On Thanksgiving Day, Illinois basketball contributed to an exciting series of surprising outcomes by defeating No. 19 Arkansas 90-77. Head coach Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini’s triumph coincided with unranked Oklahoma’s shocking victory over No. 24 Arizona in the Bahamas.
What strategies did Illinois employ to overcome the formidable Razorbacks in Kansas City? Underwood pointed to a straightforward key to the Illini’s success, as noted by Glenn Kinley of CBS WCIA-3 in Central Illinois: hustle plays.
“We’ve talked about it in the locker room. There were four opportunities to get on the floor. And we were the first one on the floor every single time,” Underwood remarked concerning those hustle plays. “Those are the plays that will keep you moving forward in March…We’ve built our program on that. That’s our culture.”
Illinois overwhelmed Arkansas with their relentless hustle. Not only did the Illini adopt a quicker tempo, but they also generated significantly more offensive possessions compared to the Razorbacks.
“Every possession is a little battle. To get extra opportunities was huge,” Underwood continued.
Illinois basketball took a commanding lead against Arkansas
The Illini swiftly established dominance against their nationally ranked opponents.
Tomislav Ivisic blocked an early shot on defense, while Ben Humrichous sprinted to the three-point arc to sink the initial basket, giving Illinois a 3-0 lead. Ivisic then grabbed another defensive rebound and followed it with a long jumper assisted by Kylan Boswell, extending the lead to 6-0.
A layup by Boswell, paired with another jumper from Ivisic, escalated the score to 11-0 against the powerful Razorbacks. Illinois held a lead as vast as 16 points in the first half, going into halftime with a 49-34 advantage.
While Arkansas managed to cut the deficit to nine in the second half, Illinois maintained an overwhelming advantage in speed and hustle on the T-Mobile Center floor during the Thanksgiving Hoops Classic.
Kasparas Jakucionis led Illinois with 23 points over 34 minutes, while Ivisic, playing against his twin brother Zvonimir, added 21 points along with three blocks. Boswell contributed 18 points to the effort. The Illini also dominated on the boards, securing 28 defensive rebounds compared to Arkansas’s 21.
Losing coach John Calipari offered praise to Illinois for their hustle.
“You got to give them credit,” Calipari remarked to reporters. “They had great motion. They were creating switches.”
The national championship-winning coach from Kentucky acknowledged that his defense “left corners” open on the floor, allowing opportunities for three-point shots.
With this victory, Illinois improved to 6-1 overall, marking a significant win just before they begin Big Ten Conference play on December 6 against Northwestern.
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