Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Maryland

3. Grandison had his worst game of the season

I believe this slide goes hand-in-hand with the previous slide. Illinois needed to use their bench more because some of their starters were having a bad night. Jacob Grandison was one of those starters who was struggling.

Grandison has been sensational this season. He is averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while hitting 50.5% of his shots from the field and 50% from three-point range. Grandison is one of the main reasons Illinois has an 11-3 record.

But on Thursday night against Maryland, Grandison had his worst game of the season by a large margin. He finished the game with five points, two assists, one rebound, and one block. He also had two turnovers on the night and was only 2-of-12 from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range.

Grandison would play 31 minutes against the Terrapins. The previous worst game this season where Grandison played at least 20 minutes was against Missouri when he had nine points, six assists, and four rebounds on 3-of-7 shooting from the field.

This season has been amazing for Grandison. He has been a great Robin to Alfonso Plummer’s Batman, but against Maryland, Grandison was not good. I would argue he was bad.

That is why I want the bench more involved. Sometimes great players have bad nights. It happens to the best of the best. But we need someone to give Grandison a rest. Let’s utilize our guard-heavy bench more often.