By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

March 3, 2026

It’s Senior day for Illinois and they will be honoring 3 senior players in Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous and AJ Redd prior to tonight’s final home game against the struggling Oregon Ducks. This is a must win for Illinois and a game where they should win as a double digit favorite.

Setting the Stage
#11 Illinois (22-7, 13-5 B1G) vs. Oregon (11-18, 4-14 B1G)
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 // 8 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV/Stream: NBCSN/Peacock – Paul Burmeister (Play-by-Play) & Robbie Hummel (Analyst) Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

Notable
No. 11 Illinois plays its final home game of the season on Tuesday night, hosting Oregon at State Farm Center. The Illini will honor Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous, and AJ Redd along with five student managers in a pregame Senior Night ceremony (details, p. 3).

*Entering the final week of the regular season, Illinois has a seed range of 2-7 for the Big Ten Tournament, set for March 10-15 at the United Center in Chicago. The Illini have locked up a double-bye and can secure a triple-bye into Friday's quarterfinals with two wins this week, or one win coupled with a Wisconsin loss. With two games remaining, Illinois' 13-5 Big Ten record is its best in the Underwood era since finishing 15-5 in 2021-22 to earn a share of the regular season championship.

*Keaton Wagler ranks fourth in the Kenpom Player of the Year standings, second in the Big Ten behind Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg (3), and ahead of Michigan State's Jeremy Fears (6), Purdue's Braden Smith (8), and Michigan's Aday Mara (10). Wagler has totaled 532 points to set the Illini freshman scoring record, breaking the previous program record of 494 points set by Cory Bradford in 1998-99 and equaled by Kasparas Jakucionis last year.

* Illinois leads the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (132.2), owning what currently stands as the highest offensive rating in the history of the kenpom era (since 1996-97). Illinois has six Quad 1A wins, tied for second-most in the NCAA behind Duke (7).

*Illinois leads the all-time series 5-2, including a 109-77 win in Eugene last season in the first Big Ten Conference game between the teams. Oregon is making their first trip to Champaign.

*SENIOR NIGHT CELEBRATION
Illinois basketball will recognize three players and five senior managers at State Farm Center on Tuesday night in a pregame ceremony, approximately 25 minutes before tipoff (beginning at 7:35 p.m. CT). Players

*Kylan Boswell (Champaign, Ill.) returned home to Champaign after beginning his career with two highly successful seasons at Arizona, and has taken his game to another level in a Fighting Illini uniform. While building a reputation as one of the toughest guards and perimeter defenders in the nation, he has tallied 736 points, 263 rebounds, 197 assists, and 58 steals in Orange and Blue over the last two seasons. Boswell is capping a specatucular collegiate career in which he has amassed 1,244 total points, 402 rebounds, 383 assists, and 134 steals. He has led the Illini with 39 games in double-figures scoring over the last two seasons, and recorded only the seventh triple-double in program history with his 18-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist line in the Illini's win last season over Chicago State. Boswell is pursuing his degree in communication from Illinois.

*Ben Humrichous (Tipton, Ind.) joined the Illini as a grad transfer and has made an immediate impact as one of the top 3-point threats in the Big Ten over the last two seasons, averaging 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 35% from 3-point range with more than 100 makes from beyond the arc. Humrichous has made at least one 3-pointer in 51 of 64 games with the Illini and his 108 total triples are first in the nation among power conference players 6-9 or taller over the last two seasons. He has recorded 449 points, 255 rebounds, 55 assists, 42 blocks, and 27 steals in an Illini uniform. In December, Humrichous wed former Illinois women's basketball player Adalia McKenzie. He already earned a degree from Illinois in recreation, sport, & tourism, and is now pursuing a graduate certificate in business analytics.

*AJ Redd (Chicago, Ill.) has been an integral part of Illinois Basketball during one of the most successful eras in program history. Redd was added to the Illini roster as a walkon on Dec. 21, 2022 after spending his first semester as a student manager. Since stepping foot on campus, he has helped the Fighting Illini to 93 wins and was a part of the Illini's run to the 2024 Big Ten Championship and NCAA Elite Eight. Redd has appeared in 34 career games in an Illini uniform and will graduate from Illinois with a degree in finance.

The Managers
Drew Hackler (Pana, Ill.) is a two-year manager majoring in communication
John Kramer (Huntley, Ill.) is a four-year manager majoring in information sciences.
Aidan Maher, head manager (Park Ridge, Ill.) is a three-year manager majoring in recreation, sport, & tourism.
Luka Pina (Chicago, Ill.) is a four-year manager majoring in recreation, sport, & tourism.
Landon Redfearn (Elmhurst, Ill.) is a three-year manager majoring in finance.

*Oregon fell just short at Northwestern on 2/28, as the Wildcats hit a shot with just under two seconds to play to secure the 63-62 victory. Nate Bittle led Oregon with 19 points and 9 rebounds, while Kwame Evans Jr. recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. Drew Carter recorded a career-high five assists. The game saw six ties and 16 lead changes. UO shot 48.1 percent from the field in the first half, and just 31.3 percent in the second half.

*The Ducks defeated Wisconsin 85-71 on 2/25 for their second win in a row and second-straight win over Wisconsin. Nate Bittle scored a team-high 20 points (7-16 FG, 3-7 3FG), with six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Takai Simpkins added 17 points (7-7 FT), Kwame Evans Jr. tallied 16 points (5-9 FG), four blocks and four rebounds, and Wei Lin scored 13 off the bench. Dezdrick Lindsay finished with six points, six rebounds and five assists. The Ducks shot 51.9 percent from the field, 47.4 percent from three and 80 percent from the line. UO connected on 17-of-24 attempts in the 2nd half (70.8%).

Keys to the Game

1. Get Your Swag On - With 10 minutes to go in the first half against UCLA the Illini looked like a one seed and a team on the verge of making a Final Four run. Over the next 70 minutes of basketball the Illini looked like a team that shouldn't be in the NCAA tournament. This team needs to get their swag back play with confidence play with energy and get after it on the glass, diving for loose balls, and just playing with an edge that they did not have in the past one and a half games
2. Just Be Solid - If you're struggling on defense, Oregon is the team that you want to see. The Ducks are currently the worst offensive team in the Big Ten, they do not shoot the ball well from the perimeter, and they turn the ball over at a very high rate. Illinois will need to play solid defense to slow down the Ducks and not make Scouting Report mistakes that lead to easy baskets. They must also find a way to make sure that nobody goes nuclear against them in this one, that is usually how upsets happen.
3. Start Setting Roles - I am sure that the players are just as confused as everyone else regarding what their role is. Obviously, Ben and Jake understand their jobs, but what should every other player be doing on each end? When players understand what they're supposed to do it helps them on both ends of the floor. Some players can handle being a low usage spot up shooter, but others need to have activity on the offensive end to be good on the defensive end as strange as that may sound.

Prediction
The Illini need this one and they are going to come out firing in this one, rolling to an 86-68 win over the Ducks