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

4. Omar was bringing the Payne

It was a big-man showcase for the Illinois basketball team on Tuesday night. I thought the big man situation was going to be the Illini’s weakness, but that didn’t end up being the case at all.

Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk got the starting nod and performed well. Brad Underwood also unleashed Omar Payne from the bench, and he ended up having one of his best games since coming to Champaign.

Payne started a little slow, but he would round into form quickly. He would end up paying 13 minutes and finished with a stat line of seven points, three rebounds, two blocks, and one assist. The thing that shocked me the most was that Payne was effective on the offensive end of the court going 3-of-3 from the field.

Trent Frazier and Payne played a nice one-two game when he was on the court. They flowed together well. There was one play that stuck out to me when Payne set a pick and rolled to the hoop. Frazier dribbled a couple of times and lobbed the ball up for Payne to dunk it. It was a beautiful play and one that stuck in my memory.

Payne had some good defensive possessions as well. There was a key block down the stretch, and he was able to keep Michigan State’s big men down the entire time on the court.

The Verdonk-Payne one-two punch at the No. 5 spot worked on Tuesday night. Illinois was able to hold their own in the paint because of these two guys. I want Kofi back asap, but Verdonk and Payne give me hope that we can sustain if Kofi does miss more time.