The Illini are feeling themselves again, coming off two-straight wins in the Big Ten, and bringing their record to 11-5 on the season (2-3). After a 79-69 win over Wisconsin where the Illini were able to regain some of their early felt mojo, as well as some of the Illini’s top players, the trend of growth continued into Lincoln Nebraska. The Illini dominated the Huskers in Lincoln 76-50 and, once again, meshed well as a unit for the majority of the game. Defense was lockdown, which is business as usual for a long, athletic Brad Underwood team, but the exciting part is how smooth, for the majority of the game, this offense looked.
Terrance Shannon Jr. was able to grind himself out 25 points and 11 Rebounds on the game and, as a thing of beauty, was able to get to the rim with more effectiveness. Good coaching alway puts their leaders in the best position to be effective. As big and athletic of a player Shannon is, there is no reason that he should not be living around the rim on cuts and fast breaks. He is a linebacker on the court, and not many can stop him without fouling.
This team has desperately needed Illini veterans like Coleman Hawkins and Rj Melendez to step up and better the culture back to the standard of “Everyday Guys.” After a 20 point re-arrival for Coleman Hawkins against the Wisconsin Badgers, the 6’10 athletic forward had a team leading 5 assists, to pair with 12 points and a strong defensive performance. His energy has been high, and others are starting to feed on it. A certain uptick for the teams vocal leader, who has tirelessly fought to get the ball to start falling again. RJ Melendez had a nice game of his own vs the Huskers in Lincoln, hitting two 3- pointers, and scoring 10 of his own on the night. The kind of showing we have long awaited from RJ, and we can hope his scoring will continue to grow to where he was just a short season ago.
What to know: Michigan State
Brad Underwood and the scrapy Fighting Illini, have another big test in front of them Friday vs the Michigan State Spartans. The Spartans and Illini are se to tip at 8pm on Fox Sports 1, in Champaign for the annual “Orange Out.”
This game is a nice shot to really prove to the Big Ten and the rest of college basketball world that this Illinois team is a dang good squad, who has had a streak of vulnerability versus teams who could expose the sloppiness of a unit that had not yet meshed. Now that some steadiness has been found under their feet in the past week or so, it will be key that the Illini trust the process and stick strong to the game plan that has resurged them. Trust the zone, kill the turnovers, score around the rim, and use the zone to create opportunities for better looks at open 3 point shots.
The Spartans have a trio of scorers who average over 12 points per game. Their stars can run you out of the gym if you are not at the top of your defensive game. Certainly not music to the ears of Illini fans who have seen this team struggle to score mightily at times during the season thus far.
Senior Tyson Walker is the leader of this MSU offense, averaging 13.8 PPG, and 3 assists. Walker is shooting 40% from behind the Arc, and will be a big test for some young Illini Defenders, like Sincere Harris and Jayden Epps. Though he is not a very big player, walker is an aggressive and effective scorer from everywhere on the court, and is dangerous with every shot.
Joey Hauser, a 6’9 senior forward is less effective from 3 at 22% from behind the arc, but can absolutely dominate you on the glass. Hauser has a strong mid-range game with a 48% FG percentage, and averages 13.8 ppg, just .01 away from team leading scorer Tyson Walker. His big frame and athleticism will make it especially important that Coleman Hawkins and Dain Dainja play at the top of their games, as they have the past two outings. This matchup is key, and if Illinois allows Hauser to score at the top of his game uncontested, it’s gonna be a long night in Champaign. However, if the Illini front court players can settle into the game plan and make things happen on the glass, while staying true on the defensive end of the court, it will be a struggle for Joey to be a big time contributor.
A.J. Hoggard is another player for fans to keep their eyes on, as he can shoot well from mid-range at about 40%. Standing at 6’4, the tall guard can make you pay in that paint as well. A.J. leads the team in assists with 6.5 apg, and distributes the ball better than anyone on this squad. If Hoggard is cut off, the rest of the MSU offense struggles, which i’m sure will be a major point of emphasis for Underwood and his staff as they prepare for the 8pm matchup.
With losses to Gonzaga, Notre Dame, Alabama and newly hot Northwestern, the Spartans have really not lost any bad losses over the course of 2022. Further proving why this game will be such an important matchup for the Illini who are fighting to once again reach the AP top 25, and find themselves in high relevance. If you are able to pull off a win friday, it would be a good sell once again for Illinois to possibly find themselves scratching at the door of the Top 25. It would also bring the Illini’s conference record to 3-3, and of course getting to .500 in the Big Ten early, will be a big step for this team to keep momentum moving forward, and make big things happen before the 2023 regular season concludes.
Illini Now Prediction
If the Illini offense can continue to be competent vs MSU then I really believe Illinois has a shot to pull of a big upset with the momentum they are currently rolling with. The Illini stars match up really well with the Spartans top scorers. Coleman has a small size advantage over Joey Hauser, and when he is on, Hawkins is really hard to beat.
If freshman Harris and Epps can keep Tyson Walker from lighting you up, that’s the key. Walker takes advantages on weak points and thus far Harris and Epps have not disappointed, but it’s hard to ask true freshman to cover seniors, and do it really well. This matchup will be key, and I think we could see someone step up big time, for a big time game.
Illinois 77 Michigan State 70
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