Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss vs Purdue

3. RJ Melendez has earned more time

I have preached this so much this season, but I am will say it again. Brad Underwood needs to play the Illinois freshmen more often.

On Tuesday night, the emergence of RJ Melendez was a refreshing sight. He was a top 75 recruit from the 2021 class but hadn’t played a ton this season.

Melendez finally got his chance to shine against Purdue. He would finish the game with eight points, two rebounds, one steal, and one assist while shooting 3-of-3 from the field and made his only three-pointer and free throw.

While Underwood hasn’t given Melendez a lot of playing time – averaging just 7.4 minutes per game – his per 40 minutes stats are quite impressive. For those of you wondering, per 40 minutes stats are if you average out the numbers of a player if the player played the entire 40 minutes in a game.

When you look at Melendez’s per 40 minutes numbers, he is one of the best on the team in nearly every statistical category. He would be averaging 16.3 points, which is No. 4 on the team. He would average 8.5 rebounds, which is No. 7 on the team. Melendez would average 3.7 assists and a field goal percentage of 57.6%, both of which would be No. 4 on the team.

The one stat that stood out the most would be Melendez’s three-point shooting. His per 40 minutes three-point percentage would be 71.4%, which would be leading the Illini. Granted, Melendez doesn’t get a chance to shoot too many three-pointers, but he is 5-of-7 from behind the three-point arc this season. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to explore whether he can help the program with his shooting ability.

On Tuesday night against Purdue, Melendez provided a spark for the Illinois basketball program. The numbers he provided the Illini fall in line with the numbers that project out in the per 40 minutes stats. I believe this kid has earned more playing time.