Illinois Basketball Toys With Chicago State in Showcase Win

The Illini set a number of personal marks in a 117-64 trouncing of Chicago State on Sunday

Dec 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) drives past Chicago State Cougars forward Mike Brown (25) and looks to pass during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Christmas came late for Illinois, in the form of a Chicago State team that arrived Sunday at the State Farm Center in Champaign all but gift-wrapped for the Illini, who toyed with the Cougars at will before putting them away 117-64.

The scoring total was a season high for the Illini (9-3), who played at both a blistering pace and a high level as several individual marks were also set in the process. Tomislav Ivisic scored a career-high 23 points, and Morez Johnson Jr. turned in a new single-game best with 11 points. Jake Davis had two threes to score six points – his high in an Illini uniform – and little-used guards Keaton Kutcher and AJ Redd also got on the board for Illinois.

But the man of the moment was Kylan Boswell, who finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first career first triple-double – and the first by an Illinois player since Marcus Domask turned the trick against Morehead State in the NCAA Tournament in March.

Boswell came tantalizingly close to clinching the triple-double on setups to Jake Davis and Carey Booth, but each missed his three-point attempt. Then, with under two minutes left, Boswell took the ball out of bounds along the baseline and fired a cross-court pass into the left corner to Kutcher, who calmly threaded the nylon as Boswell, his teammates and the State Farm Center celebrated.

Kylan Boswell has his triple-double 🙌

Watch the Champaign native clinch it with this @IlliniMBB dime 👇#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/oiBJi0CIpz

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 29, 2024

Everything was working for the Illini, which, to be fair, might have been expected in a home matchup against the winless, hopelessly overmatched Cougars (0-15). Big Ten Network announcers Mike Hall and Trent Meacham were deep in an early-second-half discussion about the various Illinois records that could fall when Kasparas Jakucionis leaned into a defender and chucked an oddly angled prayer off the backboard for an and-one. His free throw pushed the Illini lead to 85-38.

In the first half, Ivisic launched a three-point attempt from the top of the key off a gorgeous draw-and-kick assist from Boswell. The low-angled shot caught rim and backboard, skying upward before plopping through the rim to run Ivisic's point total to 18 – or as many as the Cougars had combined at that moment.

Illinois, as has been typical this season, dominated the boards (47-23) and played tough defense (holding CSU to 37.3 percent shooting). But the Illini also rediscovered their perimeter shooting form (45.5 percent on threes), pushed the ball up the floor (18 fastbreak points) and added some new wrinkles that could pay dividends down the line (including high-low action and some post-ups to Johnson).

The win was also No. 152 for coach Brad Underwood at Illinois, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the program's all-time list.

Gabe Spinelli led the Cougars with 20 points, which wasn't nearly enough to help his dad – Cougars coach Anthony Spinelli – secure his first win as a college head coach.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Basketball Lands in Mike DeCourcy's First NCAA Tournament Projections

Why the Best May Be Yet to Come for Illinois Basketball's Kylan Boswell

Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings: Illinois Rising, Purdue Sinking