3 Startling Stats From Illinois Basketball's Win Against Penn

The most important stat from Illinois’ blowout win over Penn on Thursday night was the 42-point differential on the final scoreboard. But how did the Illini balloon their lead to that number? Here are three huge stats from Illinois’ second victory of the 2026-27 campaign:

3 key stats from Illinois basketball's blowout win over Penn

Nov 5, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Pennsylvania forward TJ Power (12) takes a shot as Illinois center Tomislav Ivisic (13) defends during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn’s two-point percentage: 29.4 percent

From beyond the arc, Penn wasn’t atrocious. It shot 10-for-35 (28.6 percent). The efficiency wasn’t great, but the Quakers were able to find some success. Inside the arc, though, wow.

They shot an eye-averting 29.4 percent (15-for-51). 6-foot-9 forward TJ Power went 3-for-12 on two-pointers. Wing Michael Zanoni went 1-for-8 inside the arc. For some perspective, the Illini shot 71.7 percent as a team on two-pointers.

But it wasn’t exactly Penn’s fault. Illinois defended exceptionally well. It forced tough midrange pull-ups – the lowest percentage shot in the game. The Illini, led by Tomislav Ivisic’s three blocks, contested shots at the rim.

The Ivisic twins guarded Penn’s point guard, AJ Levine, and just sat in the paint, protecting the interior. There was nothing at the basket. The only option was those midrange twos, which, to an extent, Penn didn’t totally seem to mind.

But with a high-hand contest on every jumper, the Quakers couldn’t get a clean look. And, on the few occasions they did, they couldn’t convert (perhaps the track-meet style of the game wore them down).

Illinois’ turnovers: 19

The Illini want to go. All gas, no brakes. That’s awesome. And we’ve seen how successful – at least for two games – that style can be. But speed breeds chaos. Sloppiness, despite adequate preparation and disciplined players, becomes the norm.

We saw a whole lot of that on Thursday night, as Illinois committed an entirely unacceptable 19 turnovers. Transfer Stefan Vaaks led the way with five. Five other Illini committed two apiece.

Coach Brad Underwood thought it was on his squad, and that Penn didn’t force Illinois into those mistakes – a sentiment we agree with. Underwood thought it was because the Illini weren’t dialed in.

We’d say it’s the up-tempo style that, inevitably, decreases the value of each possession and increases the chance of those unforced mistakes, as the magnitude of each miscue is lessened. All those turnovers add up, though. And it’s no big deal against Penn. But, if it’s a season-long woe, we’ll see it come back to bite Illinois at some point.

The Illini’s drop in three-point attempts (from last game): 24

Nov 5, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) during the ball during the first half against the Penn Quakers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Maximize strengths, minimize weaknesses, right? Every coach in every sport says that. But attacking an opponent’s weaknesses and minimizing their strengths is just as important – and that’s exactly what Illinois did on Thursday night.

“It’s taking what the defense gave us,” Underwood said of the Illini attempting just 27 triples on Thursday after launching a program-record 51 on Monday.

“Believe it or not, Fairleigh Dickinson does an elite job of taking away twos. Their baseline rotations were very, very good. Penn plays a little bit different defensively, and so there were more opportunities there at the rim.

“And we felt like with our size getting downhill, and it’s a part of the reason I was upset. We have to become better at decision-making when we get two defenders to us. But we didn’t think there was a ton of rim protection there, [and] that we could score with our size there. But different games. We’ll shoot 50 3s if you want us to, and then we’ll take layups when they’re afforded the opportunity to.”

The Illini clearly made the right decision. Shooting 33-for-46 from inside the arc is unbelievable. To match that two-point efficiency (in terms of points-per-attempt), an offense would have to shoot 47.8 percent from deep.

Illinois, despite its elite sharpshooters, isn’t going to do that. At the end of the day – especially with the talent the Illini have – it really is a simple game: take what the defense gives you.

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