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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 /
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Dec 18, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jacob Grandison (3), center, watch the action in the final minute of 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 guard Jacob Grandison (3), center, watch the action in the final minute of the second half against the Saint Francis Red Flash at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Lineup was changed

I thought Illinois needed to do something with their lineup after the Arizona loss. Brad Underwood hasn’t been afraid to change things up, but the change we saw against St. Francis (PA) is not what I was expecting.

Da’Monte Williams has struggled greatly this season, so I thought if anyone was going to be switched out of the starting lineup it would be him. I was wrong. Coleman Hawkins was the player to get placed on the bench.

Hawkins hasn’t played great basketball as of late, but he is a bigger source of scoring than Williams. But he is also pretty inexperienced, so maybe Underwood wanted to stick with the super-senior for that knowledge on the court.

The player to replace Hawkins was Jacob Grandison. This doesn’t come as a surprise as Grandison has played well this season. He had another great game on Saturday finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, and two assists on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.

I am still not a huge fan of the starting lineup right now. I can’t complain because we won the game by a wide margin, but I think we can be even better if the starting lineup was different. With that being said, a win is a win, and I am a happy camper.

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