Illini Ruffle Feathers in Iowa City, Survive Comeback Effort

13-3 (4-1) Illinois punched 12-4 (2-3) Iowa right in the mouth from the tip. A point of criticism during the Brad Underwood era has been the dreaded 11 a.m. tipoff, but this Illini team put that narrative to rest. Andrej Stojakovic hit an early three and then asserted dominance in the paint to help build an Illini 29-11 lead in the first half. The Hawkeyes rattled off a few threes to cut the Illini lead at half to 11, despite an awful half from Bennett Stirtz. Kylan Boswell put the clamps on Iowa's offensive hub. Active hands and tight off ball defense frustrated Stirtz all day, leading him to pick up 4 fouls with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Illinois built the lead back up to 17 points right as Stirtz went to the bench. Iowa immediately flipped the script. A 16-4 Hawkeyes run over 5 minutes cut the lead to 5 and applied pressure to Illinois. But fear not! Superstar freshman, Keaton Wagler, got the ball in his hands and nailed a cold-blooded three to quiet the Carver-Hawkeye crowd. The 150th ranked recruit from Shawnee, Kansas continued to make all the recruiting websites look foolish. Wagler finished the day with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Illinois simply just made all the winning plays you need to win a Big Ten road game. Despite Iowa's fierce comeback, the Illini remained composed and delivered when it counted the most. Ben Humrichous grabbed and offensive rebound to set up a Kylan Boswell layup on an assist from David Mirkovic to make it a 67-59 lead. Iowa continued to hang in there and a questionable hook-and-hold called on Keaton Wagler gave Iowa a chance to cut the lead 1, but Illinois got a stop and made free throws to seal the game 75-69. Winning on the road means everything for the Big Ten Title race, and the Illini have already racked up 3 of them.

To win this game, Illinois needed to manage the ball effectively, and apart from a short stretch in the second half, the Illini succeeded in doing so. Illinois also needed to contain Bennett Stirtz. Not only did Illinois contain him, but they also made it one of his worst nights of the season. My other key in the game for Illinois was to attack the rim. While the second half saw a much faster pace and more threes launched, the Illini built the original 18-point lead due to Illinois' length and willingness to score at the rim.

What a nice win for Illinois, as they are starting to hit their stride in January. All 8 Illini that played made winning plays and helped extend the win streak to 5. Illinois will certainly move up in the AP poll tomorrow. The Illini have yet another short turnaround as they face Northwestern in Evanston on Wednesday.