Penn State suffered its second Big Ten loss of the season against Indiana on Sunday. On Wednesday, PSU will begin arguably its toughest stretch of games, beginning at No. 13 Illinois.
The Nittany Lions have won their last four meetings with the Illini, including a gutsy win at Rec Hall last season.
PENN STATE’S OUTLOOK
From left to right: Zach Hicks, Ace Baldwin Jr., Puff Johnson, Mike Rhoades, Nick Kern Jr. Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics.
Illinois enters Wednesday on a four-game winning streak, with two wins on the road against then No. 9 Oregon and Washington.
While the next three games will paint a clear picture of the Nittany Lions’ standings in the Big Ten, PSU does have three straight wins against AP top-15 opponents dating back to last year’s win against No. 11 Wisconsin:
- 87-83 win against No. 11 Wisconsin 2023-24
- 90-89 win against No. 12 Illinois 2023-24
- 81-70 win against No. 8 Purdue 2024-25
The most recent of those wins was more lopsided than the final score depicts, as Penn State led Purdue by as much as 27 in the second half.
But, even with those three consecutive wins, Penn State will be on the road for two of the next three games, something it hasn’t done on this current ranked win streak. Wednesday’s game against Illinois is the first of those two road games.
ILLINOIS (11-3, 3-1)
HEAD COACH
Brad Underwood (eighth season, 154-91)
Underwood is entering his eighth season as the Illini’s lead man. He has guided this team to three of the last four Big Ten Championships and all but two NCAA Tournaments during his tenure (there was no tournament in 2019-20). Illinois was an Elite Eight team last year after winning 29 games, the third most in the program’s 118-year history.
KEY PLAYERS/STATS
Kasparas Jakucionis, 6-foot-6, Guard
A projected top-five pick, Jakucionis is the leading scorer for the Illini, averaging 16.4 points per game. He was recently named Big Ten Freshman of the Week and is one of eight players averaging at least 16 points on 49/41/87 shooting splits. During this four-game winning streak, Jakucionis is putting together averages of 17.3 points, 5.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds. He is the sixth-leading scorer in Big Ten play with 19.5 points and fourth in averaged assists with 6.0.
Tomislav Ivisic, 7-foot-1, Center
Ivisic is second on Illinois in scoring, averaging 13.8 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds. The 7-footer is a flexible offensive weapon, shooting 63.8 percent on his 2-pointers and connecting on over 37 percent of his 3s. Over his last four games, Ivisic is averaging 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 43.8 percent on four 3-point attempts per game.
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Kasparas Jakucionis leads the Illini in points (16.4), assists (5.4) and 3-point percentage (41.4). Photo courtesy of University of Illinois Athletics.
Kylan Boswell, 6-foot-2, Guard
Boswell is a junior transfer from Arizona, averaging 11.7 points, 3.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds. Over his last four games, Boswell is averaging 15.8 points, 5.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds while netting 47 percent of his 3s (28.3 percent on the season).
Tre White, 6-foot-7, Guard
White is a junior transfer from Louisville. The 6-foot-7 guard is averaging 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, but those numbers have jumped to 16 points and 7.0 rebounds in four games of conference play. During this Illini winning streak, White has played his best basketball (14.8 points and 6.8 rebounds on 80.8 percent 2-point efficiency) and had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double on the road against Oregon.
Ben Humrichous, 6-foot-9, Forward
Humrichous is a graduate student who last played at Evansville. He is sixth on the team in scoring (8.1 points per game) but plays the fourth most minutes because of his volume 3-point shooting, making 28 of his team-leading 79 3-point attempts (35.4 percent). Over Humrichous’ last four games, he has made nearly 37 percent of his 3s and had an 18-point outing (4-for-7 from deep) against Oregon.
Litmus Test
Illinois holds the eighth-largest scoring margin at 20.4 and is one of six teams averaging at least 87 points per game while holding its opponents to 67 points. Additionally, the Illini are ranked 13th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, the best-rated defense the Nittany Lions will have faced to date.
METRICS
Penn State enters Wednesday’s game ranked 44th in KenPom and 47th in the NCAA’s NET Rankings. Illinois, meanwhile, is 12th in KenPom’s rankings and eighth in NET.
GAME TIME
Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. at the State Farm Center. Penn State’s full schedule is available here.
SPREAD
The Nittany Lions head to Champaign, Illinois as 11-point underdogs, per DraftKings Sportsbook. The Over-Under Total is 164 points, and you can take the Penn State MoneyLine at +440.
TV
The Big Ten Network will air Penn State-Illinois on Wednesday night.
