When No. 8 Illinois lost 92-90 in overtime to Wisconsin on Tuesday, top Fighting Illini perimeter defenders Kylan Boswell (broken hand) and Andrej Stojakovic (sprained ankle) could only watch from the bench as Badgers guards Nick Boyd and John Blackwell combined for 49 points and nine assists.
When Illinois lost in overtime last Saturday at Michigan State, Boswell was out and Stojakovic was hobbled while Spartans point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. piled up 26 points and 15 assists.
That’s reason enough for Illinois (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) to be keenly interested in getting Boswell and/or Stojakovic healthy and back into the lineup for the Sunday game against Indiana (17-8, 8-6) in Champaign, Ill.
However, when you throw in the fact that Hoosiers shooting guard Lamar Wilkerson went off for 41 points in a 92-74 whipping of Oregon on Monday — and has averaged 30.8 points over the past four games — it’s close to imperative that the Illini get one or both of their defensive aces back.
“We’ve had some challenges guarding guards since Kylan’s been out,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.
Boswell, who fractured his right hand in practice on Jan. 19 and underwent surgery, has missed seven games and the Illini have gone 5-2. In addition to Fears, Boyd and Blackwell, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Washington’s Zoom Diallo enjoyed terrific nights against the non-Boswell Illini.
The good news for Illinois? Boswell (14.3 ppg, 3.4 apg) has practiced all week and is regarded as a game-time decision. Meanwhile, Stojakovic (13.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) went through pregame warmups against Wisconsin, so it seems to track that he should be more of a sure thing.
Illinois doesn’t just need them on defense. Freshman Keaton Wagler could use a break as the team’s creator on almost every possession. During Boswell’s absence, Wagler has skyrocketed into the NBA Draft lottery projections while averaging 24.6 points and 5.7 assists, but he also has averaged 37.4 minutes.
“He needs help,” Underwood said. “He got picked up 94 feet (by Wisconsin) and they denied him. Not that that bothers him. It’s remarkable, quite remarkable what he’s been doing and the load he’s (carried). I didn’t realize he had 34 (points).”
The slender Wagler has attempted 64 free throws over the seven-game stretch as teams have been physical with him and helped extensively when he attacks the paint.
Indiana, meanwhile, feels pretty great after winning five of its past six to climb to No. 30 in the NET rankings entering the weekend. However, the Hoosiers’ record against Quad 1 opponents is just 2-7, while Indiana is 15-1 in all other games.
Wilkerson has averaged 33 points over the past three games, boosting his season norm to 21.2 points per game on 38.7% accuracy from 3-point range (84 of 217).
“(Lamar) is playing at an incredibly high level,” Indiana coach Darian DeVries said. “He’s got to be in that conversation with a few other guys as the best player in the league this year.”
The Hoosiers are getting significant contributions from Wilkerson’s teammates, too.
Big man Sam Alexis has shot 24 of 25 (96.0%) from the field over the past five games.
Nick Dorn has given Indiana a third legitimate 3-point threat to go with Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries. Since being elevated to the starting lineup six games ago on Jan. 23, Dorn has averaged 14.0 points while hitting 20 3-pointers.
