By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular
February 18, 2024
(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)
The Illini got another roadkill, their first one at Maryland since the 2011-12 season as they grabbed an 88-80 win to stay alone in 2nd place in the Big Ten. Terrence Shannon scored 27 points, and Marcus Domask had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Illinois to their 19th win and a solid 10-4 record in conference play. Coleman Hawkins added 14 points and 7 rebounds and Justin Harmon added 10 bench points for Illinois to offset a 28-point performance from Jahmir Young.
Deep Thoughts
-When Illinois lost to Maryland in Champaign they didn't have Shannon and obviously his 27 points were huge. But his defense in blocking 4 shots and forcing Jahmir Young into 8-23 shooting may have been just as important.
-Illinois still allows too many paint touches and really needs to work on their closeouts being under control. But they used varied defenses against ball screens, post-trapped and even played some zone. With a team that isn’t great defensively, they have to vary things to be successful.
-It was a very oddly officiated game, and neither team really knew what was and wasn’t a foul. When both teams attack the rim, it puts pressure on the officials to make calls and they were not very consistent yesterday. I counted 17 missed fouls or bad foul calls in the second half rewatch.
-Marcus Domask may look a little bit like Rocky Balboa following some incidental contact that led to a shiner. He again showed a diverse ability to score on drives, post ups and jumpers. He also made some elite passes.
-Illinois scored 1.250 PPP against the #7 defense in the country and are now at #4 in offensive efficiency on KenPom. They did it while shooting 5-20 from 3 and 0-8 from 3 in the 2nd half. Although this team isn’t great at any one thing offensively, they're good at everything.
-Luke Goode continues to struggle, and it is mostly mental right now. He is trying too hard and thus is making plays that are out of character. The best thing to do is play within yourself and be the player that you are, not the player you aren’t.
-Justin Harmon made some big plays down the stretch on both ends. He also did a nice job defensively on Young. He has been a better on ball defender and is a very valuable bench player for the Illini.
-Ty Rodgers was a +20 in his 28 minutes, but battled foul trouble. Rodgers makes a lot of winning plays, but tends to make some mistakes on the defensive end that leads to fouls. I did like that Illinois used him more at the PF spot yesterday, actually having Domask defend the 4 man and using him as a PF on offense in the dunker spot.
Notable
The Wrap
This is a massive road win and the first win for Brad Underwood in College Park. Illinois has solidified itself as the 2nd team in the Big Ten and now have an opportunity to string a couple more wins together, beginning at Happy Valley on Wednesday. As other teams lose, they have a great chance to slide into a 3, or even a 2 seed, with a strong finish.
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