Illini Hold Steady in Road Clash Against Penn State

The Illinois Fighting Illini resumed Big Ten play with a road test against Penn State on January 3rd. The Illini were selected in the Nittany Lions' annual game in the "Cathedral of College Basketball." This was not the first occasion the Illini encountered Penn State in a venue where they would play only a single game. If you recall, and I am sure many of you do, two seasons ago, the Illini played in Penn State's volleyball arena "Rec Hall." The then East Regional runner-up in the 2024 NCAA Tournament infamously blew a 10-point lead to an inferior Penn State team in the final 2:30 minutes. Fortunately for Illini fans, victory was never in question this Saturday.

Illinois started this game on fire. Senior guard and Champaign native Kylan Boswell led the opening surge, scoring 7 of the team's first 9 points. The Illini began the game on a 13-3 run, even though star freshman guard Keaton Wagler made a few uncommon errors in the early going. Wagler picked up his second personal foul at the 14:35 mark in the first half. Coach Brad Underwood found himself in unfamiliar territory with one of his two guards, who play over 30 minutes a game, in foul trouble. In the past, Underwood would without question sit a player with two first half fouls for the remainder of the half to avoid picking up a third foul. Underwood threw this out the window when it was evident that his freshman point guard is unlike many as he was very much needed on the court to operate the offense. Immediately after checking in, Wagler made his presence felt, going on a quick 7-point scoring burst to extend the Illini lead back to double digits late in the first half. At the 3:51 mark, Underwood's gamble finally backfired after Wagler picked up his third personal foul after attempting to grab an offensive rebound on a Jake Davis missed three. Coach Brad has raved about Wagler's uncanny ability to grab rebounds despite his smaller size. It is also one of my favorite parts with his game, but the freshman has to learn that was not the time and place to do that, despite the call being questionable. Illinois closed the half out strong and led 40-26 with twenty minutes to play.

The second half start was disastrous for Illinois, as Wagler picked up his fourth foul just 33 seconds into the half. The Illini were going to be tested without their best player and best facilitator on the floor. The offense got really stagnant, and shots were hard to come by. Even the good looks simply were not falling. Penn State failed to truly take advantage of Wagler's absence. The Nittany Lions cut it to single digits a couple of times, but the Illini always responded to make sure the lead rose back to double digits. In a game where both teams have difficulty shooting the ball, rebounding becomes crucial. This is one of Underwood's favorite sayings. The Illini were just tougher on the glass and were able to corral 12 more rebounds on the night, and it was one of the main reasons Penn State was never posing a threat to stun the Illini. Winning on the road in the Big Ten is never an easy accomplishment, so there should be no significant complaints when it is achieved. If you were to ask Brad Underwood what he would like to see most in a game, it would be a victory while being able to learn lessons. That is what the Illini got on Saturday. A 75-63 victory and a look at the offense without Keaton Wagler should give Brad Underwood some great ammo as the Illini head home and get ready for Rutgers on Thursday night.