Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Chattanooga

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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – MARCH 18: Andre Curbelo #5 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts against the Chattanooga Mocs during the first half in the first round game of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 18, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

2. Bench play was non-existent

I have complained numerous times this season about Brad Underwood not using his bench. He has quite a few talented players riding the pine, but he normally uses the reserves for limited minutes.

Against Chattanooga, Underwood’s normal gameplan got even more restricted. Instead of using the bench like he normally does, Underwood shortened the lineup even more than normal.

The trio of talented freshmen didn’t see a single minute against the Mocs. Luke Goode and RJ Melendez are two of the main freshmen who get playing time, but they didn’t see the floor. I am shocked by this considering how badly Illinois was playing in the game.

Even the three bench players who did see action weren’t very good. The Illinois bench was a combined 2-of-8 from the field and 0-of-1 from three-point range. They only hit 4-of-7 from the charity stripe as well. The bench stat line read eight points, six rebounds, six assists, and six turnovers on the night.

If we want to advance any further in this NCAA tournament, the bench will need to expand, and they will all need to start playing better. There have been some big stinkers this season by the Illini bench, but this might have been the worst of the bunch. Somehow, we pulled out the win, though.

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