Illinois Men’s Basketball Team Powers Past Indiana, 71-51 

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BY UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 8 Illinois powered past Indiana, 71-51, in front of a sold-out crowd at the State Farm Center.

The Illini (21-5, 12-3 B1G) secured the victory with a dominant 33-20 second half and a 38-25 rebounding advantage over the Hoosiers (17-9, 8-7 B1G).

David Mirkovic led the offensive charge with 25 points, shooting an efficient 10-for-16 from the field and sinking three 3-pointers. His 25 points marked a career-high against a Big Ten Opponent. Mirkovic was also dominant on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds, including a pair of offensive boards.

Keaton Wagler recorded 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and a career-high three steals. Wagler’s 18 points marks his 18^th consecutive outing scoring in double-digits. Tomislav Ivisic scored 14, 12 in the second half. He grabbed six boards, four on the offensive end.

Returning to the floor following a seven-game absence with a broke right hand, Kylan Boswell tallied nine points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. He pulled in four rebounds on the offensive glass.

Ben Humrichous made a big impact on the win with eight rebounds and two steals. His team-leading eight boards is a season-high, and the most he’s had in a game since January 2025.

Indiana opened the contest with a hot hand on 6-for-10 shooting to take a 15-14 lead. A 10-0 Illinois run, capped by 3-pointers from Boswell and Mirkovic, gave the Illini a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.

The Illini bullied the Hoosiers throughout the first half, using an 18-12 rebounding advantage and 15 points from Mirkovic to create a 38-31 edge going into the locker room.

Illinois dominated the early minutes of the second half, holding Indiana without a field goal for the first four minutes and eventually going on a 4-minute, 11-0 run to push their lead to 54-36 with 12 minutes to play.

The Illini left no doubt, closing out the game on an 11-3 run to close out the 20-point victory.

Illinois travels to the West Coast this week for a two-game road swing in Los Angeles, beginning Wednesday with a matchup at USC. Tipoff vs. the Trojans is set for 9 p.m. CT on Big Ten NetworK.

POSTGAME NOTES

PLAYER NOTES

• David Mirkovic scored 25 points, his off his career high and his most vs. a Big Ten opponent, with seven rebounds, and tied for the team lead with three assists.
  • Ninth consecutive game with 10+ points, 20^th of the season.
    • Third game of the season with 20+ points.
  • Team-leading 18^th game of the season with 10+ points and 5+ rebounds, accomplishing the feat by halftime (15 pts, 5 rebs).
    • 15 first-half points were his most in a half since scoring 19 in the second half vs. Colgate (11/14/25).
  • 13^th game of the season with multiple 3-pointers, eighth in his last 10 games.
    • Seventh game with at least three 3-pointers.
• Keaton Wagler poured in 18 points with six rebounds, three assists and a career-high three steals.
  • Tallied his 23rd double-digit scoring effort of the season.
    • 10+ points in 18 consecutive outings, averaging 20.7 ppg during that span.
    • Has scored in double figures in all 15 Big Ten appearances (22.0 ppg).
  • Grabbed a career-high three steals.
    • Eighth game with 2+ takeaways.
• Tomislav Ivisic added 14 points, six rebounds and a block.
  • Third consecutive game with 10+ points.
  • Grabbed six boards, with four offensive for the third time this season.
• Kylan Boswell put up nine points and seven rebounds in his return to the starting lineup after a seven-game absence with a broken hand.
  • Sixth game of the year with 5+ rebounds, including a season-high four offensive boards.
• Ben Humrichous grabbed a season-high eight rebounds and had two steals.
  • Most rebounds in a game since January 2025 vs. Penn State.

Team Notes

• Starters: Kylan Boswell, Jake Davis, Tomislav Ivisic, David Mirkovic, and Keaton Wagler.
  • First time using this lineup since the season-opener vs. Jackson State on Nov. 3.
  • Boswell returned after a seven-game absence due to a broken right hand.
  • Second game without Andrej Stojakovic (ankle).
• Illinois improves to 21-5 on the season, the team’s best record through 26 games since also going 21-5 in 2008-09.
• Illinois is 12-3 in Big Ten play, the team’s best B1G record through 15 games since going 12-3 in 2020-21.
• Illinois is 13-2 at home this season, the program’s best mark since going 15-2 at State Farm Center in 2022-23.
  • The Illini are averaging 87.5 points at home this season, with an average scoring margin of +22.1 ppg.
• The victory gives the Fighting Illini seven Quad 1 wins on the season, tied for the sixth-most in the nation.
• Sunday’s crowd was the ninth home sellout (15,544) of the season at State Farm Center. The Illini are averaging 14,837 fans per game, 95% capacity.
• Illinois entered the game ranked first in the Big Ten with 11.3 3-pointers per game and knocked down seven triples vs. Indiana, the team’s fewest since hitting six in a win at Penn State on Jan. 3.
• Illinois outrebounded Indiana 38-25 with a 15-4 advantage on the offensive glass.
  • Illinois has outrebounded 22 of 26 opponents this season with an 19-3 record in those contests.
• Illinois has won three straight in the series vs. Indiana.