Kylan Boswell must be more aggressive for Illinois basketball success

Kylan Boswell has had a stellar start to his final season of college basketball. Through six games in the 2025-2026 season, Boswell averages 17.8 points per game on an efficient 47.9 percent from the field and 37.9% from the three-point line. He has statistically improved in all categories and has brought immense leadership to the floor amongst a team slowly recovering from injuries. However, the second half of the Illini’s sole loss of the season made one notion very clear. Kylan Boswell HAS to be more assertive at the beginning of games for the Illini to have success. Though he battled foul trouble, Boswell was 1-4 from the field in the first half vs Alabama.

He ended the game with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. A majority of those points came in the final ten minutes of the game as the Illini attempted to catch up to Alabama’s lead. The first ten minutes of the second half are where matters got stagnant. At a time when teams were loading up on Andrej Stojakovic in the paint, Boswell needs to be more aggressive with his takes to the rim.

Rim pressure

The reason Illinois basketball was so inconsistent during the 2024-2025 season was that they were too reliant on the three-point shot. They lacked a player who could consistently put pressure on the front of the rim. Now, the Illini have Boswell and Stojakovic to lead that ship. Kylan Boswell got to the free-throw line 12 times in the game vs Texas Tech. Because he did this, Stojakovic was able to have plenty of space for drives to the rim. If he can find the balance between finding his own shot and setting up shots for his teammates, Illinois will be extremely difficult to beat.

As the Illini work Tomislav Ivisic back into their lineup, look for Boswell to settle into his role as the engine for this team’s offense.

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