Instant Observations From Illinois Basketball’s Blowout Exhibition Win Over UIC

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – At first glance, Illinois’ 101-66 slaughtering of UIC at the State Farm Center on Wednesday may seem as though it won’t tell us much about the upcoming campaign – a sentiment we actually agree with in some ways – but there were a few valuable takeaways.

Here is what jumped out at us:

Key takeaways from Illinois basketball’s exhibition win vs. UIC

Jan 17, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood before the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Illini offense passed the test vs. a unique scheme it will see again

The Flames deploy a defensive system that Illinois may see only once this year – but it’ll be a biggie. Nebraska, which knocked off the Illini in Champaign last year, plays a very similar scheme.

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It’s fairly simple: funnel everything to the baseline and then trap in the short corner. UIC has the ideal length and athletes to be effective in that scheme and force this young – at least on Wednesday – Illinois team into poor decisions.

Twenty-eight assists (on 37 made field goals) tells the story, as does 54.4 percent from the field. The ball moved like a hot potato, players relocated exceptionally well and Illinois picked apart a UIC defense that KenPom expects to be the best in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Illinois’ defensive dominance wasn’t that telling

Nov 14, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Jason Jakstys (31) and Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) pressure Colgate Raiders guard Ben Tweedy (6) as he drives the ball during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After giving up 95-plus points in its first two exhibition outings, the Illini defense finally clicked on Wednesday, to the tune of yielding just 66 points and 39.7 percent shooting from the field.

But there is a…

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Publish date : 2026-10-29 02:28:00

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