How Injury to Illinois' Second-Leading Scorer Kylan Boswell Impacts Purdue
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Illinois head coach Brad Underwood provided an unfortunate update on star guard Kylan Boswell, the team's second leading scorer this season. During a practice on Monday, the senior fractured his right hand and is expected to miss approximately one month before returning to the court.
The 11th-ranked Fighting Illini are scheduled to play Maryland on Wednesday and will head to West Lafayette to play No. 4 Purdue on Saturday. That means Illinois will be without Boswell for its lone matchup against the Boilermakers this season.
“I feel terrible for Kylan,” Underwood said Tuesday, per the Associated Press. “This is his senior year, and he’s having such a phenomenal year, but it’s the next-man-up mentality with our team, and it’s exciting that we’ve been able to develop depth. We’ll see what that looks like as we move forward.”
Underwood said that the expectation is for Boswell to return at some point in mid-February.
Boswell is averaging 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game this season. Not only is he the team's second-leading scorer, but he's also second on the team in the assist category.
Illinois without Boswell vs. Purdue
With Purdue sitting at 7-0 in the Big Ten and Illinois currently at 6-1 in the conference, this weekend's clash between the Boilermakers and Fighting Illini at Mackey Arena is expected to have major implications on the league title race. It's also the only time the two teams are scheduled to play in the regular season.
Boswell's ability to score and facilitate would have given Purdue some trouble on the defensive end, especially as a player who can get to the basket. Last year, in the lone meeting between the two teams, he put together a complete performance in the 88-80 victory for the Illini in Champaign.
Then a junior, Boswell scored 15 points, shooting 4-of-7 from the floor and getting to the free-throw line nine times. He also had five assists and four rebounds.
Boswell also played against Purdue as a sophomore when he was at Arizona during the 2023-24 season. He was not nearly as impactful in that game, scoring six points and dishing out three assists in the Wildcats' 92-84 loss to the Boilermakers in the Indy Classic.
Illinois is still a team with quality depth, but the loss of Boswell is a big blow at a critical time for the Fighting Illini. Being without him for Saturday's game against Purdue makes the challenge even greater to escape Mackey Arena with a victory.
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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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