Illinois Basketball: Illini report card against the Ohio Bobcats

The Illinois basketball team narrowly escaped an upset Friday, beating Ohio 77-75.

Well, that was a lot closer than I anticipated. The Illinois basketball team looked flat coming out of the gate and never really had an answer for an energized Ohio team. The defense never really found an answer for Ohio guard, Jason Preston. Preston put up 31 points against the Illini, going toe to toe with Ayo Dosunmu for most of the game.

The silver lining of the game is that the Illini were tested early. It’s always interesting to see how a team responds to adversity early on in the season against lesser competition. I tip my cap to an Ohio team that came in with a lot of energy, but it was great to see several Illini step up in key moments to close out a victory to secure a 3-0 start to the season.

The Offense: B

There were several highlights from the offense, but overall it seemed like they could not get anything going consistently against a less talented Bobcat defense. I am still really waiting to see the Illini dominate inside the paint to take pressure off of their shooters. Ayo once again led the offense with 27 points.

The one aspect of their game that will not fly against Big Ten opponents will be the 16 turnovers in the game. The Illini will need to take care of the ball more going forward. Illinois only went 15-of-24 at the free throw line, something that will need to be improved upon going forward as well.

The Defense: C+

I tip my cap to Ohio for putting up good shots, but there were times that the Illini defenders just looked flat. There were several instances where players just did not have their hands up on shots, and the Illini simply did not apply a lot of pressure at the perimeter.

The Jason Preston/Ben Vander Plas duo was a puzzle that the Illini defense just could not figure out. I will chalk this one up as more of a good game for the duo than a bad defensive game for the Illini. But I have to admit, the lack of energy and the poor effort on several possessions was a big reason Ohio almost pulled off the upset.

Let’s take a look at the individual player performances for the Illinois basketball team.

Ayo Dosunmu: A

Ayo continues to prove early on why he is a preseason All-American. He finished the game with 27 points, notching his 1,000th career point with the Illini during the second half. The game also marked the first time in Ayo’s career that he was able to amass 20+ points in three consecutive games. Sit back and enjoy watching him this season, Illini fans. This kid is special.

Da’Monte Williams: A

I have been extremely happy with just how well Williams has been able to carry his late-season success into this season. He’s certainly filling the senior leadership role early, hitting several clutch shots in crucial moments. One of those shots included nailing a corner three to give the Illini the lead with 35 seconds to go in the second half. Williams finished the game with 10 rebounds and 11 points, giving him a double-double.

Kofi Cockburn: B

I am still waiting for Kofi to put up a monster game against these smaller teams. I thought Friday was going to be the day, but Kofi seemed to be frustrated at times that he was not getting the ball inside as much as he would have liked. Cockburn also had three turnovers in this one.

As much as I would have liked to see a more dominant performance, Cockburn went 6-fo-10 on the day, finishing with 13 points and 14 rebounds, giving him a double-double. I expect the Illini to have a more balanced approach that involves feeding Kofi the ball in the paint more often.

Trent Frazier: B-

Frazier went 2-of-3 from the field on Friday, finishing with 8 points on the day. The senior had a key steal late in the game and played solid defense throughout the game. I do knock him down a bit for going 3-of-6 at the free throw line, but his shot selection has been good thus far this season, which is promising.

It appears that the senior is taking a backseat role to freshman Adam Miller this season, so I think these lower-scoring games should be more expected from Frazier.

Adam Miller: C

Miller got off to an incredibly hot start in his first two games of the season. The freshman, however, came back down to earth in this one. Miller didn’t have a bad game by any means, finishing with 11 points. His inexperience showed a little in this one, taking some forced shots.

The final line of him shooting 4-of-11 from the floor and 0-of-4 from three-point range showed this. I expect Miller to learn from this game, but I like that he tried to take control and make something happen after having the hot hand of late.

The Bench: C-

The starters played significant minutes in the win over Ohio, but the intensity off the bench did not come out in this one.

One of the most exciting aspects of this Illini team was just how much depth they had coming into this season. I would have expected the depth to come into play, trying to wear down a thinner Ohio team, but it never happened. My colleague, Rees, pointed out that the bench was going to be a key for the Illini to get a victory in this one.

Aside from the five starters, the bench had only seven of the 77 points scored in this one. Giorgi Bezhanishvili had four points and Andre Curbelo had three points, but each had two turnovers in their limited time on the court. I was hoping Jacob Grandison would have played a bigger role in a game like this after his solid start, but he was a non-factor in this one.

The Illinois basketball program will look to build off of this game, as they are set to go up against the No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears next week in a much-anticipated matchup.