Illinois hits 12 three-pointers in a 106-94 win over Iowa in the second round of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament. Illini will face 2-seed Maryland Friday night in quarterfinal round.

March 13, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois brought its offensive game to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for its opening game of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament.

The Illini (21-10) made 12 three-point shots and shot 53.8 percent from the field on its way to a 106-94 victory over Iowa in the second round of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament. All five starters ended Thursday night with double-figure scoring efforts including a double-double from first-year center Tomislav Ivisic with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The 7-footer also had six assists and was 6 of 7 from the free throw line on Thursday night.

The 106 points is the second most points scored in a Big Ten Tournament game and the 200 combined points made for the highest scoring contest in Big Ten Tournament history. Kylan Boswell ended the evening with a team-high 24 points and a team-high seven assists in 37 minutes of action.

“You’re always nervous for the first game of the tournament because you see teams on television struggle to make shots but I thought the offensive execution was elite and I thought Kylan Boswell was fantastic tonight,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said in his post-game interview on Big Ten Network.

Underwood now has a 8-4 career record in the Big Ten Tournament and is tied with Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo for the best win percentage in the conference tournament among active league head coaches.

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery’s 2024-25 season ended earlier than anybody in the Hawkeyes program as the 15-year veteran was ejected after receiving two quick technical fouls with 13 minutes and 33 seconds left in the game. The Hawkeyes end their 2024-25 season with a 17-16 overall record but will likely have the option to continue its postseason run with a NIT bid if the program elects to accept the invite.

Iowa guard Payton Sandfort ended the evening with a game-high 30 points that included a tournament record-tying eight three-point shots. In what might be the senior’s last game at Iowa, Sandfort finished 8 of 13 from beyond the three-point arc and four assists.

In his career debut of the Big Ten Tournament, Will Riley finished with 21 points, seven assists and five assists just days after he was named the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

Thursday night marked the return of first-year center Morez Johnson as he finished with four points and eight rebounds in just 12 minutes. Johnson had missed just 23 days of action after suffering a fracture to his wrist in a loss on Feb. 15 to Michigan State inside State Farm Center.

Illinois will next play two-seed Maryland Friday night in the quarterfinal round at 5:30 p.m. CST on Big Ten Tournament. The No. 11 Terrapins (24-7) defeated the Illini 91-70 in its only matchup of the 2024-25 campaign on Jan. 23 in Champaign.