Illinois Basketball: 3 observations from the Illini win over Nebraska

3. We have five go-to scorers

It has been a long time since I have seen an Illinois team that has this much talent. I am not talking about recruiting talent necessarily, though. I am more talking about the natural talent that fits well together.

I can’t think of a time we had this much scoring talent either. Illinois currently has five go-to scorers on the roster. These are players I can rely on to go and get a bucket one way or another. That last time that has happened is probably the national title season.

Last night, the scoring repertoire was on full display for the Orange and Blue. Ayo Dosunmu led the way for the Illini with 18 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field. He was able to get his shot the entire night. When Illinois needed a basket, Ayo always answered.

Big man Kofi Cockburn was the second-leading scorer for Illinois. He did his usual thing dropping 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. His free throw shooting continues to impress too. Kofi was 5-of-7 from the charity stripe against Nebraska.

Illinois’ bench came through as Alan Griffin was able to knock down his shots. He scored 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and hit both of his free throws. If the starters are struggling, Griffin will come in and light the world on fire.

Andres Feliz and Trent Frazier round out the five go-to scorers for the Illini. They both dropped 11 points each on a combined 8-of-22 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 from three-point range. They were sensational for this team.

The firepower this program has on the offensive end is exciting. We have five players who I can trust will get a bucket at any time throughout the game. That is something I am not used to with this team.