Illinois (12-3, 4-1) absolutely dominated Penn State (12-4, 2-3) on Wednesday night in its first home game of 2025. Star freshman Kasparas Jakučionis was ruled out before tip-off due to a left forearm injury, but that didn’t faze the team. Multiple guys stepped up and showed out in the Illini’s 39-point command over the Nittany Lions.
*Kylan Boswell (B-): Junior guard Kylan Boswell took over most of the ball-handling duties due to Jakučionis’ injury. He dished out six assists but struggled with ball control, turning it over five times.
Boswell also didn’t shoot great, going 2-8. In other games where he hasn’t shot well, Boswell has been good at getting to the free-throw line consistently. However, he didn’t shoot any free throws against Penn State and finished with five points.
Even though he struggled offensively, Boswell made a strong impact defensively. He had three steals and shut down Penn State’s leading scorer, fifth-year guard Ace Baldwin Jr., who went 0-6 from the field and went scoreless. Defense is something Boswell can always hang his hat on despite his offensive production being up and down throughout the year.
*Tre White (A): Junior guard Tre White continued his recent strong play, scoring in double figures for his third straight game. He posted 20 points on an efficient 7-12 shooting. White is second on the team in field goal percentage (56.3%) this season, only behind freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. White has been extremely consistent for Illinois since the start of Big Ten play and does so in a non-flashy fashion.
“Tre just found 20 again,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “We didn’t really run a play to him. It’s just a gift. He gets ’em in a little bit of every facet.”
In addition to his third 20-plus point game of the season, White contributed seven rebounds, including three offensive boards.
*Ben Humrichous (A): Ladies and gentlemen of Champaign, Ben Humrichous has arrived. The graduate student forward struggled with his shot earlier this year but has found his way as of late from behind the arc. Humrichous was hot in the first half, scoring 19 of his 21 points. He shot 5-9 from three, and the Champaign crowd loved every bit of it.
Humrichous’ energy throughout the game was high, and he contributed in numerous ways. His two points in the second half came off a “booty-ball” style play reminiscent of former Illini guard/forward Marcus Domask. Humrichous also grabbed a season-high nine rebounds, including eight in the first half.
“It’s almost identical to the Marcus footprint,” Underwood said. “Marcus was okay first semester, and just about this time of year, early January, just kind of started to blossom.”
*Will Riley (C+): Freshman forward Will Riley made his first start of the season in place of Jakučionis. Offensively, entering the starting unit did not end his shooting slump. Riley shot a poor 2-11 from the field, including 1-5 from three. He finished with seven points.
Despite another tough shooting night, Riley helped out in other ways, including using his size and 6-foot-8 frame to grab six rebounds and provide solid perimeter defense.
“Will’s defense when he got here was — all of you guys watched him play AAU — it was not good,” Underwood said. “Now he’s become that guy that’s got length and can contest.”
When Boswell went to the bench, Riley was the point guard and handed out six assists. It’s an underrated aspect of his game that still shines when his scoring ability, what he’s known for, isn’t being shown.
*Tomislav Ivišić (C+): Sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić had an unusual scoreless first half for the Illini, missing both of his shots. Usually, Ivišić gets more looks offensively, but Penn State’s 7-foot junior center Yanic Konan Niederhauser effectively prevented that. Konan Niederhauser had five first-half blocks.
Ivišić had a more productive second half, scoring four points on 2-4 shooting and grabbing five of his seven rebounds. Despite a low-production game offensively, Underwood applauded Ivišić’s defense after the game.
“Tomislav was huge tonight,” Underwood said. “His defensive presence in the paint, his talk, his communication was huge.”
Morez Johnson Jr. (A): Johnson had an all-time night against Penn State, scoring a career-high 20 points in 20 minutes. It was his third time scoring in double figures. Johnson was unstoppable in the paint, finishing with various one-dribble moves and multiple signature two-handed slams.
“This kid plays really hard,” Humrichous said. “I actually told Tomi this on the bench today. I said, ‘You guys make each other great.’ These kids battle every day at practice.”
Johnson also grabbed 11 rebounds, earning him his second double-double of the season. Four of his 11 rebounds were on the offensive glass, creating multiple second-chance opportunities for the Illini.
“He’s unbelievable at just wanting to be great,” Underwood said. “To be great, sometimes you have to really simplify and do what you do well.”
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (C-): After two efficient shooting nights against Oregon and Washington, sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn had a rough night from the field against Penn State. In 20 minutes off the bench, Gibbs-Lawhorn shot 2-9 from the field, including a rough 1-7 from three.
However, there were some positives. Gibbs-Lawhorn drew a few fouls and went a perfect 4-4 from the free-throw line. He also had a couple of hustle plays, blocking a shot and grabbing an offensive rebound.
Known as a scorer, Gibbs-Lawhorn still scored nine points even while shooting poorly. He’ll have some tough nights mixed in with his better ones, but his energy off the bench is the most important thing he brings to this Illini roster.
Jake Davis (C): Sophomore wing Jake Davis played 12 minutes and didn’t do anything special. He scored three points (1-3 shooting) and grabbed three rebounds. Davis will continue to play his role as a floor spacer with the occasional shooting outburst like he had at Oregon in the first half a week ago.
Carey Booth (B-): Even in a game where the Illini had a very comfortable lead early on, sophomore forward Carey Booth still did not see much playing time. He only played three minutes, making one shot and missing a three-pointer.
After playing all 33 games for Notre Dame last season and starting 19 of them, Booth had been relegated to garbage time minutes for Illinois, even when Humrichous struggled earlier this season. If this continues, Booth may be a potential transfer candidate in the offseason to a team where he will have a larger role.
AJ Redd (B): Junior walk-on guard AJ Redd saw the floor for the seventh time this season. He dished out an assist and grabbed two rebounds, including one on the offensive end during his two minutes on the court.
Keaton Kutcher (C): Junior walk-on guard Keaton Kutcher played in his seventh game this year. In two minutes, he didn’t register any stats in the box score.
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