Illinois Basketball: 5 takeaways from the Illini loss to Wisconsin part two

4. The need for a No. 5 grows

I kind of touched on this point a little earlier in this article, and I know I have harped on it in previous takeaways, but man, Illinois needs a big man in the worst way. They are absolutely getting dominated without a capable 6-foot-9 or bigger player in the paint.

Ethan Happ just dominated in the two games he played against Illinois. He couldn’t be stopped offensively. Honestly, I have said this before and I will say it again, Illinois has a bunch of non-caliber Big Ten players playing against NBA caliber talent. That is what happened with Happ on Thursday night.

This isn’t the first time it happened with a big man, though. Illinois has been getting dominated the entire year by capable big men. The Illini can’t afford to have their 6-foot-10, 235-pound big man – Michael Finke – play 22 minutes and only get four points and one rebound. That absolutely kills the program and is one of the main reasons we can’t win basketball games.

Did you know there have only been two games this season where Finke has pulled down double-digit rebounds? He had 10 rebounds against Nebraska, and he hit 10 rebounds against DII Augustana. That is it. He hasn’t been over three rebounds in the last six games. How is that even possible?

The need for a No. 5 continues to grow each and every game. Illinois needs to secure a capable big man for the 2018 season. This player will have to come via the graduate transfer market. When that market opens, you better believe Brad Underwood and his coaching staff will be calling every single player over 6-foot-9.