No. 14 Illinois put together perhaps its best and most complete performance – and certainly its most compelling half – of the season Saturday in Nashville in a 75-62 win over No. 13 Tennessee. It amounted to not only a measure of revenge after Illini losses to the Vols in each of the past two seasons but also proof positive that this team has the ability to take down top teams in more ways than one.

Some of that is reflected in who stepped up and aced their personal performances, which we detail in our player grades below. As always, these are single-game, subjective evaluations of individual on-court production:

Welcome back, Tomi. Oh, how the Illini missed you. With 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting (including two threes) and a team-best plus-17 plus-minus figure, Ivisic put up mostly excellent numbers – save for a so-so night on the boards (five). But for the first time this season, he was the engine that drove Illinois’ offense. We’ve said it many times before, and we’ll say it (at least) once more: The Illini are at their best playing through Ivisic, and on Saturday he was finally healthy and fit enough to make it so.

Two points and not a single shot from the field in 26 minutes? What are you doing out there, Ben? The answer: everything else. Between his hounding defense, shoulder-banging rebounding and relentless hustle plays, Humrichous arguably did more to help Illinois win than any other player who hit the floor. If he can ba;ance that with a couple of made threes each game, he’ll be in the mix for Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.

Wagler finally broke through against a top opponent, and he seemed to be solving the puzzles that had perplexed him only a week or two ago in real time against Tennessee. It helps when the long ball is falling (4-for-11), but Wagler also added eight rebounds against a hulking Volunteers group and led the Illini with five assists (against zero turnovers).

Boswell did a lot of really valuable Boswell things – examples: got downhill to create shots on offense, locked up on defense – but his perimeter shot wasn’t falling. An 0-for-3 performance from three isn’t a backbreaker (especially from him), but a 3-for-6 showing from the free-throw line could have been a difference-maker on another night.

It’s a luxury for 14 points (2-for-4 on threes), six rebounds (including five offensive), two assists and a block from a freshman to be a mildly frustrating performance, but Mirkovic still toggles between trying to do too much and disappearing for stretches.

Big Z is never going to be a truly dynamic defender, but he has to be more than just a jump shooter and shot blocker for Illinois. And on Saturday, he was only half that. Zvonimir hit two big threes, but he had three fouls, only one rebound and a team-worst minus-4 plus-minus in nine minutes.

Stojakovic never gained any offensive traction against Tennessee (five points on 2-for-5 shooting), in part because he’s still figuring out exactly how and where he can fit in on a nightly basis. He made himself playable with a pair of blocks and a pair of steals, but needs to be more active on the boards (two in 21 minutes).

In seven mostly uneventful minutes, Davis knocked down his only shot attempt (a three) and grabbed a defensive rebound, while taking nothing off the table. But Tennessee’s size and muscle make him a target on defense, which mostly kept him off the floor.

When three missed shot attempts and a turnover in six minutes are the extent of your contributions, you feel grateful to receive an “incomplete” grade. It wasn’t Petrovic’s night (or matchup), and Wagler’s strong play made his minutes optional.

With the conference championship slate of games in the books, bowl game selections are right around the corner. This includes Tennessee football, which has been tied to multiple bowls after finishing the 2025 season 8-4 (4-4 SEC).

According to ESPN on Sunday morning, both Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach are in agreement. The pair has the Vols headed to Tampa to play Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The game is scheduled for Dec. 31 at noon ET on ESPN.

While Tennessee is waiting on its selection, most of the Big Ten know where it is headed. According to a report from On3’s Brett McMurphy, Michigan will play in the Citrus Bowl, Iowa will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl and Illinois will play in the Music City Bowl. The SEC is the other conference tie-in for those three games. McMurphy projects UT to play in the Music City Bowl against the Illini.

More From RTI: Tennessee Bowl Projections: Where the Vols Land in Post-SEC Championship Projections

If ESPN is correct and Tennessee and Iowa meet in the ReliaQuest Bowl, it’d be the second time in three years that the pair square off in a Florida bowl game. In 2023, after the Vols also finished 8-4, the two played in the Citrus Bowl. Tennessee won that matchup 35-0 behind MVP Nico Iamaleava.

All-time, the Vols are 3-1 against the Hawkeyes. Tennessee lost the first meeting in Atlanta in 1982, but claimed neutral site wins in 1987, 2014 and, most recently, 2023.

Tennessee has played in the ReliaQuest Bowl, previously named the Outback Bowl and Hall of Fame Bowl, four times since it began in 1986. In 1993, UT defeated Boston College 38-23. In 2007, the Vols fell to Penn State 20-10. However, Tennessee returned the following season, beating Wisconsin 21-17 in 2008. The most recent appearance was in 2016, when UT won 45-6 over Northwestern.

ROBERTSON COUNTY, Tenn. — A man wanted for a double homicide out of Georgia is arrested in Middle Tennessee.

Two people were discovered shot in a vehicle near Harbins Road and Harbins Point in Lilburn, Georgia, just after 10 p.m. Friday night, said the Gwinnett County Police Department. Those two individuals died.

A man was also found injured on Windscape Village Lane in Norcross, GA, according to police. They determined the two scenes were related.

Police learned through their investigation that the suspect, 54-year-old Javier Aragon Ruiz, was en route to Tennessee.

Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers located Ruiz’s vehicle in Robertson County on Saturday morning and took him into custody, according to police.

Ruiz is charged by the THP with reckless driving, driving under the influence, possession of gun under the influence and a being a fugitive from justice. He is being held without bond in the Robertson County Jail.

The homicide victims will be identified by police after the next of kin is notified.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call GCPD detectives at 770.513.5300. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 404.577.TIPS (8477).