Illinois basketball is back in action against the Maryland Terrapins on Friday night.
The Illini is looking to improve their record to 7-1 in the Big Ten after having a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue on Monday. This is a chance for the Illini to take some of their anger out and put Maryland away early.
Here are four big questions for the Illinois basketball team against Maryland.
1. Will Curbelo be starting?
It was nice to have some semblance of a healthy team this past Monday, despite Illinois falling to the Purdue Boilermakers in double overtime.
Andre Curbelo was back in action, and he hit the court running. The kid finished with 20 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. But none of those is his best stat. A fan pointed out to me after the game the best stat of all was his zero turnovers in 26 minutes of action.
The performance Curbelo had against Purdue came from the bench. He didn’t get the starting nod, which is understandable considering the last time he played was November 2021. But Curbelo clearly looks good and healthy. He clearly has zero rust in his game. And he clearly should be a starter.
So, against Maryland on Friday night, I am going to be watching to see who ends up getting the starting nod. Will it be Curbelo or is Brad Underwood going to stick with bringing the magician off the bench?
Personally, I think Curbelo should replace Da’Monte Williams in the starting lineup. Illinois runs better with Curbelo on the court. He is a true point guard. This would give the Illini a more dynamic team.