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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men’s basketball team is facing a challenging moment in their season, having experienced their first back-to-back losses. Both defeats came in overtime against formidable opponents, Michigan State and Wisconsin.
As the Illini prepare to host Indiana on Sunday, they are eager to break this losing streak. The matchup is crucial, as the Hoosiers bring a solid record of 17-8 overall and 8-6 in Big Ten competition, promising a competitive encounter.
A key concern for Illinois is the potential return of pivotal players Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell. Stojakovic was sidelined during Tuesday’s game against Wisconsin due to an ankle sprain, while Boswell has been absent from the court since mid-January due to a broken hand.
Head coach Brad Underwood addressed the media on Saturday but remained noncommittal regarding the status of these players for Sunday’s game. Their availability could significantly impact Illinois’ performance as they strive to regain their winning momentum.
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood didn’t offer a definitive answer for either veteran’s availability for Sunday when speaking with reporters on Saturday.
“A decent amount of pain and soreness,” Underwood said of Stojakovic’s high ankle sprain. “So we’ll see what his status is.”
Boswell continues to work back from his hand injury, but Underwood says his top priority is making sure the Illini are healthy for the NCAA tournament.
“The pain is not there, and he’s surgically – it’s repaired and doing fine, it’s all about swelling,” Underwood said of Boswell. “We’ll see how he reacts through the course of the day [Saturday], and what [Sunday] looks like. Obviously, if it’s swollen it limits what he can do – and it’s his shooting hand. Obviously, there’s no sense to put him out there if he’s not going to be an asset.”
The Illini will try to slow down IU’s Lamar Wilkerson. He is averaging 21.2 points per game and scored 41 in the Hoosiers’ most recent game, a win coming Monday against Oregon.
Underwood says the Illini are preparing for a few different scenarios, with the injury availability uncertain. The Illini didn’t find out until 30 minutes before tip-off that they wouldn’t have Stojakovic against Wisconsin.
“A lot of film work,” Underwood said of preparing other players to guard IU’s top scorers, a task typically reserved for Stojakovic or Boswell. “Understanding what that looks like on film… And then just make sure we’re getting them reps in covering the next opponents actions… You got to be dialed in and know what we want our coverages to be, it’s just repetition.”
The Illini had two mandated days off after Tuesday’s OT loss, time away from the court which they felt was much-needed. Four Illinois players clocked 37 or more minutes against the Badgers.
“It was both good mentally and physically,” Illinois junior Jake Davis said. “I think everybody needed a couple of days off. It was really good for us. Like body wise, we hadn’t had any days off in a long time and then mentally it was just a good day to reset. We had a good practice [Friday], hopefully again, good practice today to continue to reset and get ready again.”
Illinois vs Indiana is set to tip-off at 12 p.m. on Sunday, airing on WCIA/CBS.