Illinois Basketball Claims Largest Margin of Victory Over a Top 10 Team in History

The Illinois basketball team traveled out west for their first taste of Big Ten action on the West Coast. They passed with flying colors, beating the Oregon Ducks 109-77, which is the largest road margin over a top-10 team in college basketball history. This was the first game the Illini came out firing on all cylinders since their big win on Thanksgiving Day over Arkansas.

Illinois Basketball Bench Shines in First Half

Can always count on Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn for incredible energy #illini pic.twitter.com/ou6xM2a2BL

— 🆃ⓐ🅹🅷 ♕ (@Recru1t1ng_Guru) January 3, 2025

What makes this the best win of the Illini season is how they got there. Kasparas Jakucionis got into foul trouble in the first half, meaning someone else needed to step up. Well, it wasn’t just one guy; it was two: Jake Davis and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. Those two combined to go 10-12 from the floor for a total of 23 points in the first half. Jake Davis was the leading scorer at the half.

It was the best stretch of basketball from both DGL and Davis that we’ve seen in an Illini uniform. They both did it in a multitude of ways as well. DGL was able to knock down one three-pointer, but it was his ability to get to the rim that shined against Oregon when he put one of their defenders in the spin cycle. Meanwhile, Jake Davis was able to knock down two three-pointers, but he was also doing the dirty work, cleaning up the offensive boards for easy baskets. That performance from both players was the epitome of how you earn more minutes in a Brad Underwood rotation.

Illinois Basketball Depth is Dangerous

Spreading the love.

Tre White – 20 PTS, 11 REB, 4 AST
Ben Humrichous – 18 PTS
KJ Jakucionis – 16 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST
Kylan Boswell – 15 PTS, 4 AST
Jake Davis – 12 PTS
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn – 11 PTS pic.twitter.com/2WESss1wY3

— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 3, 2025

After struggling with foul trouble in the first half, Kasparas Jakucionis took over the game in the second half. He scored all 16 of his points in the second half and had six rebounds and six assists. However, I don’t believe he is the story of this game. It was the bench effort we talked about in the first half and the depth of this team.

I mean that Tre White and Ben Humrichous were great in the win. Tre White continues to impress because he does everything that Brad Underwood asks. He’s playing hard defensively, attacking the rim on offense, getting to the free-throw line, and rebounding the heck out of the basketball. He finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Another guy who flew under the radar tonight was Kylan Boswell. He was also a big part of steadying the ship. KJ had to sit at one point in the second half after picking up his third foul. Oregon went on a small run, but Boswell hit a few massive threes to slow the run down before the Illini ran Oregon out of the gym.

Ben Humrichous Breakout Game

I’m a simple man. I see Ben Humrichous, I like the post https://t.co/TMBIVAwf2R

— UE Barstool (@UEBarstool) January 3, 2025

As for Ben Humrichous, he has had an up-and-down season with the Illini. It has been more bad than good for the most part, and I, for one, have been critical of him. But he was awesome against Oregon. He finished with 18 points and went 4-7 from behind the arc. What I loved to see from Ben was that he wasn’t just floating around the three-point line. He was able to get to his spots a few times near the rim and get a couple of easier twos to help get him going.

I know Brad Underwood preaches three-point attempts and easy buckets, which has led to one of the best offenses in the country. Hard to quibble with that. However, I do feel that when guys are struggling to shoot the basketball, it’s easier for them to get into a rhythm after knocking down a few easier twos.

Someone like Will Riley comes to mind when I think about that. We know Riley is a bucket when he gets going. The issue for him as of late is that he can’t get into a rhythm because he’s just five for his last 31 from behind the arc. Riley needs to find a way to get his confidence back by getting a few easier baskets, and I believe he can do that from the mid-range.

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