Why Kylan Boswell is primed for a legendary senior season at Illinois

Kylan Boswell scored a career-high 31 points, leading Illinois basketball to a dominant win over Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night. Through two games, Boswell has looked like one of the best guards in the country and has clearly established himself as the leader of this Illinois team.

“Everybody knows him. He can get to the rim whenever he wants,” said Illinois center Zvonimir Ivisic.

From the opening tip, Boswell was aggressive, attacking the rim at will and drawing fouls at a high rate. He shot an efficient 61.5% from the field and knocked down 11 free throws. The Champaign native is averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and four assists so far this season.

 

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Perhaps the most encouraging sign from Boswell’s first two games has been his improved three-point shooting. After shooting just 24.5% from deep last season, he’s now hitting 50% from beyond the arc.

“He (Underwood) kept talking smack about it all week, about me not rebounding. So, I had to show up tonight,” said Kylan Boswell.

Boswell grabbed 10 rebounds in the win, recording his second career double-double as an Illini. His renewed focus on rebounding and defense has brought a grit and toughness to the team that was missing at times last season.

Boswell will need to maintain his high level of play as Illinois faces one of its toughest early-season tests Tuesday night against Texas Tech. He’ll be tasked with guarding Texas Tech sophomore guard Christian Anderson, who is averaging 26 points per game this season, while also shouldering a bigger scoring load with Tomislav Ivisic likely out again.

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