Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Indiana

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Illinois’ Andre Curbello (5) runs the offense during the first half of the Indiana versus Illinois men’s basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022.Iu Il Bb 1h Curbello 1 /

3. A balanced bench for the Illini

I have been wondering why Brad Underwood hasn’t been using his bench very often recently. The bench play had gone pretty stagnant as of late, but they were called upon for some big minutes against the Hoosiers.

Five reserves got a chance to play meaningful minutes on Saturday, and each reserve played well for the Illini.

Andre Curbelo led the way for bench players with 12 minutes of action. He was a little wild, but Curbelo still shows sparks of his great ability. There was one play against Indiana where he literally ran circles around the Hoosiers and made a bucket. That is classic Curbelo.

Coleman Hawkins would receive nine minutes in the game followed by RJ Melendez who received eight minutes. Luke Goode and Omar Payne would each receive six minutes.

I was probably most shocked by the playing time for Melendez. Underwood has been sporadic when playing Melendez this season, so having him on the court is refreshing. He finished the game with two assists and two turnovers.

Underwood needs to keep using his bench in meaningful spots because we are probably going to need them when the Big Ten Tournament rolls around. You never know who will get in foul trouble, so we need players who have experience. The playing time the reserves are seeing right now is invaluable.

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