EVANSTON, Ill. — Illinois shot just 3 of 15 from 3-point range in the first half. The team completed eight of its next 15 attempts, defeating Northwestern 79-68 to win its first game in Evanston since January 29, 2022.
The program coached by Brad Underwood has a relatively clean resume, a rare blemish that has now been cleared in 2026.
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Last season, Nick Martinelli was the engine behind Northwestern’s comeback overtime victory over Illinois, which had extremely high expectations. This season, Illinois prevented Northwestern’s golden boy and his team from pulling off another heartbreaking comeback.
“I do know we went through two overtime losses here; no one respects Chris Collins more than I do. I mean, Northwestern has a very good basketball coach, a very good environment,” Underwood said after the game. “You don’t win without some wins and some grit, and that’s what you know you’re going to get when you play this team.”
It took more than half of Wednesday’s basketball game to really get into the swing of things with two Big Ten programs going crazy, with regional competition heating up.
Dominoes? Two nasty passes: one on each end of the field early in the second half.
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When Kylan Boswell sprinted downhill after an offensive rebound, it was too late by the time he burst into the paint; Boswell’s trick had already succeeded. Suddenly, freshman Keaton Wagler fired up the Illinois bench with a 3-pointer from downtown.
On the next possession, Martinelli had the ball inside the three-point line and Boswell gave Martinelli an aggressive but legal push to challenge the big man. Martnelli took a push from Boswell and passed a nasty hook from Boswell to Northwestern’s Jayden Reed for a 3-pointer of their own.
Make way for fireworks.
Suddenly, an otherwise boring conference game between Illinois and Northwestern fans found itself filled with energy. The two programs attacked each other fiercely until the end of the game.
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Wagler’s Difference…Again
After finishing the first half with 11 points, Martinelli scored five of Northwestern’s first seven points of the second half. For a moment, the spirit of the past hinted at another riveting victory for Northwestern against Illinois in Evanston.
Martinelli got a lot of help from Reid. He shot 37.5 percent from the field on the night, and on this cold January night, Reed shot 42.3 percent from the field and scored a season-high 28 points against Illinois.
But it’s only a matter of time.
It just feels like it’s inevitable.
It was a foregone conclusion that Wagler would take over the game.
It was he who once again helped Illinois snap a three-game losing streak at Welsh Ryan Arena with a thrilling win over Northwestern.
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Wagler finished with 22 points and five rebounds in 33 minutes after battling back spasms during warmups.
“I tried not to think about it. In warmups, it bothered me, but once I got there, I didn’t feel anything,” Wagler said after the game. “I think it just comes from the trust from the coaches and my teammates, and the performance during that period allowed me to keep the ball in those positions.”
Nine of his 22 points came from three-point range.
At some point, Wagler’s three-point shooting ability rubbed off on the rest of the team. Tomislav Ivicic, in particular, ended the night with two three-pointers. Ivicic played 26 minutes and scored 21 points and 7 rebounds.
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It’s an impressive performance considering the slow start and his continued adjustment to his new role.
“That’s what he does, that’s why he’s on the draft board,” Underwood said. “Nobody doubted Tommy, but the way this team and the other team covered us, they gave us a chance. Whether it was Tommy or Z (Wonemire), this was his night.”
How Illinois stays ahead of the curve
Simply put, Illinois’ ability to win on the offensive board became key to staying ahead in the second half. That’s the difference. Illinois won the offensive rebound battle 10-6 in the first half and scored 15 second-chance points.
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“I thought they won the first 13-14 minutes of the game,” Underwood said. “Really, the offensive rebounds were what kept us in the game.”
By far the biggest key to stopping Northwestern has been Boswell’s willingness to stop playmakers on the other side of the floor. Sometimes it’s Martinelli, sometimes it’s Reed.
Boswell defended both men in key moments. But his influence was mainly felt on the lethal Martinelli.
“[Martinelli] “In my opinion, he had a quiet 20, he was very efficient, it was hard to shut him down. All caps: Problem Solver,” Underwood said. [Boswell] Solve the problem. “
“It’s great to have a guy that’s so versatile. I tip my hat to him because he plays at a really high level and he’s great on both sides of the ball.”
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Illinois returns to Champaign to face Minnesota at 11 a.m. Saturday.
