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CHAMPAIGN, IL — Illinois didn't want to let Indiana basketball guard Lamar Wilkerson pull off another magic trick on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Arena.
Wilkerson, who has twice scored 40 points this season, can heat up like a microwave and his scoring prowess has elevated IU's play this season. He helped Indiana win five of its last six games while averaging 28.2 points and 3.7 made 3-pointers during that stretch.
He came into the game against the Illini averaging 21.2 points per game, ranked second in the Big Ten.
While he hit his season average, Wilkerson was quiet down the stretch in the 71-51 loss. He didn't have any points or made field goal attempts in the final 12 minutes and his lone basket in the second half came on a layup with 16:13 remaining.
"Wilkerson is a pro, even though he had 21, I thought we did pretty good," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.
The return of Kylan Boswell to the starting lineup helped Illinois limit Wilkerson. He had missed the previous month with a broken bone in his hand. He was originally targeting Illinois' game against USC on Feb. 18 for a return, but was cleared to play last week.
Boswell showed plenty of rust on the offensive end, but the experienced senior (88 career starts) had no problems hounding Wilkerson at the 3-point line.
"We had kind of guessed he was going to play," Indiana coach Darian DeVries said. "I think the biggest thing with him, is the defensive ability he brings. His physicality to chase things around, he did a really good job of making things hard on Lamar a lot of times .... what he brings and adds to the team is another defensive guy that can be that shutdown guy."
Doyel: Has IU coach Darian DeVries overachieved with this small, slow, streaky roster?
Illinois also got an assist by having former two-time All-Big Ten honoree Terrence Shannon Jr. act as Lamar Wilkerson in practice on the scout team leading up the game. Shannon, who was drafted by Minnesota with the 27th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is on a rehab assignment in the G League.
Shannon was a good approximation for Wilkerson as a similar volume scorer who shot 34.7% from 3-point range during his career.
"Having him, he was helpful the last two days for me for sure," Boswell said. "it was a huge thing for my confidence, I was a little worried about my hand the last two days, but being able to guard him and him guarding me throughout practice, definitely helped my confidence for sure."
Illinois didn't think it would be able to shut down Wilkerson completely, but Underwood wanted to limit IU's "spurtability." Wilkerson's tendency to put together quick scoring outbursts has made the Hoosiers a team capable of putting together big runs in a short amount of time.
Insider 3 points: Indiana basketball hot streak ends with loss at Illinois, despite Lamar Wilkerson's scoring
On Sunday, Indiana never had more than a 5-0 scoring run and never hit field goals on three straight possessions.
"He got a couple easy ones, some free ones, in transition, which I was frustrated with myself in," Boswell said. "But at the end of the day he's a really good player. He still got 21, but as long as we make things difficult for their best player, tilt things out of rhythm and we win the rebound battle, we can take care of business."
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Terrence Shannon Jr helps Illinois basketball plan for IU's Lamar Wilkerson
Continue reading...
Wilkerson, who has twice scored 40 points this season, can heat up like a microwave and his scoring prowess has elevated IU's play this season. He helped Indiana win five of its last six games while averaging 28.2 points and 3.7 made 3-pointers during that stretch.
He came into the game against the Illini averaging 21.2 points per game, ranked second in the Big Ten.
While he hit his season average, Wilkerson was quiet down the stretch in the 71-51 loss. He didn't have any points or made field goal attempts in the final 12 minutes and his lone basket in the second half came on a layup with 16:13 remaining.
"Wilkerson is a pro, even though he had 21, I thought we did pretty good," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.
The return of Kylan Boswell to the starting lineup helped Illinois limit Wilkerson. He had missed the previous month with a broken bone in his hand. He was originally targeting Illinois' game against USC on Feb. 18 for a return, but was cleared to play last week.
Boswell showed plenty of rust on the offensive end, but the experienced senior (88 career starts) had no problems hounding Wilkerson at the 3-point line.
"We had kind of guessed he was going to play," Indiana coach Darian DeVries said. "I think the biggest thing with him, is the defensive ability he brings. His physicality to chase things around, he did a really good job of making things hard on Lamar a lot of times .... what he brings and adds to the team is another defensive guy that can be that shutdown guy."
Doyel: Has IU coach Darian DeVries overachieved with this small, slow, streaky roster?
Illinois also got an assist by having former two-time All-Big Ten honoree Terrence Shannon Jr. act as Lamar Wilkerson in practice on the scout team leading up the game. Shannon, who was drafted by Minnesota with the 27th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, is on a rehab assignment in the G League.
Shannon was a good approximation for Wilkerson as a similar volume scorer who shot 34.7% from 3-point range during his career.
"Having him, he was helpful the last two days for me for sure," Boswell said. "it was a huge thing for my confidence, I was a little worried about my hand the last two days, but being able to guard him and him guarding me throughout practice, definitely helped my confidence for sure."
Illinois didn't think it would be able to shut down Wilkerson completely, but Underwood wanted to limit IU's "spurtability." Wilkerson's tendency to put together quick scoring outbursts has made the Hoosiers a team capable of putting together big runs in a short amount of time.
Insider 3 points: Indiana basketball hot streak ends with loss at Illinois, despite Lamar Wilkerson's scoring
On Sunday, Indiana never had more than a 5-0 scoring run and never hit field goals on three straight possessions.
"He got a couple easy ones, some free ones, in transition, which I was frustrated with myself in," Boswell said. "But at the end of the day he's a really good player. He still got 21, but as long as we make things difficult for their best player, tilt things out of rhythm and we win the rebound battle, we can take care of business."
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Terrence Shannon Jr helps Illinois basketball plan for IU's Lamar Wilkerson
Continue reading...
