Illinois Basketball: Illini report card against North Carolina A&T

The Illinois basketball team looked sharp in their first game by beating North Carolina A&T 122-60.

The Illini basketball season is officially back. Illinois officially tipped off against North Carolina A&T at the State Farm Center. Despite this being the first game of the season, it is hard not to be excited about this team. Taking into consideration the competition the Illini went up against, let’s grade the performance of the team.

The Offense: A+

No matter who the opponent is, putting up 122 points is no easy task. The Illini were able to put up 58 in the first half and did not let off the gas, scoring 64 in the second half. One of the biggest concerns about this offense was its ability to spread the court and shoot three-pointers after the departure of Allen Griffin.

That question got answered quickly, as the Illini set a school record for three-pointers in a game with 17 shots made beyond the arch.

At one point in the first half, the Illini even went on a 29-0 run. The initial concerns with a team early on are how well they will mold together. As freshmen come in and players learn their roles, the early season jitters can certainly cause concern.

This was not an issue at all, as Adam Miller appears to be everything Illini fans had hoped for, tying Ayo Dosunmo with 28 points in the game.

The Defense: A-

The defense looked in control the entire game. North Carolina A&T could not get anything going at all in the first half. The only reason I don’t give them a perfect score is for the 41 points the Illini gave up in the second half.

Of course, Illinois was going to let up a little bit after being up by almost 40 points at the half, but there were some sloppy plays by the Illini defenders in the second half. Despite this, I’m not concerned about the defense moving forward.

Looking at individual performances for each player, let’s grade the Illini team.

Adam Miller: A+

Miller looked mature beyond his years. In his debut, he dropped 28 points, setting a school record for points scored in a freshman’s debut. He looked to be in control and was not forcing up shots on offense and was also playing solid defense, displaying his ability to play solid ball on both sides of the court. The freshman ended the game with six three-pointers.

Ayo Dosunmu: A+

The leader of this Illini team looked to be in mid-season form. Dosunmu finished the game with 28 points and made five three-pointers. He was also able to grab 10 rebounds in the game, starting off the season with a double-double. The junior is showing why he is in the conversation for national player of the year early on.

Kofi Cockburn: A-

The big man handled a much smaller North Carolina A&T team the way he was supposed to. You can tell that the Aggies had no chance against him. Cockburn finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, good for a double-double to start the season.

Giorgi Bezhanishvili: B+

While this grade may seem high for a player who finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, this grade has more to do with Giorgi finally looking comfortable.

Last season, Giorgi looked a little lost at times with Cockburn stepping into the new big man role. However, on Wednesday we saw a glimpse of the 2018-19 version of Giorgi we got excited about. If Giorgi can get into a groove, he can be a force off the bench.

Jacob Grandison: B+

It’s no secret that I am big on Grandison and today, he showed Illini fans why. The Holy Cross transfer finished the game with 10 points and 8 rebounds.

Grandison displayed his versatility on the court in his Illini debut and if he keeps playing this way, it would not be surprising to see Brad Underwood go to him as the first or second man off the bench going forward.

Da’Monte Williams: B

Williams did not finish with eye-popping stats, ending the game with 6 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, but he is not the type of player to put up 30 points in a game. He plays a very well-rounded game with solid defense, and this is what we saw against the Aggies. It was also nice to see him being able to spread the floor a bit, going 2-of-4 from three-point range.

Andre Curbelo: B-

Curbello, also a freshman, finished the game with 8 points and 6 assists. It was nice seeing Underwood give the freshman a good amount of playing time to see what we are working with.

Overall, I liked what I saw from Curbello, but there were certain aspects of his game that looked sloppy at times that won’t fly against Big Ten opponents. The more in-game experience will help, but there is a lot to be excited about.

Trent Frazier: D+

If you would have told me that the Illini would have scored 122 points in a game but Trent Frazier would have only scored six of those points, I would not have believed you.

Scoring zero points in the first half, Frazier looked ice-cold coming out of the gate. He finished shooting 2-of-10 on the day but did have 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

Despite the poor shooting day, Frazier looked calm and he took decent shots. I’m going to chalk this one up as early-season jitters for the senior. However, I would have liked to see him rolling along with the other Illini. The silver lining; it was nice to see him finish with two three-pointers.

The Illini look to keep things going tomorrow against Chicago State.