Basketball
LINCOLN, Neb. — Illinois is a different team since its Dec. 13 loss to Nebraska, and the Illini showed that emphatically in Sunday’s 78-69 win at No. 5 Nebraska.
Nebraska made 15 threes, including 11 in the first half to take a seven-point first-half lead, but Illinois dominated the paint and the glass en route to a 45-30 second-half advantage in its 11th straight win since the loss to the Cornhuskers seven weeks ago.
Illini star freshman guard Keaton Wagler scored 24 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to lead Illinois (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten) to a 6-0 start on the road during Big Ten play. Wagler added five rebounds and five assists, while Jake Davis added 13 points, making 3 of 6 from three.
The Illini frontcourt gave Illinois a huge advantage. Tomislav Ivisic had 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while his twin brother Zvonimir Ivisic had seven points, six rebounds and two blocks off the bench. David Mirkovic added 10 points and eight rebounds.
After missing the two previous games with an ankle injury, Braden Frager led Nebraska with 20 points off the bench, hitting 6 of 12 from three. Payton Sandfort added 14 points, hitting 4 of 9 from three, but the Nebraska star had just two points in the second half as the Cornhuskers (20-2, 9-2 Big Ten) dropped its second straight game after winning its first 20 games of the season.
Sam Hoiberg had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Jamarques Lawrence added 10 points. After missing the last two games with injury, Nebraska center Rienk Mast had five points on 2-for-10 shooting.
Nebraska took an early 9-4 lead behind two early 3-pointers from Sandfort. But Illinois responded with an 11-3 run to take a 15-12 lead. After Nebraska temporarily took a 17-15 lead, Illinois rolled out a Twin Towers lineup of the Ivisic brothers — and at one point had a lineup of five players taller than 6-foot-7 — which sparked a 10-2 run to give the Illini a 25-20 lead. But Nebraska then made six of its next seven 3-pointers from four different players to take control with a 14-2 run to end the half, entering the break with a 39-33 lead.
But Illinois stormed out of the half with a 13-5 run, sparked by 3-pointers from Davis and Wagler, to reclaim the lead 46-45. The Illini then rattled off a key 10-0 run, sandwiched by Davis and Wagler 3-pointers, to take a commanding 66-55 lead with 6:45 left. Nebraska never got closer than seven as Wagler and Andrej Stojakovic sealed the win at the free-throw line.
What it means: This is a season-changing win for Illinois that puts them at the wheel of the Big Ten race, along with Michigan, and puts them even more firmly in discussions as a legitimate Final Four contender. Another top-5 road win gave Illinois its fifth Quad 1A victory and puts the Illini in the mix for a No. 1 seed if they continue to stack wins. Most importantly, Illinois simply is playing like one of the best teams in the country right now, led by one of the best players (Keaton Wagler) in the country and best frontcourts in the country.
Star of the game: Same as it ever was. Keaton Wagler completely took over the game in the second half to lead Illinois to another marquee win. After a rare subpar first half (5 points on 2-for-9 shooting), Wagler again took control of the game and led Illinois to its second straight road win over a top-5 opponent with 23 second-half points on 5-for-6 shooting, along with five assists (to just two turnovers) and five rebounds for the game. He also drew 12 fouls to go 10-for-12 from the foul line. During the last week, Wagler has shown he shouldn’t just be the heavy favorite for Big Ten Freshman of the Year, but he should be the favorite for Big Ten Player of the Year.
Stats of the game
- Nebraska shot 15-for-35 from three but just 4-for-15 in the second half.
- Illinois outscored Nebraska 28-18 in the paint.
- Illinois outrebounded Nebraska 40-27.
- Illinois outscored Nebraska 21-4 at the free-throw line.
- Illinois had six blocks.
- Nebraska outscored Illinois 8-3 on the fastbreak.
Don’t overlook: The Ivisic twins were phenomenal for Illinois, combining for 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting, 15 rebounds and three blocks. The Twin Towers lineup in the first half helped Illinois get back into the game, and Tomislav Ivisic completely outplayed fellow All-Big Ten center Rienk Mast. Along with Mirkovic, the Twins Ivisic give the Illini such an advantage up front.
What’s next: Illinois hosts Northwestern for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff Wednesday at State Farm Center. The Illini defeated the Wildcats 79-68 in Evanston on Jan. 14 behind 22 points from Keaton Wagler and 21 points from Tomislav Ivisic, while Northwestern’s Jayden Reid scored a career-high 28 points off the bench. The Illini have won nine straight over Northwestern in Champaign, dating back to 2015. The Wildcats (10-12, 2-9 Big Ten) are paced by NCAA scoring leader Nick Martinelli (24.0 points) but rank No. 12 in the Big Ten in offensive efficiency and No. 15 in defensive efficiency.
Read More Clora Paris