Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Maryland

2. Bench was not trusted

In games this season, Illinois fans got to see the trio of freshmen on the court for the Illini. It is exciting to see the young guys playing, but against Maryland, the bench was clearly not trusted.

Only one of three freshmen played in the game and that was Luke Goode. He only received three minutes in the entire game and had one assist on the night. The other two freshmen – Brandin Podziemski and RJ Melendez – didn’t see a single second on the court.

Beyond the freshmen, other members of the bench weren’t trusted either. Omar Payne only played five minutes and had three points, one rebound, and one block. Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk received two minutes and had two fouls.

I think this game showed who Brad Underwood trusts when the chips are down. Illinois had some adversity in the first half, and Underwood really shortened his lineup. Coleman Hawkins is the sixth man off the bench at this point.

Hawkins played 19 minutes and finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and one steal. He had a pretty good game compared to what he has done for the past few weeks. But it is kind of eye-opening that Payne played the second-most off the bench and he only had five minutes.

Hopefully, the bench continues to develop, and Underwood doesn’t just stick with a six-man rotation. Illinois is going to need the bench come March. I think this is one of our strengths. Let’s use our strength.