Instant Observations From Illinois Basketball's Blowout Exhibition Win Over UIC

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – At first glance, Illinois’ 101-66 slaughtering of UIC at the State Farm Center on Wednesday may seem as though it won’t tell us much about the upcoming campaign – a sentiment we actually agree with in some ways – but there were a few valuable takeaways.

Here is what jumped out at us:

Key takeaways from Illinois basketball's exhibition win vs. UIC

Jan 17, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood before the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Illini offense passed the test vs. a unique scheme it will see again

The Flames deploy a defensive system that Illinois may see only once this year – but it’ll be a biggie. Nebraska, which knocked off the Illini in Champaign last year, plays a very similar scheme.

It’s fairly simple: funnel everything to the baseline and then trap in the short corner. UIC has the ideal length and athletes to be effective in that scheme and force this young – at least on Wednesday – Illinois team into poor decisions.

Twenty-eight assists (on 37 made field goals) tells the story, as does 54.4 percent from the field. The ball moved like a hot potato, players relocated exceptionally well and Illinois picked apart a UIC defense that KenPom expects to be the best in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Zavier puts up the 13th three of the night!

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— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 29, 2026

Illinois’ defensive dominance wasn’t that telling

Nov 14, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Jason Jakstys (31) and Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) pressure Colgate Raiders guard Ben Tweedy (6) as he drives the ball during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After giving up 95-plus points in its first two exhibition outings, the Illini defense finally clicked on Wednesday, to the tune of yielding just 66 points and 39.7 percent shooting from the field.

Pressure off the inbound gets the turnover!

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— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 29, 2026

But there is a caveat: With the design of UIC’s offense, it was bound to struggle against Illinois. It has nothing to do with the Flames being a mid-major squad. Their scheme is predicated on hunting mismatches and playing out of them. It’s a fairly stagnant system that needs to create an initial advantage to kick-start movement.

The only issue: There were very few mismatches on Wednesday night on that end of the floor. As a result, the Illini were never in rotation and never forced to communicate – which have been key weaknesses.

Interrupter.

Vaaks breaks up UIC's pass and gets the bucket on the other side.

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— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 29, 2026

So although it sounds like a glass-half-empty outlook, the reality is that we just didn’t learn much about Illinois’ defense vs. UIC. The Illini are big, they have length and great athletes. That isn’t new. Can they communicate and move as a unit? We’ll find out soon enough. (Illinois did seem to communicate fairly well when it tested out the zone.)

The off-ball movement was a work of art

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Jake Davis (15) shoots against Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kael Combs (11) in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season, it felt as though the vast majority of Illini not involved in ball-screen action were stuck in cement – almost by design. Players occupied specific spaces on the floor at all times. And, obviously, it worked.

But Keaton Wagler is gone, and Illinois has altered its offensive attack. Wednesday we saw firsthand the beauty of consistent off-ball movement and relocation. UIC defends really hard. And as crazy as it sounds, the Flames defended well in Champaign.

They could hold up for only so long on each possession, though. Split-second decisions from Illinois players on every catch forced UIC defenders to constantly be in rotation and movement. The Flames' defense rarely got set. And if it did, it didn’t stay set.

Drive it in and kick it out.

Stef finds Lucas behind the arc!

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— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 29, 2026

The Illini freshmen were the most impressive, moving tirelessly off the ball, relocating constantly and finding open space. Then they stepped into excellent looks and cashed out. The result – which was admittedly affected by how the game played out – was one of Illinois’ most balanced offensive performances in memory.

That was an 'Illinois night' on the glass

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) reaches for the ball against the UConn Huskies during the second half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Illini left nothing to be desired on the boards (for once, in exhibition play). They had been anything but solid on the glass – at least on the defensive end – through a pair of exhibition outings. It was their downfall against Baylor, and it made the Cincinnati bout closer than necessary.

Not on Wednesday, though. UIC is much smaller than Illinois, but don’t get it wrong: The Flames are superb on the offensive boards. They were No. 22 in the country in offensive rebounding rate a season ago at 36.3 percent.

But they didn’t even sniff that number in Champaign, snagging 10 offensive rebounds on 41 misses. And on the other end, the Illini were their usual selves with 12 offensive rebounds (on 31 missed shots).

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