MILWAUKEE — Illinois guard Kylan Boswell took a couple of dribbles and launched the 3-pointer with a Xavier defender in his face just a second before the halftime buzzer.
He held up three fingers while looking toward the heavy Illini crowd at Fiserv Forum, which roared its approval at a five-point Illinois lead.
The buzz and the lead grew from there in the second half of the NCAA Tournament first-round game.
In their last game a week earlier, a blowout Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal loss to Maryland, the Illini lamented their lack of energy. The No.