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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Penn State

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 23: Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Brad Underwood reacts after a play during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 23, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 23: Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Brad Underwood reacts after a play during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 23, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 23: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andres Feliz (10) talk as they walk on to the court during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 23, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 23: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andres Feliz (10) talk as they walk on to the court during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 23, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Trent didn’t have an efficient game

In general, this hasn’t been a great season for Trent Frazier. He started the year off in a weird way with trying to find the right dynamic between him and Ayo Dosunmu. There was a shift recently, though.

Frazier and Ayo started to gel over the last 10 games or so. Frazier started to play much better and was his regular self again. In seven out of the last 12 games, he has shot over 40-percent from the field. For being a high-volume shooter, that isn’t bad.

Mixed in there, though, are some stinker games. You will have that with a shooter. Just look at James Harden. There are nights where he shoots well from the field, but then there are nights he is 5-of-25 from the field. Frazier is very similar to that. He has had a few stinker games this season.

In the 12-game stretch I mentioned earlier, Frazier had a 4-of-18 game against Iowa where Illinois lost by 24 points. He also had two 3-of-10 games as well. On Saturday, against Penn State, Frazier had a 4-of-15 game. Shooting 26.7-percent from the field is not good.

I think Frazier would be the first to say that he had a bad game. He is that type of player where he owns his issues and would take the blame for a loss. This loss wasn’t just his fault, it was an entire team effort.

Illinois fans are going to get games like this out of Frazier. All shooters have them. I just feel bad for the next team that has to play him. He is going to come out guns blazing.

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