Orange Wave ahead? Despite key injury, Illini look like serious contenders
Brace yourself, the Orange Wave could be coming.
That's because the University of Illinois men's basketball team looks like a potential Final Four contender.
This prediction doesn’t look as good after Tuesday’s overtime loss to Wisconsin. But the Illini were missing third-leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic with an injury. They’re about to get healthier.
Veteran Chicago sports fans know how this works. Most of the time, Fighting Illini athletics are out of sight, out of mind. But there are obviously a ton of Illinois fans all over the city and suburbs. On very special occasions, they come out of the woodwork and turn the intensity setting from the usual 2 or 3 up to 10 or 11.
The last real explosion was probably the 2005 team that reached the title game with Deron Williams and Dee Brown. Before that, it was the Flying Illini in 1989 and the Mike White Rose Bowl team in '83. So Mt. Illini is overdue for an eruption.
The point is, this year's Illinois team seems legit, regardless of the Wisconsin loss. And it may have found its true superpower by accident.
Roughly three weeks ago, the Illini lost point guard Kylan Boswell to a broken hand. He was averaging 14.3 points and was arguably the team's best player. There was no scenario where that injury could be seen as anything but terrible news.
Out of necessity, 6-6 freshman Keaton Wagler slid over to play point forward and it opened a world of possibilities. The Illini can put one of the tallest lineups in the country on the floor, and Wagler is built for this role.
The Shawnee, Kan. native wasn't even a high-caliber recruit. He was ranked No. 179 in the country by On3 Sports and No. 150 by 247sports. But he can shoot the 3 at an elite level, attack the basket, draw fouls, distribute the ball and has the athleticism to be a rough matchup. Wagler might have played his way into an NBA lottery pick already.
In the second game without Boswell, Wagler delivered maybe the greatest performance in school history by hitting 9 of 11 shots from 3-point range and scoring 46 points in a win at No. 4 Purdue.
It was a Mackey Arena opponent record for points in a game, and tied for the second-highest point total in Illini history, behind 53 points by Canton native Dave Downey at Indiana in 1963.
Surrounding Wagler, the Illini can put 7-foot Tomislav Ivisic and 6-9 David Mirkovic on the perimeter as 3-point threats. Then 6-7 transfer Andrej Stojakovic is a slasher like his dad, and has plenty of driving lanes. Illinois can go really big by sending in Ivisic's twin brother Zvonimir. The wild card is probably 3-point shooting from Jake Davis or Ben Humrichous.
The Ayo Dosunmu squad of 2021 finished the regular season ranked No. 2, but at full strength, this has a chance to be the Illini's most complete team since the Dee and Deron Show.
“Everyone on the floor can shoot the ball, can score the ball,” Wagler said recently. “I think it's the stress we put on defense, knowing anyone can score, any night it can be anyone's night.”
The overtime loss at Michigan State last Saturday is no real concern. It was a tough environment and a game Illinois could have easily won. The Spartans might have shown the Illini a couple things to clean up.
Illinois has been using the high screen with Wagler to create non-stop damage. A big typically steps out, sets the screen, then moves to the other side and sets a second screen. If defenders lose touch, Wagler can either let it fly or find a path to the basket. Michigan State is known for its defense and handled those high screens well, forcing the Illini into a Plan B.
Also, the Spartans had the athletes to get through the Illinois big men to draw fouls and finish alley-oops. Wisconsin also had the Illini bigs scrambling. So maybe bigger isn't always better on the defensive end.
The Game of the Year in the Big Ten should be Michigan at Illinois on Feb. 27. Then the Big Ten tournament is back on home turf at the United Center.
Boswell is expected back from the injury in a week or two, which could be a little awkward, but a good problem to have. Using Boswell off the bench, maybe, and sticking with the Wagler point forward scheme seems like the way to go.
“I don't worry about that,” coach Brad Underwood said. “You put him back in accordingly. You also understand that being whole is a good thing for us. We've got one of the elite players and defenders that hasn't played in a while.”