Two games, two blowouts, 232 points. Illinois has looked about as good as a team can look against Fairleigh Dickinson and Penn. Now comes the part of the schedule that tells you something.
On Tuesday night, the No. 3 Illini play their first road game of the season at No. 19 Texas Tech. United Supermarkets Arena is one of the loudest buildings in college basketball, and Illinois will walk in without Jake Davis or David Mirkovic. One week later, it's at Duke.
How to Watch
Tip: 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET), Tuesday, November 10
Where: United Supermarkets Arena, Lubbock, Texas
Stream: Peacock. Heads up, this one isn't on regular TV, so make sure you have the app.
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network
ESPN BPI: Illinois 55.2% to win
Line: No spread posted as of Saturday morning.
Last Year's Meeting
These teams met last November in Champaign, and it was a classic. Illinois won 81-77 over Texas Tech, even though JT Toppin torched the Illini for a season-high 35 points. Tech went on to a 23-11 season and the NCAA Tournament's second round.
This time Illinois has to go to Lubbock. And Toppin won't be there to do it again.
Meet Texas Tech
Grant McCasland is in his fourth season in Lubbock, and his teams are known for their defense. That showed up in the opener, when Tech held Jackson State to 42 points in a 76-42 win. The Red Raiders followed that with a win over Bethune-Cookman to get to 2-0.
Texas Tech's Missing Pieces
JT Toppin: The star forward tore his ACL in February at Arizona State, while averaging 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds, First-Team All-American type numbers. Tech says he'll play this season, but McCasland said in late October that Toppin hasn't been practicing with the team and there's no timetable. Don't expect him Tuesday.
Jamichael Stillwell: The 6-8 UCF transfer averaged 11.6 points and 8.1 rebounds last year with nine double-doubles. His fifth year of eligibility has been tied up in court all summer, but RotoWire reports a temporary restraining order makes him eligible to play Tuesday. He'd be a huge boost to a thin frontcourt.
Without Toppin, Tech runs through its guards. Here's who to watch:
Cruz Davis in particular stuffed the stat sheet in the opener: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals. Illinois turned it over 19 times against Penn. Against a guard-heavy, ball-hawking team like this, that can't happen again.
Illinois Injury Report
Who's In, Who's Out
Jake Davis (left shoulder): OUT indefinitely. Separated it in the opener against FDU and had surgery. Underwood is preparing for the possibility he misses the season.
David Mirkovic (foot, appendectomy): OUT. Still recovering from August foot surgery, and had an emergency appendectomy on October 31. No timetable.
Andrej Stojakovic: Playing. Back from his head injury and averaging 22.5 points on 64.3% shooting.
Zvonimir Ivisic: Playing. Back from his head injury; 6 points and 9 rebounds against Penn.
Lincoln Williams: Expected to play. Made his season debut against Penn with 12 points and 9 rebounds.
Four Keys for Illinois
1. Win the paint with the Ivisic twins
Even Texas Tech's own beat writers see this coming. SI's Red Raiders site named Tech's frontcourt its biggest weakness, calling the team "limited in height" and saying rebounding could be a major issue early. It specifically pointed to the Illinois game, and 7-1 Tomislav Ivisic, as a test. Illinois outrebounded Penn 62-33 and scored 66 in the paint. Do that again, and the Illini win.
2. Take care of the ball
Nineteen turnovers against Penn was the only real flaw on Thursday. On the road, against a McCasland defense and a point guard who just had six steals, sloppy possessions turn into transition points and a loud building.
3. Handle the noise
This is the first road game for Coleman, Brown, Lincoln Williams, Zens, Morillo, and Landon Davis. Four freshmen scored in double figures against Penn. Lubbock is a different animal. Expect Stojakovic, Vaaks, and the twins to set the tone early.
4. Push the pace
Fran McCaffery said after Thursday's game that Illinois is hard to defend "because it starts in transition." That's the formula on the road too: rebound, run, and take the crowd out of it before it gets going.
Players to Watch
Quentin Coleman: 8-of-9 shooting against Penn, and a Jerry West Award watch list pick. His first road game is a big measuring stick.
Zavier Zens: With Davis out, he's the most natural fit for those wing minutes. He hit four threes against Penn.
Ethan Brown: Leading the team in rebounds (9.5) and assists (6.0) per game. He posted his first career double-double against Penn, 13 points and 10 rebounds, as a freshman guard.
The Bottom Line
Illinois has more size and more depth, even with Davis and Mirkovic out. Texas Tech has the crowd, a smart coach, and tough, experienced guards. ESPN's BPI basically calls it a coin flip with a slight Illinois lean.
If the Illini rebound like they did against Penn and cut down the turnovers, they should leave Lubbock 3-0. Either way, we'll learn a lot more about this team on Tuesday than we did in the first two games. Find your Peacock password.
I-L-L. 🧡Reporting compiled from ESPN, FightingIllini.com, Texas Tech Athletics, Sports Illustrated (Texas Tech on SI), RotoWire, The News-Gazette, ClutchPoints via Yahoo Sports, and Wikipedia.