Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini loss to Loyola-Chicago

4. Let’s get excited about Adam Miller

I mentioned in the second slide how Andre Curbelo is clearly the future of the Illinois basketball program. He is going to be special, but he isn’t the only one Illini fans should be excited about. Let’s start getting excited about Adam Miller.

Miller had some serious struggles earlier in the season. Midway through the Big Ten slate, the kid was being questioned about how good he really is on the court. There was a stretch of three games in there where he had a total of 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists while coughing the ball up on four different occasions.

Slowly but surely, the maturation of Miller started to happen. He needed those rough games so he could learn what is wrong with his game. This is all a part of his development. He quickly learned what he needed to do and has been correcting things since.

Like Curbelo, Miller also played well during the postseason, which included the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA tournament. He was needed in both events, and Miller rose to the challenge.

Miller finished postseason play averaging 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1.4 assists. On top of that, he only had four total turnovers during the five-game stretch while also shooting 48.5-percent from the field and 37-percent from three-point range. That is extremely efficient basketball during a crucial time of the season.

At the end of the day, Illinois had a major letdown game. But the future is so bright for this program. I would argue the Illini freshmen stepped up when we needed them the most. I can’t wait to see what they can do when this is their team.