Illinois Basketball: 3 takeaways from the Illini thumping of McNeese State

The women’s Illinois basketball team moved to 3-0 on Wednesday with another dominating performance.

If you weren’t impressed by the Illini winning their first two games by an average of 33 points per game, then how about you try a 62-point victory on for size? Illinois welcomed in McNeese State and sent the Cowgirls home with a 100-38 loss on Wednesday.

Here are three takeaways from the Illinois basketball win over McNeese State.

1. Shauna Green keeps impressing

It is hard to make an immediate impact as a new head coach. Usually, you have the same players as the previous regime, and those players tend to have bad habits. That is why the previous coach was fired.

But, from day one, Shauna Green has taken over the duties of leading the women’s Illinois basketball team and has done a great job every step of the way. She was able to bring in new faces who could help the program win games, and the development of the players who were still on the roster is evident.

On Wednesday afternoon, Green once again impressed me with her coaching abilities. Illinois laid the foot on the gas pedal and put McNeese State away early. This game ended up being a 100-38 drubbing.

A 62-point win was the second-largest margin of victory in program history. This was also Green’s third-straight 30-point win as the Illinois head coach. In the past six seasons combined, Illinois only had a total of three 30-point wins.

Every step of the way, Green impresses me. This thumping of McNeese State on Wednesday is just another case of that. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds.

2. Wins like these are needed for depth

Illinois had a 22-7 lead after the first quarter and expanded that lead to 52-12 at halftime. This game got out of hand quickly.

The obvious statement to say here is that blowing out a team is good for the program. We want to win by as many points as possible so we aren’t sweating at the end of the game. But I believe thumping McNeese State actually has an even bigger impact on the team.

Illinois’ starting lineup is solid. Kendall Bostic is one of the best bigs in the country on both ends of the court, and the rest of the starting unit can hit shots from anywhere on the court. But Illinois’ second rotation is where things get a little sticky.

I love what Jada Peebles and Genesis Bryant bring to the table. They both have a ton of experience. But the rest of the second unit, and beyond, need more playing time. Building up their confidence and experience now will only benefit them more when the Big Ten season rolls around.

That is why I love a good blowout. Shauna Green can now work on developing her bench. She can also see which freshmen can contribute to the team in year one. The minutes the reserves receive now are invaluable. Hopefully, there are more opportunities for reserve minutes later on in the season as well.

3. Illinois is a well-balanced program

In years past, the Illini have had one or two good players and the rest of the team is below-average. That isn’t the case this season.

As mentioned in the previous slide, I love Illinois’ starting rotation. There is so much talent with these five starters, and there are also a couple of good players coming off the bench. I think the balance of talent Illinois has on the roster is going to take them to great heights in 2022-23.

We aren’t a one-dimensional team this season. Illinois has great size in the paint with Kendall Bostic. She was averaging 10 points and 8.5 rebounds entering the McNeese State game and put up 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Cowgirls on Wednesday.

Illinois has plenty of perimeter help as well. I love the way the ball moves around the court and the ability of the Illini guards and wings to drive the ball to the hoop.

Entering the McNeese State game, Illinois was shooting 38.6% from three-point range, which is a great number. On Wednesday, the Illini surpassed that number and hit 47.4% of their three-pointers against the Cowgirls. We are going to win a lot of games shooting like that.

The balance of this Illini team is impressive. They can shoot from outside or work the ball inside. Look for this balance to win us a lot of games in 2022-23.