Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Michigan

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 10: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Aaron Jordan (23) celebrates after hitting a three point shot during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 10, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Illinois, honestly, didn’t play a bad game

No one likes a loss, especially at home. But, I don’t have much to complain about when it comes to how Illinois played in this game. They played a solid game and kept up with the Wolverines for a while.

I think the biggest gripe I have about the Illini is their bench. I mentioned their bench in the previous slide, so there is no reason to rehash that. Besides for the bench, I was a pretty happy camper.

The Illini starters played well for the most part. Three players were in double figures. Ayo Dosunmu led the way with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Giorgi Bezhanishvili continued to improve. He finished the night with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Trent Frazier dropped 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field. All three were a big part of this team.

Illinois didn’t get in foul trouble as well, and this helped the team keep in the game. Four of the Illini starters had three fouls, but the usual suspects didn’t foul out. Giorgi has had less than four fouls in only six of the 16 games this season. That is bad. But, he stayed out of foul trouble against Michigan. That made me happy.

Overall, I can’t be mad at how the Illini played. They didn’t go on huge droughts. They only had 14 turnovers. It was a solid game that didn’t come out the right way. More firepower will help this team in the future.

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