Why Illinois Desperately Needs Andrej Stojakovic, Kylan Boswell Back for Indiana

Senior guard Kylan Boswell, who has been out since mid-January because of a fractured hand, is the second-leading scorer for Illinois – yet his club hasn’t missed a beat on that side of the floor during his absence.

On defense, though, it has been an entirely different story. At times, the Boswell-less Illini have actually been more effective without him. Take Northwestern, for example: The Wildcats' offense leans heavily on interior-oriented forward Nick Martinelli, who thrives on flip shots in and around the paint.

Facing the Illini, who, other than Boswell, don’t have a single player in their rotation who stands shorter than 6-foot-6, Martinelli and Northwestern had zero answers against Illinois. In the end, Martinelli managed just four points and his squad totaled 44 over the entire game. The Illini's size and length shut down all driving lanes, forcing the Wildcats to launch 25 threes – of which they made just four.

More often, though, Boswell's absence has created a glaring weak link in the Illini defense. Aside from freshman Brandon Lee (who, inexplicably, has hardly seen the floor since Boswell's injury), there isn’t a player on Illinois’ roster who can match Boswell’s quickness, strength and defensive anticipation.

Illinois' perimeter defense has been a nightmare without Kylan Boswell

So when the Illini faced a superbly gifted guard in Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., they were the ones left with no answers. Wing Andrej Stojakovic, who is the Illini’s next-best perimeter defender, battled, but he didn’t have the lateral ability to keep up with Fears. The Spartans’ lead guard controlled the game in East Lansing, going for 26 points and 15 assists en route to an overtime win for Michigan State.

Then, with Stojakovic (ankle) joining Boswell on the sideline in Illinois’ next game, things went from bad to worse. The Illini weren’t just down their top two perimeter defenders – they were also facing one of the best one-two guard punches in the Big Ten in Wisconsin’s John Blackwell and Nick Boyd. The result? Yet another loss.

Why the Illini must get Andrej Stojakovic or Kylan Boswell back for Indiana

Next up: Indiana in Champaign. And that means zero let-up for Illinois in terms of the quality of opposing guards it will face. In fact, the Hoosiers' Lamar Wilkerson just so happens to be leading the Big Ten in scoring during league play (24.4 points per game).

Although Wilkerson prefers to do his work from outside (3.6 threes per game), he’s hardly a one-trick pony. An athletic 6-foot-6 guard, Wilkerson is an extremely tough cover. He has the trademark traits of a gifted spot-up shooter – in constant movement off the ball and featuring an ultra-quick release – but Wilkerson can also knock down long-range shots off the bounce, get to his midrange pull-up with little trouble and finish at the rack.

The kind of offensive player who needs just one bucket to catch fire, Wilkerson must be blanketed by a defender at all times. And there isn’t anyone in Illinois’ current rotation who can effectively hold Wilkerson in check – other than Stojakovic or Boswell.

With Stojakovic’s size, he would likely be the best option, but Boswell’s ability at the point of attack could make it extremely tough for Wilkerson to get downhill. Either way, it has to be one or the other (especially since Underwood refuses to turn to Lee). Ideally, if both return healthy, the Illini can rotate Boswell and Stojakovic to keep them fresh and throw different looks at Wilkerson.

Long story short: If Stojakovic and Boswell can’t go against Indiana (Underwood has declared both to be game-time decisions for Saturday), then Wilkerson is on heater watch and the Illini will be in an extremely vulnerable position.