Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Jackson State

3. Early playing time is crucial for the young guns

When it was announced that Andre Curbelo, Trent Frazier, and Austin Hutcherson would be joining Kofi Cockburn on the bench for the Jackson State game, I was kind of down because I wanted to see this Illinois team near full strength.

But, as the game went on, I actually think those four players missing time early on against bad teams isn’t a bad thing. In fact, I think the team is going to be better off with those four being out for games like the one against Jackson State.

With the four players sitting out, this gave our second and third level players more playing time and experience. This is going to help the team tremendously down the road, especially for the young players who just entered the program.

I was excited to see Luke Goode get so much playing time in his first game with the Illini. He played 17 minutes and was sensational on the court. Goode would finish the game with six points and four rebounds while going 2-of-3 from three-point range. It was a productive 17 minutes.

RJ Melendez got a lot of run as well. He put up good numbers going for five points and three rebounds, but the playing time Melendez and the other two freshmen received is more about getting them up to speed. The college game is a lot quicker and more physical than the high school game. I am glad they could experience this change.

I was happy to see Bradin Podziemski score his first points as a player for the Illini. He received five minutes on the court and was 1-of-2 from the free throw line. He also pulled down two rebounds in the short time he was playing.

While on paper it looked like the four key players missing was going to hurt Illinois, it was actually a good thing for this program. Illinois needed to get more playing time for the young guns, and that is exactly what happened on Tuesday night.