Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini loss to Purdue

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 17: Trevion Williams #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers saves the ball during the second half as Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk #13 of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on at State Farm Center on January 17, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

3. BBV for MVP

Thanks to the refs and their loose whistles when Kofi Cockburn got the ball, Illinois had to resort to some of their bench in the big man’s absence. No, it wasn’t Omar Payne who Brad Underwood relied on. It was Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk.

Before the game started, if I were told Verdonk would get 20 minutes of action, I would have said Purdue beat us by 20 or more points. This would have been a blowout loss.

What Verdonk did on Monday afternoon was nothing short of amazing. The kid had his chance to shine, and he flourished in the moment.

Verdonk would end the game with four points, four rebounds, two steals, and one assist in 20 minutes of action. The stat line is not going to pop out, but those numbers were crucial in Illinois keeping the game close. What was even more important was Verdonk’s defense.

Trevion Williams and Zach Edey were both tearing the Illini up on the inside. Verdonk stepped into the game and, for the most part, shut both of those big men down. He squared up on the two Purdue centers and held his ground. They weren’t prepared for Verdonk to be such a force.

I also loved the hustle by Verdonk. He was hitting the floor as he went for the ball. He kept the play alive, which would lead to Illinois points. The effort and heart Verdonk displayed on Monday were incredible. If it wasn’t for him, Purdue would have won this game by 10 or more points.

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