5 Things to Know About Purdue's Next Opponent — Illinois Fighting Illini
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After going 1-1 on the West Coast, No. 4 Purdue returns to its home court for a major Big Ten battle, hosting No. 11 Illinois. The Fighting Illini are one of the top challengers to the conference title and bring an eight-game winning streak into West Lafayette on Saturday.
Brad Underwood's team is one that is loaded with talent, length and great offensive ability. Illinois has lost a few games already, but it's one of the most complete teams in the country.
What else is there to know about the Fighting Illini heading into Saturday's showdown against the Boilermakers?
A do-it-all freshman
Keaton Wagler has undoubtedly been the Big Ten Freshman of the Year to this point in the season. The 6-foot-6 guard leads Illinois in both scoring and passing, but has also proven himself as a quality rebounder. Through the first 19 games, Wagler is avearging 15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He's shooting nearly 40% from three-point range.
What makes Wagler so dangerous is his ability to take players off the dribble paired with knocking down catch-and-shoot threes. He likes to get into the paint and often uses his footwork to create space and separation from the defender. But when those opportunities aren't there, he can also bury shots from the perimeter.
Then, once you focus in on his scoring ability, he gets his teammates involved and thins out opposing defenses. He's been fantastic in his freshman season in Champaign.
Highest offensive efficiency rating in KenPom
For most of the season, Purdue held this title, but that changed after the Boilermakers dropped Tuesday's game to UCLA. The Fighting Illini have a 129.5 offensive efficiency rating in KenPom, while Purdue is No. 2 with a 129.1 rating. In other words, get ready for a lot of offense on Saturday.
Illinois has gotten to the top of KenPom for a variety of reasons. It has five players who are currently averaging more than 10 points per game this season, led by Wagler at 15.9 points per game. Andrej Stojakovic is scoring 14.4 points, Kylan Boswell is at 14.3 points, David Mirkovic is averaging 12.2 points, and Tomislav Ivisic rounds it out at 10.4 points per game. All five are shooting at least 45% from the floor.
Additionally, Illinois is attempting the third-most three-pointers in the Big Ten, behind only Wisconsin and Nebraska. The Illini are shooting 30.3 triples per game and are hitting at a 35.2% clip.
Will beat you up on the glass
Illinois is second in the Big Ten in both rebounds per game and rebound differential this year. The Fighting Illini are averaging 42.1 rebounds per game and have a plus-11 in rebound differential. That's second in the conference, only to Michigan.
This isn't just a two-man operation, either. Everyone wearing the orange-and-blue uniform can crash the glass. Seven different players are averaging 3.7 rebounds per game, led by Mirkovic at 8.4 boards per game.
Not only does Illinois love fighting on the glass, but it's also a team with excellent length and size, making it difficult for other teams to match. Except Boswell, everyone playing significant minutes for the Fighting Illini is 6-foot-6 or taller and includes a pair of 7-footers in Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic.
Boswell will be out
Boswell has been Illinois' second-leading scorer and passer this season, averaging 14.3 points and 3.4 assists per game. However, he suffered a fractured hand in practice earlier this week and will be out until mid-February.
Illinois still had a 19-point win over Maryland without Boswell on Wednesday, but it's still a significant loss for the Fighting Illini, especially when it comes to depth.
Boswell gave Purdue plenty of problems in last year's lone meeting in Champaign, scoring 15 points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out five assists in an 88-80 win for the Illini.
4-0 in true road games
Underwood's squad has only played four true road games this season, but to make it this deep into the season with a loss away from home is an impressive feat. The Fighting Illini have road wins over Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa and Northwestern so far this year.
Additionally, Illinois is carrying an eight-game winning streak into Saturday's matchup. The last time this team suffered a loss came on Dec. 13, falling to Nebraska 83-80 in Champaign.
Illinois has struggled at Mackey Arena in recent years, though, having lost three straight in West Lafayette. Its last win on Keady Court came on Jan. 21, 2020.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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