Illinois came out on top for the second time vs Fred Hoiberg’s Nebraska Cornhuskers, and this time the score didn’t quite reflect on how scary the game actually was.
Little did any of us know that we were attending the Sam Griesel and Keisei Tominaga show when the illini tipped of at 6pm in Champaign. Griesel went off for 21 point and 6 rebounds on the day, and was the beating heart of this Nebraska team all night long. Griesel kept the game close for a the first 33+ minutes, but the Illini found a way to get it done.
Keisei Tominaga gave the Huskers a second wind when he and Sam Griesel started to become lights out at the midway point of the second half. After a big momentum swing, Tominaga capped off a 9-0 run with a huge two huge 3-pointers than forced the shocked Illini to call timeout, down two at the 10-minute mark of the second half.
However, at that point the young Illini leadership collected themselves, and forced a run of their own with 8 unanswered points. After regaining a rather large lead thanks to killer defensive and transition execution from Sincere Harris, the Illini only added to the matter. Illinois stellar defense shut Nebraska’s scoring down completely for final 6+ minutes of the game, and allowed Illinois to end it.
The Illini stars were “feeling it” shooting vs the Huskers as Coleman Hawkins, Matt Mayer and Terrance Shannon Jr. all found themselves in double digit scoring.
Mayer led the way for the Illini with 16 points and 6 rebounds. He went 3-11 from behind the arc, and 4-14 from the floor. Not the most efficient game , but when shots needed to fall, Matt found a way to make it happen with some big ones from behind the arc. Illinois was able to pull out of an early deficit due to Mayer stepping up and getting shots to go down.
Terrance Shannon Jr had 13 points on the night and led the way in assists for the Illini with five. It was nice to not see Terrance find himself in early foul trouble vs the Huskers, as he was able to establish some rhythm and keep himself on the floor for 32 minutes. At 6’6 and built like a linebacker, Shannon is a nightmare matchup for a lot of players across college basketball and keeping himself on the floor is crucial to this teams success.
Coleman Hawkins didn’t have the prettiest game on the stats sheet either, going 2-6 from the field and 0-3 from behind the arc, but he was able to scratch out 10 points on the night getting to the paint with some aggression, and causing the Husker’s to foul. Coleman can struggle with the decision at times to make things happen with his size inside the arc, and as talented as he is, with all of the size and athleticism he possesses, he can really frustrate teams with the fouls he can cause. This will only boost his stats and scoring, and you can see its a point of emphasis for him to get better at. Coleman snagged a team high 8 rebounds on the night as well, and led a really nice defensive effort all around for Illinois.
The biggest story line of this game however, is that freshman Sincere Harris, Ty Rodgers, and Jayden Epps were crucial in the Illini winning this game. Without this kind of depth, I don’t know that Illinois could hold off the Nebraska squad that just never let up until the final 6 minutes of the game.
Sincere Harris has been a hound on defense for the entire season, but it put on display in a big way vs the Huskers when things got tough, and it was time to lock down. His high energy on defense led to two huge turnovers and transition buckets in the second half for the Illini, sparking a game winning run that put the Illini out of striking distance for the Huskers. Harris finished the night with 8 points and 2 assists. A very solid and productive freshman performance.
Ty Rodgers finished the night with 7 points, and the best defensive performance of anyone on the floor. You can always count on Ty to bring the juice on defense, but Illinois would have really struggled to win this game without the efforts of the big Freshman on the defensive side of the ball. Nebraska really struggled to score around the rim in the second half of Tuesdays matchup, and that can be largely accounted to Rodger’s high effort defense,
Jayden Epps had a really productive performance vs the Huskers with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists on the night, coming in 3rd for the Illini in scoring on a night where four players found themselves in double digit scoring. Even beyond double digits, 6 players scored more than 7 points for Illinois, really bringing out that crucial depth. Again, much like Harris and Rodgers, these aren’t fantastic stats on paper, but to be able to dig into your bench this deep and ask players to step up and win you games, is the kind of depth Illinois has seeked for so long. Freshman that are not only able to contribute, but can step up and lead your team when you need the next man up to step up the leadership, is key to winning big games in February and March. Yet another sign that Illini basketball as a program is here to be a legit player in the Big Ten and all of college basketball for a long time.
Up Next
The Illini will look to extend their winning streak over Big Ten Star, and Future NBA prospect Kris Murray, who averages 20 PPG, and is shooting an insane 78% from the floor. Murray also lights it up from 3, as he shoots 50% from long range. This will be a massive test for both teams who have found themselves on a hot streak after some mid season struggles. Iowa is coming off of an impressive win vs the 2nd place Northwestern Wildcats, and in dominant fashion to add with a 86-70 victory. The Illini are also coming off of a tough win, and are barreling down a hot streak, winning 7 of their last 8 Big Ten matchups, and hoisting themselves into 2nd place of the Big Ten. A great game it’s sure to be, as the Illini and Hawkeyes tip off Saturday, February 4th at 1:30 pm on FOX.
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