No. 3 Illinois absolutely torched Penn Thursday night, dropping a ridiculous 112-70 victory. What makes this win insane is they did it while two of their returning starters, including an AP preseason All-American, were sidelined indefinitely. It was an offensive clinic, plain and simple, and it has to make you wonder what this team is capable of when everyone is healthy.
Illini Offense Goes Nuclear, Again
Let’s just talk about the score for a second: 112 points! Andrej Stojakovic led the charge, pouring in 25 points, with a huge 21 of those coming in the first half alone. Quentin Coleman wasn’t far behind, adding 19 points, with 15 of his own coming after halftime. But this wasn’t just a two-man show. Zavier Zens chipped in 18 points, Ethan Brown got a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Lincoln Williams, in his collegiate debut no less, dropped 12 points and snatched nine boards. Stefan Vaaks rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11. The team shot a blistering 59% from the field, hitting 43 of 73 shots, and absolutely dominated the glass, outrebounding Penn 62-33. They took a commanding 53-30 lead into halftime and then just blew the doors off the place with a 30-8 run over the final 10:22 to seal the deal. This isn’t a one-off either, they also hit triple figures in their opener, beating Fairleigh Dickinson 120-45. This offense is for real.
Injuries? What Injuries?
Here’s the kicker: they’re doing all of this without two massive pieces! David Mirkovic, an AP preseason All-American, is out indefinitely recovering from foot surgery in August and an appendectomy last Saturday. Jake Davis, another returning starter, suffered a separated shoulder early in that Fairleigh Dickinson game and had surgery just Wednesday. Both are out indefinitely. You’ve got to be kidding me. This is a team that went to the Final Four last season, beating Penn 105-70 in the NCAA Tournament first round with Mirkovic scoring 29 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in that game! To be putting up these numbers without that kind of talent on the floor speaks volumes about the depth and resilience of this squad. Michael Zanoni had 16 points for Penn and Lucas Lueth added 14 points and three blocked shots, but it wasn’t enough. Penn, who is the Ivy League preseason favorite with four returning starters and seven of their top nine scorers back from a team that won their league tournament last year, certainly isn’t a pushover. This makes Illinois’ performance even more impressive.
So, what’s next for these Illini? They are heading straight into a huge road test on Tuesday, facing off against No. 19 Texas Tech. That’s going to be a real early season barometer for this team. Penn will look to rebound, hosting Howard on Monday. Can Illinois keep this offensive explosion going against ranked competition, even with key players out? You better believe the rest of college basketball will be watching!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply