Notes: Another new-look lineup for Illinois

PISCATAWAY, N.J.

Tomislav Ivisic and Morez Johnson Jr.

were back in Illinois starting lineup against Rutgers.

Its a look Illini coach Brad Underwood wanted to use more in the new year, but was ultimately derailed by Ivisics bout of mononucleosis.

The efficiency Illinois can boast with its biggest frontcourt pairing drove Underwoods decision.

Per CBB Analytics, Ivisic and Johnson had played together just 63 total minutes this season heading into Wednesday nights Big Ten matchup with the Scarlet Knights.

A good chunk of those minutes came in Sundays 87-79 win against Ohio State.

That pairing, however, has produced both a better offensive and defensive rating an estimate of points scored (or allowed) per 100 possessions than in any other combo with one or neither on the court.

I think offensively it gives us a great way to attack five-way switching, Underwood said.

It opens the floor a lot and then causes the matchups that allow Morez and Tomi to get a lot of rebounds.

That part of it I really like.

I thought it just created great opportunities for us to get downhill and get back in the paint (against the Buckeyes).

Its something weve got to continue to grow with.

Weve got enough possessions we should be good at it.

Its also a frontcourt pairing both players have grown to like.

Morez is physical, Ivisic said.

When hes a 4-man, hes got a lot of space in the paint.

No one can box him out.

Hes going to get every rebound that there is.

Its just a different style the coaches wanted to see.

Weve got many options for lineups many different combinations.

Wednesdays starting lineup was another different look against Rutgers.

The Illini paired their bigger frontcourt with a smaller backcourt of Kasparas Jakucionis, Kylan Boswell and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn.

Illinois had to work through different starting lineups and rotations in January with Ivisic out for three games with mono and Jakucionis sidelined two games with a tendonitis issue in his left wrist/forearm.

Then the Illini got healthy again, and Underwood switched up his starting lineup against Ohio State to kick off February and had to tinker again with Tre White listed as questionable heading into Wednesdays game.

White did not play against Rutgers.

Changes in the last full month of the regular season the Illinois coach isnt necessarily surprised hes had to make.

I probably had more of an expectation of change knowing we had 10 new guys, Underwood said.

You can really fall into some good or bad habits however you want to look at them with veterans, with old guys.

We were really comfortable.

We knew exactly what we had last year.

This year you expect unknowns, and you have to react to those unknowns.

Weve got enough sample size now with different lineups with bigs, with smalls that we had a general idea of what we wanted to do.

Unfortunately, the month of January wasnt the smoothest, but were still able to tweak it.

We feel like weve developed great depth, and we know we have good players.

Now, its just, again, still trying to get the best combinations out there the most often we can.

Johnsons playing time hasnt fluctuated this season because of an unwillingness for Underwood to play the freshman forward.

Johnson played a season-high 34 minutes in Illinois late January win against Northwestern, and the Illini coach said he was going to keep his freshman big man on the court as long as he could until circumstances dictated a substitution.

Those circumstances have usually been fouls.

Two fouls before the first media timeout at Nebraska saw Johnson sit basically the final 16 minutes of the half save for a brief, 16-second appearance.

He didnt foul again and played 17 minutes in the second half and all of overtime.

Im still trying to figure out the one he jumped straight up in the air and he has his hands straight up in the air, Underwood said of Johnsons second foul at Nebraska.

We work on that drill every day.

We call it a Mozgov.

When you jump straight up in the air, its your verticality and the offense goes into you, and we havent gotten that call.

That kid, I feel so bad for.

Then the officials always give you the, Well, he brought his hands down.

If you ever get punched in the gut, youre going to double up.

That was not a foul on that play.

Weve sent the clip in.

Underwood said hes talked to multiple officials about that type of foul called on Johnson this season.

A discussion hes also had with the Terry Wymer, the coordinator of officials for the Big Ten.

I feel terrible for him because hes 260 pounds and he jumps straight up, and people might bounce off of him, Underwood said.

Hes leaving the ground, which you have to do.

You cant stay grounded.

You sure as heck cant try and take a charge because thats always going to be a block.

I dont know.

I had somebody try to tell me that the head of officials wants you to be shoulders square to the basket before they call that.

That makes no basketball sense to me that way when somebody is driving down the lane.

I have no idea.

Im going to tell him to just keep doing it.

Ive gotten 47 different answers talking to everybody thats got a different reply.

Im just going to keep telling him jump up in the air and try to keep sliding your feet and hope somebody doesnt trip on them.

Johnson played 31 minutes in Illinois win against Ohio State, spacing out his two fouls so that they never became a problem.

He turned that playing time his second most this season into 14 points and 15 rebounds.

I was still being aggressive on defense, Johnson said after Sundays game.

The whistle wasnt just against me.

I just make sure I play defense the same every time.

I get called for fouls that I dont think, personally, are fouls.

I cant do anything about it.

The biggest news in the basketball world in the last week was not Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton announcing his resignation at the end of the season.

Or anything else at the college or international level.

The news that stunned anyone that remotely pays attention to the sport was the Dallas Mavericks trading five-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA First Team selection Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, 2021 News-Gazette All-State Player of the Year Max Christie and one just one future first-round draft pick.

Youve got to be in a coffin to not know that happened, Underwood said.

Its something our guys talk about.

You dont see that every day two perennial all-stars being traded for each other.

It was hard, Ivisic added.

I love Luka.

I just dont think he deserved that.

But thats the NBA.

You wake up, and they tell you youre traded..

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