Just some random stuff that I saw.
1. Underwood has been trying to get more from the bench. They made some strides tonight with 29 bench points. Alan Griffin 15 points in 16 mp, Kipper Nichols 8, Andres Feliz 6. They still need more from the bench, especially defensively, but this was a good step.
2. Before the season we were worried about how Kofi and Giorgi would play together, and there was some talk that they would share the 5 spot. Those concerns have been answered. The team is better when both are on the floor, and they have good chemistry. Now if Giorgi can be less careless with the ball (more on that below).
3. There were some mental lapses in this game that Underwood was unhappy with. That was probably to be expected against a lesser opponent, coming off of a big win over Michigan, and finals weighing on everyone. But that has to be cleaned up. Against a good opponent, those lapses will turn into game-deciding runs.
4. Old Dominion is not a good shooting team (39% shooting on the season) and Illinois made them settle for jump shots, for the most part. Just 10 points in the paint for the Monarchs, and 36% shooting from the field. Other than AJ Oliver, their guards really struggled to score. Malik Curry zero points on 0-4 FG.
5. Illinois turns turnovers into points. This is one of the better transition teams in recent Illinois history after struggling to make good decisions in previous seasons. The Illini had 23 points off of 17 OD turnovers. 4 steals for Trent Frazier. That should move him into the top 10 in the B1G.
6. The Illini were a -2 in A/TO ratio. They entered the game 13th in the Big Ten with a +1.0. They are putting Giorgi B. in situations to feed the post a lot, and while he makes some great passes he turns it over too much. The guards weren't really the problem. Ayo, Trent, and Feliz combined for 8 assists and 3 turnovers.
7. Tevian Jones is a long way from contributing. He needs minutes. He was very tentative when he entered the game. But who do you get him PT against? NC A&T is probably the last chance to get him meaningful minutes and let him play through it. You wonder what the future holds for him.
8. Just 5 offensive rebounds for Illinois. That had to be a point of emphasis for OD heading into this game, and they did a great job keeping Illinois off of the offensive glass. The Illini the second best ORB team in the nation (40.6%). Kofi had 3 ORB, Giorgi had 1, and the team was credited with 1. That's it.
1. Underwood has been trying to get more from the bench. They made some strides tonight with 29 bench points. Alan Griffin 15 points in 16 mp, Kipper Nichols 8, Andres Feliz 6. They still need more from the bench, especially defensively, but this was a good step.
2. Before the season we were worried about how Kofi and Giorgi would play together, and there was some talk that they would share the 5 spot. Those concerns have been answered. The team is better when both are on the floor, and they have good chemistry. Now if Giorgi can be less careless with the ball (more on that below).
3. There were some mental lapses in this game that Underwood was unhappy with. That was probably to be expected against a lesser opponent, coming off of a big win over Michigan, and finals weighing on everyone. But that has to be cleaned up. Against a good opponent, those lapses will turn into game-deciding runs.
4. Old Dominion is not a good shooting team (39% shooting on the season) and Illinois made them settle for jump shots, for the most part. Just 10 points in the paint for the Monarchs, and 36% shooting from the field. Other than AJ Oliver, their guards really struggled to score. Malik Curry zero points on 0-4 FG.
5. Illinois turns turnovers into points. This is one of the better transition teams in recent Illinois history after struggling to make good decisions in previous seasons. The Illini had 23 points off of 17 OD turnovers. 4 steals for Trent Frazier. That should move him into the top 10 in the B1G.
6. The Illini were a -2 in A/TO ratio. They entered the game 13th in the Big Ten with a +1.0. They are putting Giorgi B. in situations to feed the post a lot, and while he makes some great passes he turns it over too much. The guards weren't really the problem. Ayo, Trent, and Feliz combined for 8 assists and 3 turnovers.
7. Tevian Jones is a long way from contributing. He needs minutes. He was very tentative when he entered the game. But who do you get him PT against? NC A&T is probably the last chance to get him meaningful minutes and let him play through it. You wonder what the future holds for him.
8. Just 5 offensive rebounds for Illinois. That had to be a point of emphasis for OD heading into this game, and they did a great job keeping Illinois off of the offensive glass. The Illini the second best ORB team in the nation (40.6%). Kofi had 3 ORB, Giorgi had 1, and the team was credited with 1. That's it.
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