Is Illinois Basketball Finally Over Its Turnovers Woes?

The Illini held their turnover total to just five against Iowa – can they keep it up through the remainder of the season?

Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Tre White (22) drives the ball up court during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

A laundry list of reasons have been cited for the struggles of Illinois basketball (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten) over the second half of this season: illness, injuries, inconsistency borne out of both. Youth. Too little practice time together. Unlucky or just-plain-ugly – depending on your feelings about it – three-point shooting.

But one blight on the Illini's season that can't be excused or explained away is also arguably the most fixable: turnovers.

The Illini play with pace and, at their best, move the ball easily and often. But many of their turnovers are a result of what can only be described as carelessness – not playing too fast but simply playing without focus. There is bad driving, and then there is falling asleep at the wheel.

Against Iowa, however, Illinois committed just five turnovers – an exceptionally low single-game figure for any college basketball team, but especially for one that squeezed 64 possessions into 40 minutes of play. Lead guard Kasparas Jakucionis, who averages 3.5 turnovers and has committed seven in three separate games this season, had just one against the Hawkeyes.

After the game, Kylan Boswell, who has been another main culprit for the Illini (2.1 turnovers per game), admitted that cutting down those mistakes – especially the egregiously bad ones – has gotten more attention in the film room lately.

"That's been a big reason [for] our losses, especially these [recent] games, and especially in crunch time," Boswell said. "A big focus when we watch the film is me, KJ – the guys who are bringing it up a lot – not having silly turnovers, closing out these type of games. I think today we did a great job of that."

That the performance came against an Iowa team that is one of the best in Division I at forcing opponents into turnovers (13.6 per game) made it all the more impressive.

Can the Illini sustain it? We've been down this road before, speculating about observations of this team made from a single outing. If the guards stay focused on tightening their handles and passing quickly out of double teams and ball-screen blitzes, Illinois (11.6 turnovers per game) can regularly sink that number into the single digits.

But no one ever won a national championship built on "ifs." The Illini have to make it happen.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

3 Key Numbers From Illinois Basketball's Win Over Iowa

Where Did Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis Land in Latest NBA Mock Draft?

The Secret to Illinois Basketball Guard Kylan Boswell's Defensive Success