Illinois Basketball: Preview of games 11-15 for the Illini
By Eric Bruce
Grand Canyon Antelopes
Illinois finishes December against another team from the Western Athletic Conference. This time instead of facing the No. 2 preseason pick they will face the favorites to win the conference, Grand Canyon. Erstwhile NBA star Dan Majerle – who many of us remember from his days with the Phoenix Suns – coaches the Antelopes. Grand Canyon is located in Phoenix, so Majerle has not had to stray from his adopted hometown and the bright sunshine that he so clearly has always loved.
Most importantly, he is doing some good things with this team. In his fifth year at Grand Canyon, he has put together a program with a good reputation, and this might be one of his best teams yet.
The Antelopes have two preseason first team all-conference players. That includes Lindy’s preseason player of the year, Joshua Braun. Braun is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound redshirt senior, averaging 15.5 points per game at the time of this writing. Point guard Casey Benson is a senior, currently averaging 12 points per game. It is this guard play that is key to Grand Canyon’s success this season.
But they also have some frontcourt presence in 6-foot-7, 190-pound sophomore Oscar Frayer, who is averaging 11.3 points and 5 rebounds per game. Keonta Vernon is a beast on the boards, averaging 8 rebounds per game.
In short, all of these games are winnable affairs for the Illini, but only one of them could be considered easy by any rational standard for this Illini team. To me, this stretch of five games will make or break the Illini’s chances for the NCAA tournament. No losses to mid-majors and a win over a non-conference power five program will be extremely beneficial come March.
Next: 5 takeaways from the Illini win over Austin Peay
If the Illini can emerge from December with a 12-3 record, and go .500 in the remaining 16 Big Ten games, then they will be dancing again. However, one or two loses will put the Illini in a very difficult and pressure-filled situation during February and the Big Ten tournament.