Illinois celebrates senior night with 26-point win over Oregon

The Illini made sure senior night ended on a high note. After a slow start where Oregon got out to a 9-3 lead, Illinois responded with a 21-0 run and never looked back. Illinois cruised by Oregon with an 80-54 win, snapping a two-game skid. This fanbase was eager for a stress-free win to begin March on the right foot, and Illinois delivered. It was a rough February for the Illini, but the vibes felt good once again in the State Farm Center. Illinois should build upon this momentum the next time they take the floor right before postseason play.

While it was a night to celebrate the seniors, Andrej Stojakovic was the story of the game. The junior had maybe his worst outing in his career against Michigan last Friday. Stojakovic just logged 12 minutes and was held scoreless. Last night, he had a game high 21 points and 12 rebounds in just 21 minutes. Stojakovic had a different look in his eyes. If Illinois wants to reach their ceiling, they need performances like that from Andrej, especially on the glass. Something to note was that Andrej and Kylan only shared the court for 4 minutes. With both of them being relatively non-factors from 3, it seems Underwood will be looking to not have both on the court at the same time in the future.

Both Illinois freshman had great games too. Mirkovic had a spectacular night despite fouling out of the game late. David added 19 points and 7 rebounds. Keaton Wagler was quieter but still ended up with 11,6,5. Wagler probably should have been more aggressive for his own, but Illinois did not really need him to be special last night.

AJ Redd delivered one of the best moments of the season. Brad Underwood let the senior get some run in as the Illini were up by 25 late. Redd launched a long three less than 10 seconds into shot clock and airballed it, causing Brad Underwood to lose his mind. That missed shot led into a media timeout, and Redd got chewed out by Underwood the entire timeout. His teammates could not contain their laughter, and I even saw Brad smile after the timeout was over. Redd got his redemption as he drained a three off a nice between the legs assist from Mihailo Petrovic, and it received one of the loudest crowd pops all year. The next possession, Redd made a nice move and finished at the rim for a career high 5 points. It was a fun 3 minutes I am sure he will never forget.

Illinois' defensive struggles were the biggest cause for concern regarding Illinois' postseason hopes. Oregon is offensively challenged and extremely thin in the backcourt. With that said, this was the third best defensive performance of the season for Illinois right behind the Northwestern and Mizzou blowouts according to Bart Torvik. Illinois seems to defend well against teams who do not have five people on the court who can shoot. Hopefully Illinois can build on that defensive performance over the next few weeks.

After the slow start, it was fun night in the State Farm Center for one final time in the 2025-2026 season. Illinois concludes the regular season out east against Maryland on Sunday

What This Means:

With this win, Illinois inches closer to clinching a triple-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. A win over Maryland OR a Wisconsin loss in either of their final games would give Illinois a free pass to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Illinois is most likely going to be a 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament due to losing both tiebreakers with Nebraska and Michigan State. The only way Illinois could become a 3 seed in the BTT would be with a win against Maryland AND a Nebraska loss to Iowa OR Michigan State losses in their final two games. Michigan State plays Rutgers at home, so the most likely way for this to happen would be an Iowa win over Nebraska. The difference between a 3 and 4 is quite substantial. First, it means Illinois would not play during the day on Friday, meaning they would draw a bigger crowd. Second, Illinois would avoid a Michigan matchup until the Championship.

In terms of the NCAA Tournament seeding, Illinois is in a phenomenal spot. So many results around the country have gone in Illinois' favor. Illinois is in firm control of a obtaining a 2 seed on Selection Sunday and playing in St. Louis for the first and second rounds. A win against Maryland would eliminate any chances of Illinois falling to the 4 line, so Sunday afternoon is another big game for the Illini.