Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the win against DePaul

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 17: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Oklahoma State Cowboys argues a call against the Michigan Wolverines during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 17, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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1. Kipper Nichols got out of his funk

The last game against UT Martin was a head scratcher for Kipper Nichols. He only played 12 minutes but that was because he was meek inside the lane, and he was getting dominated just about everywhere on the court.

In addition to Nichols not being good on the offensive end, he was also getting plowed over on the defensive end as well. This glaring issue really came to light when UT Martin was left open by Nichols coming down the stretch and they hit a big three to narrow the margin. Things needed to get better with Nichols.

That is exactly what happened on Friday night. Nichols was back to the player I expected to see the entire year. He was everywhere on the court doing everything to get a win.

Nichols finished the night playing 25 minutes and in that time dropped 16 points and pulled down 4 rebounds. He was aggressive in the lane on both the defensive and offensive ends of the court and this helped propel the Illini to a victory.

Illinois can also use his three-point shooting as well. He was the second-leading scorer on the team, and it is clear he is comfortable on the three-point arc. Nichols was utilized perfectly in this game and he was present. That is what I want to see the rest of the season.

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