Illinois Basketball: 5 takeaways from the Illini loss to Wisconsin

3. Where in the world is Mark Smith

I have been massively disappointed with different players throughout my lifetime of being an Illinois fan, but what I am seeing with Mark Smith might take the cake for disappointment.

Now, I know Smith is only a true freshman. He is extremely young so there is a ton of time left for him to come around and become the high four-star caliber I thought we were getting coming out of the class of 2017.

As of right now, though, I am wondering where in the world is Mark Smith? Smith has disappeared on the basketball court. I am extremely confused on why he looks lost on the court. He doesn’t seem to be picking up the speed of the game and it isn’t getting any better.

Smith is then looked to for scoring and he hasn’t been able to provide that on a consistent basis either. He continues to attempt three-pointers, but he isn’t good at shooting from deep. Smith doesn’t really drive the ball much either. When he does, good things happen. He has good court vision and his strength is solid. But, he doesn’t drive the ball nearly enough.

I am curious where Smith has been. Hopefully, he starts showing up in conference play because what we have seen so far has been disappointing. Over the last six games, he has averaged 3.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. That is unacceptable.