Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Wisconsin

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 2, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini players celebrate in the closing minute during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini players celebrate in the closing minute during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Feb 2, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) drives to the basket as Wisconsin Badgers center Chris Vogt (33) defends during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) drives to the basket as Wisconsin Badgers center Chris Vogt (33) defends during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Glimpse of the potential

One of the rarest things in college basketball this season has been a fully healthy Illinois basketball program. I literally can count on one hand the number of times Illinois has displayed their full lineup, and I don’t even have to use all five fingers.

Coming into the Wisconsin game, there had only been three contests this season where both Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo suited up on the same night. On Wednesday, we all witnessed this occasion for the fourth time during the 2021-22 campaign.

Kofi started and dominated the game. As mentioned in the previous slide, he would finish with 37 points and 12 rebounds. Curbelo’s presence was a nice spark for the Illini as well.

Curbelo is traditionally a starter for the Orange and Blue, but since he has missed so much time this year, Brad Underwood clearly wants to ease him back into the starting lineup. Curbelo would come off the bench against Wisconsin and give the Illini 11 minutes of action. He would finish with seven points, two assists, and one steal, but he also had two turnovers.

I am not too worried about Curbelo’s play as far as the turnovers go. The thing that excites me the most is the fact he is on the court and the team can start gelling with him. We finally got to see a glimpse of the true potential of the Illinois basketball program. We managed to beat the No. 11 team in the nation by 13 points, and as a team, we didn’t shoot well.

The future is so bright for the Illini. We are just dipping our toes into the potential water. Come March, this team is going to be a well-oiled machine.

Home/Illinois Basketball