Illinois Basketball Report Card: Grades at Minnesota (Game 24)

Gold stars all around in a game that marked the Illini's best, most complete team performance of the season

Illinois forward Will Riley (7) floats in a layup on his way to a game-high 27 points in the Illini's 95-74 win over Minnesota on Saturday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. | University of Illinois athletics

The 2024-25 season has brought moments, stretches – even 20-minute halves – in which Illinois looked as formidable as literally any team in college basketball. The ceiling for the No. 23 Illini (16-8, 8-6 Big Ten), as has been discussed at length, is almost incalculably high. But before Saturday, they hadn't put together a performance that was almost unimpeachably dominant and complete.

Then it happened.

And with the Illini seemingly coming apart at the seams during a 3-5 stretch going into the Minnesota game, it came not a moment too soon. It's too early to call it a breakthrough, but coach Brad Underwood and his crew struck on something undeniable in a 95-74 undressing of the Golden Gophers, and it's worth breaking down the individual performances that helped make it happen:

Will Riley: A+

Riley's 31-point college debut back in November was pure rocket fuel, burning hot but inefficiently as a young man does. But Saturday's performance? Marvel should check the whereabouts of its Tesseract, because Riley tapped into some sort of out-of-this-world energy – and combined it with all the tricks of the trade and confidence he has gathered over the past months to serve up one of the most complete college basketball performances in decades: 27 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and zero turnovers.

A once-in-a-generation performance. pic.twitter.com/3oqyye2B97

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 9, 2025

Kasparas Jakucionis: A

Jakucionis did more with less against Minnesota – less dribbling, less isolation, less pressing – and the results were wondrous: 24 points, four assists, four rebounds and only one turnover. He was a hand-in-glove fit in the offense while playing more off the ball, and it had the effect of making his sleight of hand even more potent when he did have to pull a rabbit out of his hat.

Tomislav Ivisic: A-

When Ivisic is healthy and the Illini make him their focal point, they are truly their best selves. He is the team's lone reliable low-post scorer – an excellent one, at that – but also stretches defenses with his shooting range and is a game-changing passer. His 18 points (on 8-for-9 shooting!) and 11 rebounds against the Gophers paired quite nicely with his brilliant rim protection: Minnesota shot 41.3 percent on twos and had just 26 points in the paint.

Ben Humrichous: A-

Humrichous had a relatively quiet nine points Saturday, yet he likely graded out higher than in any other game this season – by our standards or any others. He hit 2 of 4 three-pointers, offered a throwback glimpse of Booty Ball (backing down a defender for a turnaround in the paint), chipped in six rebounds and four assists, and turned in perhaps his best defensive performance of the season.

Jake Davis: A-

Any time Davis can pop into a game for a shift or two, knock down his threes, clean up a stray rebound with a putback and hold his own on defense, he's acing his role. On Saturday, he did exactly that (3-for-3 shooting, one three, two rebounds and a block for a plus-14 plus-minus score in 15 minutes of floor time).

Kylan Boswell: B+

The statistics don't show the importance of what Boswell did – and especially what he didn't do – against the Gophers. His four points and three assists in 28 minutes weren't much to write home about, but he had only three shot attempts and zero turnovers on a day when others had their best stuff. Even when a team's need for it is obvious, it takes a cool head and a mature self-regard for a player of Boswell's caliber to morph into the role of glue guy.

Morez Johnson Jr.: C+

Johnson's rugged play, unselfishness, communication and growth as a freshman have been something to behold, so it's a shame he wasn't able to get in on an ensemble Illini act in Minneapolis. Foul trouble and then several other hot hands among teammates limited him to four points and three rebounds in 14 minutes. No worries – there'll be other days.

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