, Jakučionis still found his way. He scored in various ways, backing his defender down by the basket, drawing fouls to get to the free throw line, hitting jumpers and knocking down a signature contested stepback three.

2nd-half effort improvement from Indiana

The Hoosiers went on a 10-0 run to open the second half, bringing the energy they were missing in the first half. However, Illinois junior guard Kylan Boswell showed his signature defensive fight to stop Indiana from cutting the lead to less than 16. Boswell had three steals in the second half.

Indiana’s increased physicality caused Jakučionis to pick up his fourth foul when going for a rebound with just under 11 minutes to go. At that point, Ivišić and junior guard Tre White each had three fouls as well, sitting on the bench with Jakučionis. However, since they still had such a large double-digit lead, the Illini did not have to worry as they coasted through the final 10 minutes.

Closing time 

Even though the Hoosiers had more energy in the second half, their failure to make threes killed their offense. Indiana shot 4-18 overall from deep compared to Illinois shooting 11-32.

A 10-0 run by Illinois brought its lead back up to 30 with 7:34 to go, virtually ending any chance for Indiana to get back in the game.

A fight broke out with just under two and half minutes to go, with former Illini guard/forward Luke Goode and Ivišić exchanging words on the baseline after Goode fouled out and Ivišić got in his face. Ballo jumped in to escalate the scuffle, shoving Ivišić hard into the cameramen on the baseline. Ivišić was assessed a technical foul, and Ballo was ejected from the game with a Flagrant 2 foul.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Illini were on top 94-69, handing Indiana their second consecutive 25-point loss. Boswell had 13 second-half points, finishing with 22 (8-8 from the free-throw line). Three other Illini scored in double figures: Jakučionis with 21, Ivišić with 17 and sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn with 12.

 

@sahil_mittal24

sahilsm3@dailyillini.com

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