Illini defeat Northwestern, extend win streak to six

Securing victories on the road in the Big Ten is always challenging, but the 2025-2026 Illinois Fighting Illini are making it seem effortless. With yesterday's win over Northwestern, Illinois moves to 14-3 (5-1) with a 4-0 record on the road. It is the first time Illinois has started 4-0 on the road in league play since the 2005 national runner-up team. That's some elite company to join. Like the '05 team, the Illini are trying to compete for a Big Ten title, and winning on the road is necessary to earn one.

Attacking the offensive glass was the biggest key in my preview of this game. Illinois' size makes them a pain to box out, especially for smaller teams like Northwestern. It was the story of the first half. Northwestern started the game playing great defense. The Wildcats did a great job pressuring the Illini ball-handlers early and forcing them to be uncomfortable. Illinois had a difficult time generating clean looks early, but their stick-to-itiveness on the offensive glass kept the Illini in the game early. 13 of the Illini's first 23 points were on second-chance attempts.

Defensively, the Illini challenged Kylan Boswell to guard the nation's leading scorer, Nick Martinelli. Boswell successfully defended Martinelli by fronting him in the post. Northwestern's perimeter players were not able to feed Martinelli. Boswell held Martinelli to 4 points on 1 shot attempt in the first 16 minutes of the game. Illinois baited a bad shooting team into launching threes, and it worked early. The Illini took a 5-point lead to the locker room despite an ugly first half where they seemed out of sync offensively, and it was because the Illini defense was able to slow down Martinelli.

Coming out of the half, there was a clear emphasis on getting Keaton Wagler going. Wagler scored off an early offensive rebound a couple of minutes into the game and was held scoreless for the remainder of the half. Wagler opened the second half with a nice take to the rim, finishing with his left hand over a couple of defenders. The next time down the court, the freshman hit a step-back three at the top of the key, and it was clear he was ready to bounce back in the second half.

Illinois went on a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 62-47 with just under 10 minutes remaining. It seemed like the Illini were going to be able to turn on cruise control and walk out of Welsh-Ryan Arena with a dominant victory, but that was not the case. The home team in this conference almost always seemingly sparks a huge run to make the game more competitive when they are down big. Northwestern went on a 10-0 run in a minute and a half due to a questionable hook-and-hold flagrant and another technical from Illini assistant coach Orlando Antigua. The game felt all but over, but somehow in an instant Northwestern was down just two possessions with seven minutes left. Illinois and Northwestern traded buckets for the next three minutes. Northwestern's Jayden Reid looked like a Tyson Walker clone from the Michigan State teams a few years back. Reid hit every shot he was taking, but at the 4:30 mark, Illinois' senior guard took over. Kylan Boswell made a tough layup on one end and then poked the ball out of Nick Martinelli's hand to force a turnover. Pumping his chest and all afterwards, Boswell drew a foul and calmed the Illini down as they went to the under-4 media timeout. The Champaign native is this team's steady presence, and Illinois never looked back after those plays gave Illinois a 6-point lead. Illinois set up Keaton Wagler and Tomislav Ivisic in a pick-and-pop situation twice in a row, and the Illini big man made both three-pointers, icing the game for the Illini. It was another tough test facing adversity, and Illinois did not waver.

The three Illini who cemented this win were Keaton Wagler, Tomislav Ivisic, and Kylan Boswell. Wagler is simply just a pro playing college basketball. His 20 second-half points were amazing to watch. Tomislav Ivisic finally looked like the version of him we saw last year. Someone in the front court had to step up with David Mirkovic being ill, and Tomi did that exactly. Not only did Ivisic score, but he also had one of his best rebounding nights of the season. If Illinois gets this version of Tomislav Ivisic on a nightly basis, the Big Ten will truly be put in danger. The MVP of the game, in my opinion, was Kylan Boswell. He is not the team's best player, but I think he is the most important. Having a secondary guard who knows how to win and is never sped up is a blessing. Illinois has had that with Trent Frazier and Marcus Domask in years past, and Boswell is only adding to that list with the way he settles Illinois down when they most need it. His 13 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and phenomenal defensive effort gave Illini fans no reason to sweat when Northwestern seemed like they were about to surge ahead late.

Illinois is on a great path. They are starting to meet all the criteria of a team with National Championship and Final Four aspirations. They have a future NBA first-round guard, a top 5 offense, a top 20 defense, and a whole lot of experience and depth. The loss to Nebraska has been a wake-up call, and the Illini have answered it. Illinois is finally back at home for two straight games against a scrappy Minnesota team and an awful Maryland team, who always seems to find a way to win in the State Farm Center. It's time for Illinois to keep stacking wins and build a great resume to help go on an extended March run.