Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini against UT Rio Grande Valley

4. Can the mainstays break the schneid?

One thing that has confused me greatly this season is the terrible play from our experienced players, mainly Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams.

What I want to happen for these two veterans is for them to get off the schneid. I want to see the two great players play well and start getting hot at a good point in this season.

Frazier’s rough start is the most shocking to me. He is having the worst season of his career this year through five games. Frazier is averaging 8.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting just 33.3% from three-point range and 28.9% from the field.

The points, three-point percentage, and field goal percentages are the lowest of Frazier’s career.

Williams is also having career lows this season. He is averaging 3.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 18.2% from three-point range and 18.5% from the field.

While Williams’ rebounding is his career-high, his shooting from three-point range and from the field are career lows.

But guess what? We are only five games into the 2021-22 campaign. There is plenty of time for the two super seniors to start playing well. UT Rio Grande Valley would be a great game to gain confidence and start playing well.

I will be watching Frazier and Williams on Friday night. I am rooting for these guys to get going. Hopefully, they can get on track because we need them if we want to advance in the NCAA tournament.