Illinois Basketball: Takeaways from the Illini loss to New Mexico State

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – DECEMBER 16: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts during the game against the New Mexico State Aggies at United Center on December 16, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

The Illinois basketball team went up to Chicago to take on New Mexico State and came away with a loss.

So far, this season, losing to the Aggies has been the worst loss for the Illini. Illinois should always be better than a team like New Mexico State and they just weren’t on Saturday night. Now the Illini are 8-5 on the season and looking for answers.

There were some players who played well for the Illini last night, though. I really like how Leron Black ended up playing despite coming off an injury. He dropped 17 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. I like his aggression, but I would like to see him be more open to passing the ball.

Te’Jon Lucas had an efficient game for the Illini. He ended up with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. He also only had one turnover as well.

I was really impressed with Trent Frazier off the bench. He ended up with 13 points and was electric when he was in the game.

There were some things you could take away from this game that could help the team moving forward. Here are my takeaways from the Illini loss to New Mexico State.

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