Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Michigan State

2. Luke was so Goode off the bench

I have been screaming from the mountaintops, or at least from my keyboard, that Illinois should be playing the young guys more often. We have three freshmen that many regarded as top 100 recruits in the class of 2021. Let’s use that talent.

While Brad Underwood didn’t use all three freshmen on Tuesday night, he did manage to unleash Luke Goode. The Fort Wayne native is built for the Big Ten. He has a strong body and can knock down three-pointers on a consistent basis.

Goode provided so much support off the bench against Michigan State. He would play 28 minutes and finish with nine points, four rebounds, and two assists. Goode also hit 3-of-4 from three-point range on the night.

Without Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo, Illinois turns into a very thin team. We don’t have a ton of depth when those two are missing. We had to play Brandon Lieb for two minutes, and even that was nerve-wracking.

Illinois needed help, and Goode came to the rescue. You could see this kid had talent in the sparse minutes he has received throughout the year. Finally, he got a chance to shine.

The great thing about Goode isn’t just his three-point shooting ability either. He can play defense. Goode was locking down his offensive opponent the entire night. He is aggressive going for rebounds, and it seems like he hits the floor going for a ball. This kid has Illini blood through and through.