Illinois won its first game of the season by 75 points.
Surely, they’d have a tougher time against quality mid-major opponent like Penn on Thursday, right?
Well, sort of — Illinois only won by 42.
Clearly, these Fighting Illini are a special bunch, and they showed it early and often against the Quakers.
The star of the show, as he so often will be this season, was Andrej Stojakovic, the son of long-time NBA sharpshooter Peja.
Andrej was even just a bit more important on Thursday because Illinois was playing its first full game without starting guard Jake Davis, who hurt his shoulder in the season opener.
Even without Davis, though, Illinois is incredibly potent.
Here’s a look at Stojakovic’s night, as well as what Illinois did to Penn star TJ Power.
Andrej Stojakovic Stats
Stojakovic played an efficient, well-rounded game to beat Penn.
He was on the court for just 22 minutes because of the blowout, but Stojakovic scored 25 points.
Stojakovic shot 9-for-17 from the floor, including 2-for-3 from 3-point range, and he made 5-of-5 free throws. Unlike his dad, Stojakovic hasn’t always been a good outside shooter, so those numbers are all encouraging signs.
The talented Stojakovic added five rebounds, four assists, a block and two turnovers.
Clearly on this night, Stojakovic was the best player on the floor.
If he can play like this often, Illinois will be very tough to beat. The Fighting Illini are ranked No. 3 in the country, and they’ll likely be near the top of the polls all year.
TJ Power Stats
Penn is led by star TJ Power, who was a top recruit who started his college career at Duke and then went to Virginia before ending up in the Ivy League.
Power will be expected to lead the Quakers to great heights this season.
On Thursday night, though, Illinois shut him down. He scored just six points on 3-for-15 shooting, missing all three 3-pointers and the one free throw he attempted.
Power had six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two turnovers.
Penn isn’t a power-conference foe for Illinois, but shutting down Power is a great sign for what they can achieve defensively.
Peja Stojakovic’s Son Andrej Leads Illinois Without Jake Davis Past TJ Power, Penn