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Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Missouri

By Rees Woodcock

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood watches from the baseline during a NCAA Big Ten Conference men's basketball game against Iowa, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.211206 Ill Iowa Mbb 034 Jpg
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood watches from the baseline during a NCAA Big Ten Conference men's basketball game against Iowa, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.211206 Ill Iowa Mbb 034 Jpg /
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Illinois basketball
Dec 18, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) along with teammate Alfonso Plummer (11) watch the action with head coach Brad Underwood during the second half against the Saint Francis Red Flash at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Illinois basketball went into the Braggin’ Rights game and made Missouri look like a mid-major program.

It was adorable when Missouri thought they had a chance down just six points midway through the first half. The Illini then hit another gear and tore the Tigers apart. A 14-point halftime lead turned into a 25-point victory, and the game wasn’t even that close.

Here are four observations from the Illinois basketball win over Missouri.

1. Podziemski has a bright future

Illinois was blowing Missouri out of the water on Wednesday night, and this enabled some of the bench guys to get good minutes.

One player I have wanted to see more of this season is freshman, Brandin Podziemski. The former Wisconsin Mr. Basketball had a lot of hype in my eyes, and I wanted to see what he could do against solid competition.

On Wednesday night, we got to see what Podziemski could do on the court. Brad Underwood let him loose, and the kid didn’t disappoint. The game clearly comes naturally to him. He is a smart player and knows where he is on the court at all times.

I love Podziemski’s shooting touch as well. Before the Braggin’ Rights game, we hadn’t seen the true scope of what he could do on the court. But Podziemski gave us a little taste of everything against Missouri. He was 3-of-3 from the field and 1-of-1 from three-point range. He finished with seven points on the night and even pulled down three rebounds.

And I know this is something simple, but there was a reverse layup toward the end of the game that really opened my eyes. Podziemski drove to the bucket and had the knowledge of the game to not just try a simple layup that would have been blocked. The kid went and did a reverse layup off of the glass. It was one of those plays where you could tell he can think on the fly, and that is exciting.

We have only seen limited time from Podziemski, but I truly think this kid has a bright future. Next season, he is going to get his shot at being a starter. That is when we really get to see him blossom.

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