Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Virginia

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Nov 20, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Armaan Franklin (4) shoots between Illinois Fighting Illini forward Dain Dainja (42) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard RJ Melendez (15) during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

3. The Illini defense played well

Losing any game to any team is not a good feeling, but this loss wasn’t due to the lack of defensive effort. We are a good defensive team and showed that against the Cavaliers.

Coming into the game on Sunday, Virginia was one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country. They were hitting their shots from deep at a clip of 51.6%, which ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Illinois was able to play some suffocating defense out on the perimeter, though. We held the Cavaliers to just 5-of-17, 29.4%, from three-point range on Sunday. This was a great effort by the Orange and Blue. We would close out with our hands up, and our switching was nearly flawless.

Virginia was also shooting well from the field heading into the game against Illinois. They were hitting 51.4% of their shots for the season, but on Sunday, the Illini held the Cavaliers to just 41.7% from the field.

The Illini also continued their strong performance when it comes to blocks and steals. Illinois had four blocks against Virginia, and that was with Dain Dainja putting up a goose egg in this column. We also had five steals as a team.

Moving forward, I have complete confidence in the Illinois defense. I thought we might lose some of the quality defense we played last season with so many key defenders departing, but that wasn’t the case at all. This is a really good defensive team.

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