Illinois basketball will be getting a much-needed reinforcement on Sunday against Indiana in the form of senior guard Kylan Boswell, who has been out since Jan. 17 with a broken right hand.
Boswell isn't on the injury report, according to IlliniInquirer's Jeremy Werner, so he'll be good to make his return. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood had said on Friday that the senior would be a game-time decision, with the ultimate decision coming down to how his hand responded to being unrestricted in practice.
Clearly, the hand responded well, and the Fighting Illini will be thrilled to have a senior leader back in the fold. Illinois basketball is looking to bounce back after two overtime losses, the first on the road at Michigan State last weekend and then the second at home against Wisconsin on Tuesday. The Fighting Illini led by 12 points in the second half against the Badgers before crumbling down the stretch and losing in overtime.
Boswell's absence hurt in both of those losses, and Illinois also missed Andrej Stojakovic against Wisconsin. Stojakovic is still out Sunday.
When healthy, the No. 8 Fighting Illini are one of the best teams in the country and a national championship contender, led by freshman guard and projected lottery pick Keaton Wagler. Illinois basketball had reached No. 5 in the AP Top 25 before the consecutive losses.
Kylan Boswell makes them a lot better as a solid scorer, point guard and perimeter defender. On the season, he's averaging 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 31.8 minutes per game. The Champaign native is shooting 47.5% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range. The senior, who came to Illinois from Arizona before last season, has started in 52 of the 53 games he has played with his hometown program.
