Nashville, Tenn. — Saturday night in the Music City featured two teams in desperate need of a high-profile win to add to their March resume. But for as much as these teams desperately needed that elusive quad one win, neither could get out of its own way.
Until Illinois decided enough was enough, and a late push carried Illinois to the finish line of a physical battle in Nashville, 75-62.
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Inside a Bridgestone Arena that’s, at least on paper, supposed to feature a majority of Tennessee fans, given the proximity. Despite the drive, Illinois fans, as they tend to do during basketball season, spilled out in Nashville to add to an electric environment.
And as memories from last season’s buzzer-beating loss at the State Farm Center loomed, this version of the Illinois Fighting Illini seemed determined to find a way to avenge the heartbreaking loss.
On the other side, a Tennessee team that came off a potentially season-defining loss to Syracuse. Those stakes were added motivation to two desperate teams.
Despite a poor shooting night for Tennessee and some dumbfounding hiccups. Tennessee shot 41% from the field in the first half and was up by two heading into the locker room. But Illinois’ inability to get defensive boards kept the game within reach, even as the sand from the hourglass slipped away.
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Tennessee collected 23 offensive rebounds and, at one point, found itself gifted 18 second-chance points; those points kept the result a flip of a coin during the game’s second half.
But that comedy of errors reached its peak halfway through the second half.
Illinois began to separate, and Brad Underwood’s team began to flip the script in the final quarter of the second half. Illinois ended the night on an 8-0 run. And it was the two freshmen who provided a swell of support to carry the Fighting Illini to the end of the physical game’s finish line.
At one point, Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic were the only Illini to score in a span of 12 minutes.
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Wagler added 16 points, eight rebounds through 34 minutes. But his impact went far beyond the statsheet. Wagler flashed on the screen. For a physical game, he was one of the few Illini, stubborn about capturing rebounds and provided five assists on the way as well.
Despite a first half that lacked production, this was Mirkovic’s type of game: a physical pound-for-pound heavyweight duel. And Mirkovic obliged. At one point, Mirkovic clawed his way for a rebound. The play resulted in Mirkovic getting pushed to the ground.
Mirkovic winced in pain as he held his lower back. But Mirkovic didn’t leave the game. He finished the game with 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Simple math: Three is more than two
In a game where too many of Illinois’ mistakes kept Tennessee in the game, three points became the key difference as Tennessee attempted a late-game comeback.
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The three began to make a difference as Illinois’ late push began. It could be considered the impetus for the Illini’s separation from the Vols. And it was a Jake Davis corner three.
Later, Zvonimir Ivisic knocked down two consecutive big threes, and those points ultimately hosed down any swell of fear inside Illinois fans’ minds about losing this game. Ivisic ended the night with eight points and a rebound in nine minutes.
His brother, Tomislav Ivišić, also contributed two big-time threes. And he ended the night with 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists. After weeks of chatter regarding his conditioning, the past couple of games have signified the conditioning improvement from the big man.
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At the end, the ball movement helped the Illini find open threes that ultimately made the difference and gave way for a comfortable ending to a night in Nashville.
The moment that scared you
An early scare when Kylan Boswell got knocked out of a game with an apparent shoulder injury. An early scare, with Boswell going out for a couple of minutes in the first half.
Boswell came back to the court a short while later and made an impact that Illini fans are becoming accustomed to getting from the Champaign native. Boswell scored 15 points, two rebounds, and three assists.
Boswell continues to be an Iron Man for Underwood and Co.
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Make the free throw
Missed free throws were a big point of contention in Illinois’ last spotlight game. And while this was certainly not the biggest issue on the team’s radar, Illinois shot 57% from free-throw range (8-for-14). It typifies the imperfect effort. But Illinois collected a quad one win. And they did so in an electric neutral-ish environment.
Up Next
Illinois faces a quick turnaround, will head to Columbus to take on Ohio State on Tuesday night on Peacock.
