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Illinois Basketball: Illini were magical in first round of NIT

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 11, 2017; Champaign, IL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Mike Watkins (24) and forward Payton Banks (0) box out Illinois Fighting Illini center Maverick Morgan (22) during the first half at State Farm Center. Penn State beat Illinois 83 to 70. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 11, 2017; Champaign, IL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Mike Watkins (24) and forward Payton Banks (0) box out Illinois Fighting Illini center Maverick Morgan (22) during the first half at State Farm Center. Penn State beat Illinois 83 to 70. Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois basketball team went into last night’s game against Valparaiso without a full-time head coach.

This type of situation usually leads to a losing performance and moving on to the offseason to hire the right man for the job. But, this Illini team showed us something last night that we haven’t seen in a while.

Illinois not only started this game off strong, but they finished it just as well as they started. They ended up winning the game 82-57. This is the biggest winning margin for the Illini this season against a D1 opponent. They also had a 47 point win against McKendree the third game of the year, but they aren’t D1.

I went into this game hoping for a victory, but understanding if they didn’t come to play because their head coach just got fired and they missed the NCAA tournament. But, they won and that made me so happy.

From the tip-off, you could tell this Illinois basketball team was different. I don’t know if it felt like it because they were playing well and making shots or if it was actually the case, but something was not the same with this team.

The defense for the Illini was tough against Valpo the entire night. Granted, the Crusaders were missing some key players, but Illinois still came out punching and had a knockout early on. Valpo only shot 36.8-percent from the field and 16.7-percent from the three-point line.

Illinois dominated the rebounding margin as well 43-26. This was one of the best games I have seen Illinois rebound this season. They were aggressive and actually stayed around the hoop on offense so they could get second-chance points.

Malcolm Hill showed up last night and that was exciting. He dropped 25 points and the rest of the team picked him up in the other statistical categories. Leron Black led in rebounding with 12 on the night and Te’Jon Lucas led the team in assists with 6 as well.

Illinois fans had a chance to see Mike Thorne Jr. for 18 minutes last night. He didn’t play in the previous seven games but you have to utilize a man that size. He ended up scoring 7 points and pulling down 3 rebounds.

DJ Williams and Aaron Jordan saw some action as well. I still wonder what is up with those two but it was exciting to see a number of players that got to play last night.

For me, this season has been like if Disney World was run down. You envision this magical place as a kid and then you go there and the rides are all out of order and the grass is overgrown.

I had a vision in my head of what the Illinois basketball team would be this year and it was special. They were going to win and do great things, but at the end of the day, that didn’t happen.

Next: Is Cuonzo Martin really a good option?

But, for one night, that vision came true against Valpo. There was some magic in the air and it got me excited for the Illini once again.

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