1. Illinois is a team without an identity
When Brad Underwood was hired as the head coach of the Illinois basketball team, I was hearing a lot about his style of basketball. The run and gun type of play that will put up points in a hurry. There are times I see this with the Illini but, honestly, I am not sure the identity of this team.
I look at Illinois and I can’t pinpoint who is going to step up each night. That is a good thing to an extent, but there needs to be those one or two players who are going to consistently give you at least 10 points per night. Then there will be a player or two that will shock people and put up a big number. That is how this thing should go.
As of right now, there is only one player I can count on every night to put up points and that is Trent Frazier. Although, he only put up six points against Notre Dame, most nights he can put the ball in the hoop.
I also don’t know if this Illinois team is a running team, if they are a back-to-the-basket on the low-post team or if they are a combination of both. It just seems like they don’t have confidence in what is going on. It feels like there is no chemistry with the team and that translates into a lost identity.
Illinois needs to figure out who they are as a program. They need to figure this out soon or the season could get lost quickly.