3 Things to Watch When Illinois Basketball Hosts Indiana

With the Illini scuffling and the Hoosiers suddenly hitting their stride, these are the areas to keep the closest eye on Sunday

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood against the Ohio State Buckeyes Value City Arena. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

No. 8 Illinois (20-4, 11-2 Big Ten) has had a much more successful season than Indiana (17-8, 8-6) so far, but recent results create a bit more intrigue ahead of Sunday's noon CT tip-off in Champaign.

The Illini have lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, while the Hoosiers' 5-1 record since Jan. 23 has put them in solid shape for an NCAA Tournament bid in coach Darian DeVries' first season.

Here are three more things to watch in this matchup:

1. Can Illinois take advantage of its size?

Illinois Fighting Illini forwards Zvonimir Ivisic (44) and Ben Humrichhous (3) celebrate a win against the Washington Huskies at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Every player who took the floor for Illinois in its most recent game stands at least 6-foot-6, and coach Brad Underwood frequently played 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivisic alongside his twin brother, 7-foot-1 Tomislav Ivisic.

That sets up a distinct height advantage at nearly every position against a small-ball Indiana rotation. Beyond the mismatches inside, the length of Keaton Wagler, Jake Davis and Andrej Stojakovic could make things difficult on some of Indiana's guards. Check out Indiana's main group:

• G Conor Enright, 6-foot-1
• G Tayton Conerway, 6-foot-3
• G Lamar Wilkerson, 6-foot-6
• G Jasai Miles, 6-foot-6
• G Nick Dorn, 6-foot-7
• F Tucker DeVries, 6-foot-7
• F Trent Sisley, 6-foot-8
• F Sam Alexis 6-foot-9
• F Reed Bailey, 6-foot-10

Underwood was disappointed in Illinois' rebounding the past two games, which is typically a strength. But the Illini should excel in this area against a thin Indiana frontcourt, both from a height and depth standpoint. The Illini rank 13th nationally in rebounding, compared to Indiana at 259th. Indiana certainly can't afford for Alexis or Bailey to get into foul trouble.

2. Is Kylan Boswell back?

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) drives against Minnesota at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Kylan Boswell has been trending toward a return for the past week, and ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Friday morning that the senior point guard will be a game-time decision for Sunday. It'll depend on how Boswell's broken hand responds to an unrestricted practice session.

His return would offset some of the height advantage mentioned above, but Illinois should be OK with that for a few reasons. As the team's best on-ball defender, Boswell could help slow down Wilkerson, who leads the Big Ten with 24.4 points per game in conference play.

Underwood also mentioned after the Wisconsin loss that, although Wagler has been phenomenal, he needs help. Boswell provides Illinois with another ball-handler to take some of the weight off Wagler's shoulders. Illinois, which played a six-man rotation against Wisconsin, should benefit from four full days off of game action in addition to the the potential returns of Boswell and Stojakovic (ankle).

Illinois won its first five games without Boswell but has dropped the past two. Boswell, the team's second-leading scorer at 14.3 points per game, hasn't played since Jan. 17 against Minnesota,

3. Which version of Nick Dorn shows up?

Indiana's Nick Dorn (7) celebrates a 3-pointer against Purdue at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana's chances of upsetting the Illini start with slowing down the nation's No. 1 offense, but the Hoosiers will also need someone to step up as a reliable third scoring option behind Wilkerson and DeVries.

In some games, that has been Nick Dorn, who averaged 20.3 points in a four-game stretch from Jan. 21-30 while shooting 46.5 percent from three-point range (20-for-43). But over the past three games, he's averaging just 5.7 points on 18.2 percent three-point shooting (4-for-22), including a scoreless effort against Wisconsin.

A big game from Indiana's frontcourt of Alexis and Bailey seems unrealistic due to Illinois' size advantage. The Illini also rank first nationally in free-throw attempts allowed per game (just 12.0). So if Indiana is going to keep up with Illinois' high-scoring offense, it needs all of its three-point shooters clicking – not just Wilkerson.