The Illinois Fighting Illini grinded out a hard-fought victory on the road in Seattle over the Washington Huskies. Illinois ended up leading for the entire game, but a furious comeback from the Huskies had a legitimate chance to steal the victory late. Nonetheless, the Illini showed enough grit and character to power through Washington’s upset bid to prevail 81-77. Here are three takeaways from Sunday afternoon’s exciting contest.
#1 – Illinois Is Capable of Winning Tough Games Despite Not Shooting Well
Illinois has been one of the best three-point offenses this year, knocking down over 11 deep balls per game as a team, good for 4th in the country. Head coach Brad Underwood’s team has five players shooting at a better than 35% clip from beyond the arc, a truly impressive stat. However, on Sunday afternoon in Seattle, the Illini were only 5-26 from three, a shocking 19.2%. To pull out the win in spite of these struggles is a true testament to the team’s togetherness and determination.
With the score at 50-39 in the second half, Illinois scored 25 straight points from either the paint or the free-throw line. Kasparas Jakučionis, Ben Humrichous, and Kylan Boswell, all great shooters, excelled off the dribble in the second half, drawing fouls and finding easy baskets. Boswell had a notably good second half, scoring all of his 14 points in the second period and securing the win with two big free throws after going 1-4 on his earlier attempts.
Draws the foul. Makes the three.
Just @bambam_boz things 🤷♂️
2H 15:13 | Illini 50, Washington 37
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/IzQ57MvQOf— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 5, 2025
In addition to paint points, Illinois also dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Huskies 43-30. Freshman Morez Johnson Jr. gave Underwood 9 impressive minutes that included 5 rebounds, 2 of them offensive. Forward Tre White continues to be a strong positional rebounder, securing boards of his own. Starting center Tomislav Ivisic is always a handful, grabbing 9 rebounds to go with his 9 points.
#2 – The Danny Sprinkle Era At Washington is Off to an Encouraging Start
Washington basketball has been largely irrelevant over the last decade, but Husky fans have reason for optimism with how first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle has begun his tenure. Now 10-5, the Huskies have shaken off some early-season struggles to give the home crowd two big-time performances against quality opponents this week. After a huge upset over Maryland on Thursday, the Huskies showed great character and almost stole a victory from a highly-ranked Illinois team.
Illinois escapes with an 81-77 win but Washington made them earn it. Danny Sprinkle’s team showed a lot of fight.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) January 5, 2025
It wasn’t senior Grant Osobor’s best game as a Husky, but he played tough throughout and continued to show why he is tops in the Big 10 in fouls drawn. Freshman Zoom Diallo entered the starting lineup after a standout performance against Maryland, contributing 7 assists. Diallo struggled mightily from the field, shooting just 3-12, but it’s easy to see the talent oozing out of the young guard. Luis Kortright came off the bench and provided the Huskies with clutch moments down the stretch. Kortright tallied 10 points, including 2 three-pointers. That all being said, the story of the game for the Huskies was DJ Davis, who erupted for a career-high 31 points that included 7 threes.
Coach Sprinkle has been making impressive strides with a Huskies program that hasn’t been lacking talent as of late despite several years of poor results. Sprinkle is absolutely the right man for the job and should have his team ready to compete with anyone in a loaded Big 10 as conference play continues.
#3- Kasparas Jakučionis is One of The Best Players in The Country
There’s not much more that can be said about Kasparas Jakučionis. The freshman from Lithuania is a generational talent and has proved such time and time again this year. Jakučionis carved up the Huskies defense for 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists on the afternoon. He had his way with whoever was guarding him, penetrating to score himself or find open teammates with several creative passes. Jakučionis also continues to shoot very well from deep, particularly on his step-back or other off the dribble looks. The freshman is shooting a scorching 42.9% from three on almost 5 attempts per game.
Illinois freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis since the win over #19 Arkansas in November:
19.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.8 APG on 50% FG, 44% 3PT, 88% FT
Absolutely insane numbers, and keeps getting better as the competition rises.
— Nathan James (@NJB0115) January 6, 2025
Jakučionis offers so much to the game and has tremendous command for such a young player. He will be the ceiling-raiser for Illinois as they continue into this season. He is sure to be one of the first names called in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Illinois finished up their west coast run with two victories over Oregon and Washington. They will be back at home against Penn State on Wednesday. Washington will be on the road against Michigan State on Thursday.
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