Illinois basketball good, bad, and ugly entering the stretch run of the 2021-22 season

Ugly

The ugly section goes hand-in-hand with the good slide. While it is nice to have a next-man-up mentality, I would like to see Illinois fully healthy and on the court all at the same time.

Illinois’ ugly so far this season has to be availability. This has been a massive issue during the 2021-22 campaign, and I am not sure when it will stop.

Kofi Cockburn missed the first three games of the season due to suspension related to NIL. He then got hit in the head on multiple occasions against Purdue, which left the big man with a concussion. Kofi would miss the Maryland and Michigan State games with concussion symptoms.

The point guard for the Illini, Andre Curbelo, has been rarely available this season. He missed the first game of the season but then played in four straight contests. After the Kansas State game, Curbelo dealt with some concussion issues, which sidelined him for 11 straight games.

Curbelo then had the chance to come back against Purdue. He about saved the Illini in the game against the Boilermakers, but we would fall just short. Curbelo would then play in the Maryland game but would miss the contest against No. 10 Michigan State due to health and safety protocols.

Even Trent Frazier missed a couple of games this season. He was out for the Jackson State and UT Rio Grande Valley games this season. Thankfully, Frazier has become one of the stabilizers for this program, though.

I haven’t even mentioned Austin Hutcherson, who was supposed to be a big contributor on the team this year. He finally got his chance to suit up for the Illini this season, but his year ended after just four games. Hutcherson is dealing with a sports hernia and is out for the rest of the 2021-22 campaign.

With all of that being said, it is amazing we are 14-5 right now. The ugly for the Illini is availability. This program hasn’t been able to get a fully healthy lineup on the court very often this season. Hopefully, we get some of the players back for the stretch run because we are going to need them.