Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Notre Dame

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 29: Trent Frazier #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives the lane against Blake Wesley #0 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at State Farm Center on November 29, 2021 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

After a rocky couple of games, the Illinois basketball team has corrected the ship and has now won three-straight games.

Illinois went into the Notre Dame game on Monday as a 4.5-point favorite. This line was put into place with the thought that the Illini would be missing a few key players. Just before game time, it was announced that a couple of those players were good to go.

With nearly all of the roster on the court, Illinois looked great. They took a seven-point halftime lead and extended it to a 10-point win, 82-72, over the Fighting Irish.

Here are four observations from the Illinois basketball win over Notre Dame.

1. The bench came through for Illinois

With Andre Curbelo still on the mend, the Illinois basketball team needed a shot in the arm from somewhere. They got that with their tremendous bench play on Monday night.

Illinois’ starters played well and had big games, but the bench really helped this team pull through and take down Notre dame.

Jacob Grandison and Trent Frazier both came off the bench against the Fighting Irish. Grandison finished the game with nine points, four rebounds, four assists, and shot 3-of-4 from three-point range. It was one of his better games this season.

Having Frazier back in the fold was nice too. He put up solid numbers off the bench with seven points, six assists, and one steal. While his shooting isn’t where I want it to be, the defensive effort from Frazier is invaluable.

I also loved what Luke Goode provided off the bench. In the big questions article leading up to the game, I wanted to see if Brad Underwood trusted Goode. I wanted to see if Goode was going to see solid minutes as a bench player.

Goode would end up getting 12 minutes in the game and was sensational on the court. He finished with three points, two rebounds, and one steal and went 1-of-2 from three-point range. I think it was Goode’s grit that really got Illini Nation excited. He fought over a ball on the baseline and got into a little scuffle. It was amazing to watch.

The bench came through for the Illini on Monday night. If we can get 19 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds, two steals, and one block from the bench in every game, then Illinois is going to win a lot of games this season.

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