Illinois' Jumbo Lineup Can Be a Matchup Nightmare for Opponents

Illinois' season could have taken a turn for the worse when senior starting point guard Kylan Boswell broke his right hand in a Jan. 19 practice.

Instead, the Illini have rattled off four straight wins by an average of 10.8 points, including road wins over No. 4 Purdue and No. 5 Nebraska. That led to a No. 5 ranking in Monday's AP poll, Illinois' highest in five seasons.

The Illini have been able to overcome Boswell's absence for several reasons. Perhaps the biggest boost has come from freshman guard Keaton Wagler, who is averaging 27.3 points on 48.5 percent 3-point shooting since Boswell's injury.

But during Sunday's 78-69 win at Nebraska, a player combination seldom used when Boswell is healthy helped Illinois pick up a crucial win in the Big Ten title race. Trailing 9-4 with 15:41 left in the first half, coach Brad Underwood went to a massive lineup, one that could be a matchup nightmare on both ends of the floor.

It featured the 6-foot-6 Wagler alongside 6-foot-9 Ben Humrichous, 6-foot-9 David Mirkovic, 7-foot-1 Tomislav Ivisic and 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivisic.

That lineup went on a quick 4-0 run, in large part due to their overwhelming size. Zvonimir snatched an offensive rebound and laid it back in against a smaller Nebraska defense, and Tomislav got an easy layup on the next possession.

Though Illinois trailed by six, Underwood said the Ivisic brothers were huge in the first half as they led the team with 17 combined points. Playing them together makes for a difficult matchup in its own right, given their height around the rim and ability to knock down three-pointers. Add the outside shooting and playmaking of Wagler, Mirkovic and Humrichous, and Illinois become near-impossible to defend.

With 10:48 left to play and a two-point lead, the Illini went to another big lineup – this time with 6-foot-6 Jake Davis in place of Humrichous. And by the 8:06 mark, they led by six.

Highlights of our 78-69 Big Ten road win at No. 5 Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. We notch back-to-back road game victories over top-5 opponents for the first time in program history. pic.twitter.com/7HQhaN4rpq
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 2, 2026

"It gives us some opportunities to really space it, but it also gives us the opportunity to play above people and over the top," Underwood said postgame. "We were really big. I think one time we had David out there and playing the point with maybe Ben at the two, [Mirkovic] and those two. So you throw a bunch of 6-foot-9 and 7-foot-2 guys out there, it gives us a chance to do that. Mirk gives us that luxury because of his ball-handling and his passing. ... And then defensively, we protected the rim pretty good with both those guys in there."

Underwood also used that lineup to throw an intimidating zone defense at Nebraska with four players standing 6-foot-9 or taller. That's in part because Illinois is trying not to give up as many high-percentage two-point attempts, and they're more willing to give up low-percentage three-point looks.

Illinois forward Zvonimir Ivisic — Jan 29, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) blocks the way of Washington Huskies guard Zoom Diallo (5) and he drives to the basket during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

That proved to be the difference in Sunday's matchup. Nebraska made 25 total field goals, 15 of which came from three-point range. While the Cornhuskers finished 42.9 percent from three-point range, they were just 10-for-29, or 34.4 percent on two-point attempts. In the first matchup, an 83-80 Nebraska victory, the Cornhuskers shot a similar 12-for-26 from three-point range, but they were much more efficient inside, going 20-for-36.

"We're gonna give up some threes, but we're gonna count on not giving up twos and not giving up the 100 percent shots as much, and we did that in the first game," Underwood said.

Although Boswell is a stingy on-ball defender, at 6-foot-2 he doesn't maximize Illinois' height advantage like it did Sunday. So as long as he remains out, the jumbo lineup will likely be played more often Underwood.

"I think it's something we've been trying to do a lot, just because David gives us those matchups," Underwood said. "But the challenge becomes then, defensively – that's where we have a challenge with Kylan out. But, yeah, it's something that we're going to continue to look at, and we'll be able to do that moving forward."