Photo: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Tuesday Evening, Brad Underwood’s #23 ranked Fighting Illini Men’s Basketball team took on Shaka Smarts #4 ranked Marquette squad In Champaign, where the Golden Eagles were able to get the best of the Illinois 71-64. G Tyler Kolek went off for 10-18 and 24 points vs Illinois coming off of an ankle injury, and absolutely cooked the Illini defense. Not the best look for the Illini, who pride themselves on tough, hardnose defense.
Despite a tough loss for Illinois, this game was down to the wire until the final remaining moments of the second half, and looked the part of a really good top 25 matchup. The eventual 7 point loss came down to Shaka Smart’s team being able to consistently execute their aggressive, fast paced offense, with very few fouls, comparatively. Illinois, despite having a very talented team themselves, had some down moments at points, and needed more from some of the leaders of this team.
Quick Thoughts
COLEMAN HAWKINS:
We can get this out of the way quick. Coleman did not have his best performance vs a team Illinois really needed him for. Golden Eagles forward Oso Ighodaro had a nice game overall vs the Illini big’s, going 5-9 for 13 points and 8 rebounds. To compare, Hawkins went 2-9 for 5 points on the night, with 30 minuets overall on the floor. I would not say there is much to analyze here, good players have bad games, and Coleman will surely have a nice bounce back. The kids is a leader, and works extremely hard, and Illinois fans should not be overly concerned this early on by an off night vs a top 5 opponent.
MARCUS DOMASK:
A bright spot in Illinois 7-point loss. Domask looked confident and took a lot of shots, Goins 6-13 from the floor, for 18 points vs a top 5 opponent. That is pretty dang impressive for an SIU Saluki transfer getting his feet wet on a big time stage for the first time in a Big Ten environment. Brad Underwood is excited for what Domask can bring to this team as the year progresses, and it is going to be so interesting to watch the progression of this young man. A very solid early outing vs the nations #4 team.
LUKE GOODE:
Going 4-7 on the night for 13 points and leading the Illini from behind the arc, Goode had a nice game overall, and delivered some big momentum swinging shots for the Illini in the first 30+ mins of game play. Luke does need to have more aggression inside the arc as well, and take open shots when he gets them. Goode stepping up as a consistent big scorer will be huge for Illinois moving forward, and taking closer shots when the open up and present themselves will be a big step for Luke coming off of an injury.
Final Thoughts
Illinois has room to improve, but a strong performance vs the nations #4 team overall. Shooting needs to be better, and Illinois top performers becoming aggressive, while taking quality shots is imperative. Brad Underwood has a very deep, talented unit and Illini fans are going to have a lot of fun watching this tam as they progress trough the 2023-24 season. However, there is going to be some bumps early as they establish a lot of new on this roster.
The 2-1 Illini will face Valparaiso at 7pm on Friday (11/14), and will be televised on BTN+
Comments