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Illinois Basketball: Illini showing heart is greatly appreciated

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 9, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Leron Black (12) shoots the ball as Michigan Wolverines forward D.J. Wilson (5) defends in the first half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Leron Black (12) shoots the ball as Michigan Wolverines forward D.J. Wilson (5) defends in the first half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois basketball team went into last night’s game against Boise State with high hopes for the future.

But the great part about watching the game yesterday is that Illinois didn’t just look ahead and mail it in. They came into the game against the Broncos and wanted to win.

On the court the Illini clearly hustled. They dove after balls and played with a passion that is appreciated by a fan. I wanted to see this team play like this the entire season and if they had a change at the top sooner maybe they would have.

This game was actually pretty close for a while but what really set the Illini apart from the Broncos was turning turnovers into points. This made a huge difference in the game and it helped Illinois win the game. Boise State had 16 turnovers in the game compared to Illinois only having 10.

I was also impressed with how great the seven-man rotation was last night as well. Jamall Walker has taken this team and made into his own. He has done a great job in the last two games and the results have shown with two straight wins.

Leron Black was a beast in the middle of the paint last night and he also sprinkled in a three-pointer as well. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds against Boise State. It was also greatly appreciated when he dove for a loose ball on the court early on in the game. This showed me he is all in this season and into the future.

I really enjoyed watching Te’Jon Lucas as well. His development this year has been fantastic to see and I can’t wait to see what he turns into as a player throughout the next three seasons.

Last night, Lucas dropped 7 points while also dishing out 7 assists and pulling down 6 rebounds. He is the complete package and having him paired up with Trent Frazier next year is going to be special. Some of the passes Lucas made last night made the fans gasp.

Overall, it was fun to watch the seniors win their final game at the State Farm Center. It was also fun to see what the future will look like and to see the young players playing.

Next: 5 reasons to be excited about Brad Underwood

Illinois fans get to see at least one more game this season. I hope there are a few more after that as well. I want to win this thing and go into next season with momentum. I believe that we will win.

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