Latest news with #Ivisic
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Illinois plays through a demanding stretch with a virus hindering multiple players
MADISON, Wis. — Illinois wasn't showing any hard feelings toward its opponent when it declined to participate in a postgame handshake. As several players deal with a virus, the Fighting Illini just wanted to make sure they didn't spread germs while congratulating Wisconsin after losing 95-74 to the 11th-ranked Badgers. 'They don't need this,' Illinois coach Brad Underwood said after the game. 'In 38 years (as a head coach and assistant), I've never seen anything like what's gone through our team.' Illinois (17-10, 9-8) remains in good position to earn a fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. The Illini are a projected No. 6 seed, according to Bracket Matrix. 'We're going to survive,' Underwood said. 'We're going to be fine. We're a really good basketball team. We've proved that.' But the Illini are dealing with all sorts of setbacks on and off the court as they face the most demanding part of their schedule. Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. broke his wrist while blocking a shot in a 79-65 loss to No. 14 Michigan State, but most of the Illini's roster issues are due to illness rather than injury. Tomislav Ivisic, the Illini's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, came off the bench for the first time all season as he tried to play while sick. Underwood said Ivisic didn't travel with the team, instead driving to Wisconsin on his own. Ivisic finished with seven points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. He already dealt with mononucleosis and an ankle injury earlier this year, severely limiting his practice time. Underwood said reserve forward Jake Davis wanted to play but got sick after pregame warmups. 'We don't know who we have from day to day,' Underwood said. 'I didn't know who I was starting today.' Illinois' leading scorer was Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who was sick earlier this month. After going scoreless and playing a total of 14 minutes in the three games leading up to this one, Gibbs-Lawhorn had 17 points and five assists against Wisconsin. 'Right now we're going through a stretch that's difficult,' said forward Ben Humrichous, who scored 13 points. 'But we're a good basketball team, and we know it.' The stretch isn't getting any easier. Illinois takes a break from Big Ten competition and heads to New York to face No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden. 'It's David playing Goliath in the next one,' Underwood said. 'We're going to show up and we're going to fight.'
NBC Sports
19-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Illinois plays through a demanding stretch with a virus hindering multiple players
MADISON, Wis. — Illinois wasn't showing any hard feelings toward its opponent when it declined to participate in a postgame handshake. As several players deal with a virus, the Fighting Illini just wanted to make sure they didn't spread germs while congratulating Wisconsin after losing 95-74 to the 11th-ranked Badgers. 'They don't need this,' Illinois coach Brad Underwood said after the game. 'In 38 years (as a head coach and assistant), I've never seen anything like what's gone through our team.' Illinois (17-10, 9-8) remains in good position to earn a fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. The Illini are a projected No. 6 seed, according to Bracket Matrix. 'We're going to survive,' Underwood said. 'We're going to be fine. We're a really good basketball team. We've proved that.' But the Illini are dealing with all sorts of setbacks on and off the court as they face the most demanding part of their schedule. Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. broke his wrist while blocking a shot in a 79-65 loss to No. 14 Michigan State, but most of the Illini's roster issues are due to illness rather than injury. Tomislav Ivisic, the Illini's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, came off the bench for the first time all season as he tried to play while sick. Underwood said Ivisic didn't travel with the team, instead driving to Wisconsin on his own. Ivisic finished with seven points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. He already dealt with mononucleosis and an ankle injury earlier this year, severely limiting his practice time. Underwood said reserve forward Jake Davis wanted to play but got sick after pregame warmups. 'We don't know who we have from day to day,' Underwood said. 'I didn't know who I was starting today.' Illinois' leading scorer was Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who was sick earlier this month. After going scoreless and playing a total of 14 minutes in the three games leading up to this one, Gibbs-Lawhorn had 17 points and five assists against Wisconsin. 'Right now we're going through a stretch that's difficult,' said forward Ben Humrichous, who scored 13 points. 'But we're a good basketball team, and we know it.' The stretch isn't getting any easier. Illinois takes a break from Big Ten competition and heads to New York to face No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden. 'It's David playing Goliath in the next one,' Underwood said. 'We're going to show up and we're going to fight.'
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Illinois plays through a demanding stretch with a virus hindering multiple players
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Illinois wasn't showing any hard feelings toward its opponent when it declined to participate in a postgame handshake. As several players deal with a virus, the Fighting Illini just wanted to make sure they didn't spread germs while congratulating Wisconsin after losing 95-74 to the 11th-ranked Badgers on Tuesday night. 'They don't need this,' Illinois coach Brad Underwood said after the game. 'In 38 years (as a head coach and assistant), I've never seen anything like what's gone through our team.' Illinois (17-10, 9-8) remains in good position to earn a fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. The Illini entered Tuesday as a projected No. 6 seed, according to Bracket Matrix. 'We're going to survive,' Underwood said. 'We're going to be fine. We're a really good basketball team. We've proved that.' But the Illini are dealing with all sorts of setbacks on and off the court as they face the most demanding part of their schedule. Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. broke his wrist while blocking a shot in a 79-65 loss to No. 14 Michigan State on Saturday, but most of the Illini's roster issues are due to illness rather than injury. Tomislav Ivisic, the Illini's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, came off the bench for the first time all season Tuesday as he tried to play while sick. Underwood said Ivisic didn't travel with the team, instead driving to Wisconsin on his own. Ivisic finished with seven points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. He already dealt with mononucleosis and an ankle injury earlier this year, severely limiting his practice time. Underwood said reserve forward Jake Davis wanted to play but got sick after pregame warmups. 'We don't know who we have from day to day,' Underwood said. 'I didn't know who I was starting today.' Illinois' leading scorer Tuesday was Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who was sick earlier this month. After going scoreless and playing a total of 14 minutes in the three games leading up to this one, Gibbs-Lawhorn had 17 points and five assists against Wisconsin. 'Right now we're going through a stretch that's difficult,' Gibbs-Lawhorn said. 'But we're a good basketball team, and we know it.' The stretch isn't getting any easier. Illinois takes a break from Big Ten competition and heads to New York to face No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. 'It's David playing Goliath in the next one,' Underwood said. 'We're going to show up and we're going to fight.' ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP collegebasketball: and Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
Associated Press
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Illinois plays through a demanding stretch with a virus hindering multiple players
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Illinois wasn't showing any hard feelings toward its opponent when it declined to participate in a postgame handshake. As several players deal with a virus, the Fighting Illini just wanted to make sure they didn't spread germs while congratulating Wisconsin after losing 95-74 to the 11th-ranked Badgers on Tuesday night. 'They don't need this,' Illinois coach Brad Underwood said after the game. 'In 38 years (as a head coach and assistant), I've never seen anything like what's gone through our team.' Illinois (17-10, 9-8) remains in good position to earn a fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. The Illini entered Tuesday as a projected No. 6 seed, according to Bracket Matrix. 'We're going to survive,' Underwood said. 'We're going to be fine. We're a really good basketball team. We've proved that.' But the Illini are dealing with all sorts of setbacks on and off the court as they face the most demanding part of their schedule. Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. broke his wrist while blocking a shot in a 79-65 loss to No. 14 Michigan State on Saturday, but most of the Illini's roster issues are due to illness rather than injury. Tomislav Ivisic, the Illini's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, came off the bench for the first time all season Tuesday as he tried to play while sick. Underwood said Ivisic didn't travel with the team, instead driving to Wisconsin on his own. Ivisic finished with seven points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. He already dealt with mononucleosis and an ankle injury earlier this year, severely limiting his practice time. Underwood said reserve forward Jake Davis wanted to play but got sick after pregame warmups. 'We don't know who we have from day to day,' Underwood said. 'I didn't know who I was starting today.' Illinois' leading scorer Tuesday was Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who was sick earlier this month. After going scoreless and playing a total of 14 minutes in the three games leading up to this one, Gibbs-Lawhorn had 17 points and five assists against Wisconsin. 'Right now we're going through a stretch that's difficult,' Gibbs-Lawhorn said. 'But we're a good basketball team, and we know it.' The stretch isn't getting any easier. Illinois takes a break from Big Ten competition and heads to New York to face No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. 'It's David playing Goliath in the next one,' Underwood said. 'We're going to show up and we're going to fight.'
Reuters
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Illinois snaps UCLA's 7-game winning streak
February 12 - Freshman point guard Kasparas Jakucionis scored 24 points and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds as Illinois snapped UCLA's seven-game winning streak with an 83-78 Big Ten victory Tuesday night in Champaign, Ill. Jakucionis, one of 20 players named Tuesday to the John Wooden Award late midseason watch list, scored 17 in the second half as the Illini (17-8, 9-6) never trailed, but saw their 16-point lead with five minutes left dwindle to two with 0:28 to play. Tomislav Ivisic added 16 points while Kylan Boswell scored all 11 of his points in the second half, which included two clinching free throws with 4.2 seconds left. Illinois, which leads the nation with its +11.3 rebounding margin, outrebounded UCLA 36-23. Tyler Bilodeau canned seven 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 25 points for UCLA (18-7, 9-5. Kobe Johnson posted 14 points despite foul trouble and Sebastian Mack added 11 off the bench. Illinois broke out to a 26-13 lead that forced UCLA to burn two timeouts to figure things out. Bilodeau swished two 3-pointers to fuel a 12-3 run over the final 5:20 of the first half that pulled the Bruins within 31-25 at the break. Every time Illinois tried to pull away in the second half, UCLA would jump right back into the game. Six minutes into the second half, UCLA pulled within 45-40 on Mack's circus-shot layup over the 7-foot-2 Ivisic while getting knocked to the floor. Mack missed the subsequent free throw, then was called for fouling Ivisic on what UCLA believed to be a clean steal. Illinois answered with Morez Johnson Jr.'s putback dunk after he discarded slender Aday Mara in the paint. Then UCLA coach Mick Cronin, irked over the Mack call and Mara non-call, was whistled for a technical as the teams headed upcourt. Boswell cashed the technical free throws to boost Illinois' lead to 49-40. After Bilodeau canned his fifth 3-pointer to bring UCLA within 58-51, Ivisic answered with back-to-back 3-pointers and Jakucionis slashed for a layup to push Illinois' lead to 66-51 with 7:34 to go. Illinois seized a 76-60 advantage on Ben Humrichous' 3-pointer with 4:51 to go, but UCLA reeled off 13 straight points. Johnson hit two 3-pointers during the run and William Kyle III's dunk with 1:08 left got the Bruins within 76-73. Jakucionis stopped the run with a stepback 20-footer, but ex-Illini Skyy Clark, who was heckled much of the night, answered with a 3-pointer to get UCLA within two points for the first time since the opening three minutes. Illinois cracked UCLA's full-court pressure to get Ivisic an uncontested dunk, then the Illini went 3-for-4 at the free-throw line to clinch the win.
