3 Key Numbers from Illinois Basketball’s Win Over Oregon

Date:

No. 22 Illinois (10-3, 2-1 Big Ten) traveled to Eugene and put an absolute thrashing on No. 9 Oregon (12-2, 1-2 Big Ten), taking down the home team 109-77 – good for the widest margin of victory by a visiting team against a top-10 opponent ever.

Scorching-hot shooting (57.5 percent from the field) led the Illini to their massive triple-digit night as the Ducks’ usually solid defense (68.7 points allowed per game) offered little resistance against an endless rain of threes and layups.

On defense, Illinois held the Ducks to 30-for-69 shooting from the field (43.5 percent), but something less than the usual effort and focus was required (and may have been applied) on an evening when the offense was firing on all cylinders.

Here are a few key digits that offer further insight into how the Illini were able to pull off the historic win:

The Illini needed this. A 15-for-33 showing from three-point range (45.5 percent) against Chicago State was encouraging, but the Cougars are a winless mid-major. Shooting 16-for-29 from three (55.2 percent) on the road against a top-10 team? That’s how a team gets its confidence back. Also worth noting: After a 5-for-25 stretch from beyond the arc, forward Ben Humrichous went 4-for-7 against the Ducks en route to a season-high 18 points. And no, there’s no expectation that either Humrichous or Illinois as a whole can maintain a three-point shooting mark above 50 percent. But if the Illini can hover closer to 40 percent than 30 percent, they will be well-positioned to make a competitive run for the Big Ten title.

Although the shooting has been inconsistent on a game-to-game basis, Illinois has been rock-solid on the boards all year – and that didn’t change Thursday. The Illini outrebounded the Ducks 43-31, now having won the battle of the boards in every game this season but the home loss to No. 1 Tennessee. Against Oregon, Illinois got a big night on the glass from Tre White – who posted the quietest 20 points and 11 rebounds you’ll ever encounter – while Tomislav Ivisic added eight and Kasparas Jakucionis six. The Illini need to continue their rebounding domination against the bigger, more athletic competition of the Big Ten. If the Ducks game was any indication, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Through 12 games, Illini coach Brad Underwood and his staff had been keeping the rotation pretty tight, with only Will Riley, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Morez Johnson Jr. getting regular, significant minutes off the bench. But that changed on Thursday, and after the performance of Jake Davis, the change could become permanent. Davis – uniform No. 15 – is a Mercer transfer who, after entering the game with 14 points on the season, nearly doubled it with 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field against Oregon. None of that was garbage-time production, by the way. All of Davis’ scoring came in the first half, when the margin was still within single digits and the outcome was still anyone’s guess.

3 Big Takeaways From Illinois Basketball’s Win Over Oregon

Illinois Basketball Rains Threes on Oregon in Record-Breaking Blowout

Who Is Neel Ganta, Illinois Basketball’s New Director of Player Personnel?

Share post:

Popular

More like this
Related

Why history shows 49ers owning No. 11 draft pick is good omen

Why history shows 49ers owning No. 11 draft pick...

Steph drops great one-liner on fiery exchange between Kerr, Christie

Steph drops great one-liner on fiery exchange between Kerr,...