Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over St. Francis (PA)

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 18, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood directs his players during the second half against the Saint Francis Red Flash at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood directs his players during the second half against the Saint Francis Red Flash at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Illinois basketball
Nov 26, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Luke Goode (10) reacts after drawing a foul during the second half against the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Youth was playing early

I have wanted this for a while, and we finally got to see more of it on Saturday. Brad Underwood needed to play the young guys more. St. Francis (PA) felt the brunt of this youth movement.

The main player I wanted to see more of on the court was Luke Goode. Entering the game, Goode was averaging three points and two rebounds per contest. He hadn’t hit 10 minutes of action in either of the previous two contests. I wanted to see Goode on the floor.

Underwood decided to use Goode more against St. Francis (PA). Goode played early in the game and finished with six points, three rebounds, and one assist in 14 minutes of action.

Illinois fans got to see the other two freshmen on the court as well. RJ Melendez has played some this season, but he got nine minutes against St. Francis (PA) on Saturday. In the time he received, Melendez had five points, five rebounds, and four assists.

We also got to see 12 minutes out of Brandin Podziemski. He hasn’t played much this season, so it was nice to see the former Wisconsin Mr. Basketball on the court. Podziemski would drop seven points and two rebounds in the game.

Down the stretch this season, the young guns are going to be important for this Illinois program. We need these three freshmen for minutes and to see success. The time they received on Saturday is invaluable.

Home/Illinois Basketball