Illini guard Kylan Boswell “progressing nicely” after surgery on shooting hand

Kylan Boswell suffered a fractured right hand on Monday, January 18th, in a practice prior to a home showdown vs Maryland. At that time, Brad Underwood discussed that Boswell is to hopefully come back in approximately a month. On January 22nd, Kylan Boswell underwent surgery on his fractured right hand and was seen on January 29th doing left-handed ball drills. Per coach Underwood, Boswell is “Progressing nicely. Surgery went great, and he’s been pain-free. He also shared, “Conditioning has been one of the biggest challenges. He’s not in game shape, obviously. There’s a lot of running and a lot of stuff with his off hand to keep the feel.”

With this news, Illinois seems hopeful that Boswell will be back before the end of February.

Illinois has been staying afloat without Kylan Boswell

Thus far, Illinois is 3-0 with wins over Maryland, Purdue, and Nebraska. Though there is no doubt that Kylan Boswell is one of the most important pieces on this team, the Illini have found a way to win and maintain their status as the best offense per KenPom. Certainly, freshman guard Keaton Wagler has been a huge reason why, after scoring 46 points vs Purdue. Illinois has some very tough games ahead vs Nebraska and Michigan State, before heading out west when Boswell may be available. If the Illini can win one of the games between Nebraska and Michigan State without Kylan Boswell, that is truly a success.

#Illini Brad Underwood on Kylan Boswell’s fractured hand and recovery.

“Progressing nicely. Surgery went great and he’s been pain free,” said Underwood.

“Conditioning has been one of the biggest challenges,” he added. “He’s not in game-shape obviously. There’s a lot of running… pic.twitter.com/YKRKnMx2CL

— Carson Gourdie (@GourdieReport) January 31, 2026