Game 3 preview | Oakland at Illinois; 8 p.m., Wednesday

Beat writer Scott Richey breaks down the matchup between the Illini and Golden Grizzles: Lineups Illinois (2-0) P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown G Kylan Boswell Jr.

6-2 3.5 Champaign G Kasparas Jakucionis Fr.

6-6 11.5 Vilnius, Lithuania G Tre White Jr.

6-7 9.0 Dallas F Ben Humrichous Gr.

6-9 14.5 Tipton, Ind.

C Tomislav Ivisic Fr.

7-1 16.0 Vodice, Croatia P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown F Will Riley Fr.

6-8 22.5 Kitchener, Ontario G Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn So.

6-1 11.5 Lafayette, Ind.

F Morez Johnson Jr.

Fr.

6-9 4.0 Chicago Oakland (1-1) G Jaylen Jones So.

6-0 5.0 Nashville, Tenn.

G DQ Cole Sr.

6-3 11.0 Pontiac, Mich.

G/F Jayson Woodrich Gr.

6-7 7.0 Cleveland F Allen Mukeba Gr.

6-6 10.0 Charleroi, Belgium F Buru Naivalurua Sr.

6-6 11.5 Sydney P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown G Malcolm Christie Sr.

6-5 9.0 Fredericton, New Brunswick F Deng Majak Jr.

6-9 1.5 Turalei, South Sudan F Cooper Craggs R-So.

6-5 7.0 Northville, Mich.

Details Beat writer Scott Richeys Storylines Like most college basketball rosters, Oaklands looks about as similar as last years as Illinois does.

What hasnt changed for the Golden Grizzlies, though, is what longtime coach Greg Kampe stresses in the games he schedules against high-major programs.

Wednesdays at Illinois will be one of two for Oakland, with a Friday date in Lawrence, Kan., with top-ranked Kansas.

Offensive rebounding, minimal turnovers, knocking down open threes and, most importantly, limiting the number of possessions is how Kampe will try to pull the upset in Champaign.

If you remember, they had a 10-second count walking the ball across half court last year with the game on the line, Illinois coach Brad Underwood said.

He wants to play fewer possessions.

Its a game he wants to control the possessions.

...

Theyre very, very comfortable playing in the late shot clock.

You get an NCAA tournament vibe or a league game vibe with lower possessions sometimes, and it will be interesting to see how we react to that.

We still have to be us.

We still have to get out and push and try to play with tempo.

Weve still got to be effective on the offensive glass.

Focus still on shoring up defense Defense was certainly a point of emphasis in the wake of Illinois charity exhibition loss at Mississippi in late October.

That the Rebels shot 49 percent from the field overall and 52 percent from three-point range numbers fueled in part by the Illinis 22 turnovers was far from the type of gritty defensive effort Underwood expects from his team.

Last week showed growth on that front, with Illinois limiting both Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville to inefficient evenings offensively.

We have an identity we know we want to build on, junior guard Tre White said.

How I look at it, its never just one game where we mess up.

I feel like its everything leading up to that.

Every practice has been intense for us super intense.

Now, that were getting more reps and seeing (the Ole Miss exhibition) was a wake-up call for us, we can tighten up on a lot of ends.

Boswells offensive opportunities will come A year ago at essentially this exact same time Kylan Boswell was arguably the most impactful player on the court when Arizona beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The then-sophomore guard had 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Wildcats 78-73 road win.

Its that kind of performance and several more from the previous two seasons that has Underwood unbothered by Boswells slow start on the offensive end in two games last week.

Im really proud of what hes done because he hasnt forced anything.

Hes played the game the right way.

Hes had a couple (shots) go in and out.

Hes done it before.

Hes had 20-point nights.

Hes the last thing I worry about.

I love what hes doing on the defensive side because hes leading us there, and I love just his patience.

His opportunities will come.

The News-Gazettes pick Illinois 92, Oakland 60 Its important to note this is not the same Oakland team that came within an overtime game against North Carolina State from reaching the Sweet 16 last season.

The two best players from that team (and a few more) are all gone.

The impact of those losses was clear in the Golden Grizzlies 44-point loss a week ago at Boise State.

The Broncos have a solid team.

Illinois has a better one.

So even if the margin of victory doesnt hit 40-plus, this should be a clear Illini win (News-Gazette prediction record 2-0)..

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