EVANSTON, Ill. — Illinois began the night shooting only 3-for-15 from three in the first half. The team went on to make eight of their next 15 attempts, outlasting Northwestern in the process en route to winning its first game in Evanston since Jan. 29th, 2022, 79-68.
A rare blemish on a relatively clean resume for a Brad Underwood-coached program, now wiped clean in 2026.
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Last season, Nick Martinelli became the engine that ignited Northwestern’s wild come-from-behind overtime victory over an Illinois program that held supremely high expectations. This season, Illinois staved off Northwestern’s golden boy and his crew from staging another soul-crushing comeback.
“I do know we’ve had two overtime losses here; no one has more respect for Chris Collins than I do. I mean, Northwestern has a hell of a basketball coach, a hell of an environment,” Underwood said after the game. “You don’t win without having some win and some backbone, and that’s what you know you’re getting when you play this team.”
On Wednesday, it took more than a full half of basketball to truly set off two frenetic Big Ten programs with an elevated regional rivalry.
The domino? Two nasty passes: one on each end of the floor, early in the second half.
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As Kylan Boswell drove downhill after an offensive rebound, but as he launched himself into the paint, it was too late; Boswell’s sleight of hand had already taken its course. Suddenly, freshman sensation Keaton Wagler shot from downtown to light a fire under Illinois’ bench with his three-point shooting.
On the very next possession, Martinelli held the ball inside the arc, Boswell handed Martinelli an aggressive, but legal, push, as to challenge the big man. Martenelli took Boswell’s push and raised him a nasty hook pass to Northwestern’s Jayden Reid for a three of their own.
Clear way for the fireworks.
Suddenly, an otherwise uninteresting conference game that featured a mixed bag of Illinois and Northwestern fans found itself overflowing with juice. Both programs exchanged nasty blows until the waning seconds of the game.
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Wagler the difference… Again
After ending the first half with 11 points, Martinelli scored five of the first seven Northwestern second-half points. For a second, the spirits of the past alluded to perhaps another riveting win for Northwestern against Illinois in Evanston.
Martinelli had significant help from Reid. He came into the night shooting 37.5%, on this frigid January night, Reid shot 42.3% from the field and dropped a season-high 28 points on the Illini.
But it was only a matter of time.
It just felt inevitable.
Wagler taking over a game is becoming a foregone conclusion at this point.
And it was he, again, that propelled Illinois to a riveting win over Northwestern to break a three-game losing streak at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
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After battling back spasms during warmups, Wagler finished the night with 22 points and five rebounds in 33 minutes.
“I tried not to think about it as much. In warm-ups, it was bothering me, but once I got out there, I didn’t feel anything.” Wagler said after the game. “I think it’s just the trust from coaches and teammates, and making plays in that time is what has led me to be on the ball in those positions.”
9 of his 22 points came in three-point fashion.
At some point, Wagler’s three-point shooting ability became infectious to the rest of the team. Especially Tomislav Ivisic, who ended the night with two three-pointers. Ivisic registered 21 points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes.
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An impressive outing considering a slow start and his continued adjustment to a new role.
“That’s what he does, that’s why he’s been on draft boards,” Underwood said. “No one’s ever doubted Tomi, but on this team and the way the other team was covering us, they gave us that shot. Wether its Tomi or Z(vonimir), it was his night.”
How Illinois sustained a lead
In short, Illinois’ ability to win on the offensive board became key to sustaining a lead going into the second half. That was the difference. Illinois won the offensive rebounding 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 rebounding was what kept us in the game.”
By far the biggest key in stopping Northwestern was Boswell’s willingness to stop the playmaker on the other side of the court. At times, it was Martinelli, in other times, it was Reid.
Boswell guarded both during key times. But his impact was felt mostly on the deadly Martinelli.
“[Martinelli] had a quiet 20, in my opinion, he’s so efficient, it’s so hard to hold him down,” Underwood said. “All caps: problem solver. [Boswell] solves problems.”
“It’s just nice to have a guy that versatile. I tip my hat to him because he’s playing at an extremely high level and he’s doing it on both ends.”
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Illinois will return to Champaign to take on Minnesota bright and early at 11 a.m. on Saturday.