The Illini made it look a little harder than it appeared in their season opener – and still dominated
After a season-opening win in which seemingly everything went their way, Illinois on Friday found the offense to come a little bit slower, the actions to be a little less smooth in Friday's matchup with Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
But no one asks for their money back if Keith Richards misses a note when the Stone play "It's Only Rock and Roll," and if Illinois missed a beat, it was hardly worth a mention. Again the Illini controlled the offensive tempo in this game, moving the ball deftly, prioritizing good looks and getting shots up quickly, as – again – five Illinois players scored in double figures, led by center Tomislav Ivisic's 18.
In particular, freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis hooped softly but carried a big stick. Despite taking just three shots from the field, he cut up the Cougars defense, often grabbing boards to create instant transition, and exploring nooks and crannies with pocket passes and no-looks to award teammates with eas buckets. He finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double while tying the all-time freshman single-game high in assists at Illinois.
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