Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Quincy

3. This is a different team without Kofi Cockburn

I know, that sounds like an obvious statement. Illinois is different without their 7-foot big man on the court. What I mean by this is the mentality of the Illinois basketball program is completely different.

There used to be a gravitational force around Kofi. When the ball would cross the timeline, the main focus was always the big man, whether or not the ball actually got down to him. But he was the center of attention, and we would have him as a safety blanket in case nothing was going on around the perimeter.

That isn’t the case anymore, though. Illinois didn’t seem to have much in the way of an inside presence against Quincy. The starter at the No. 5 was Coleman Hawkins, who likes to play everywhere on the court. He is a good rebounder, though. That is a big plus for the Illini.

Dain Dainja did come in as Hawkins’ backup, but there are some concerns with him. My first impression is that he is a massive human being, but he doesn’t have much of a game. In high school, he probably dominated with his pure size, but that doesn’t happen in the college game. Dainja isn’t polished whatsoever. While he did finish with eight points and five rebounds in 16 minutes of action, I am not confident he can do that against Big Ten competition.

So, it is no wonder Illinois put up 34 three-pointers in the game. We don’t have Kofi and there isn’t anyone on the team right now who commands the attention Kofi commanded. This is going to be a major adjustment for the program. The next month or so is going to be crucial.