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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Lindenwood

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 25, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half at State Farm Center against the Lindenwood Lions.Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half at State Farm Center against the Lindenwood Lions.Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 20, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) reacts during a free throw attempt against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Still slightly concerned with turnovers

This brand of Illinois basketball is extremely fun to watch. We are running the court, passing well, and the electricity of a big-time three-pointer or dunk is exciting. But this style also comes with some bumps in the road. Not everything runs smoothly.

The biggest issue, and really one of the only issues, I have with the Illini right now is sloppy play. Naturally, the quicker you play, the more opportunities there are for turnovers. But Illinois’ turnovers are starting to get a little bit out of hand.

Before the game on Friday, the Illini were averaging 15.6 turnovers per game. This was bad enough to rank No. 294 out of 363 teams in DI basketball. That is not a good number whatsoever. But, just wait, it gets worse.

Against a bad Lindenwood team, Illinois didn’t tighten up the turnover issue. In fact, it actually got worse. The Illini had 22 turnovers against the Lions on Friday. The leader of the pack was Coleman Hawkins who had six turnovers on the night.

I am glad this was just Lindenwood and not a good team. Just think about that for a second. Illinois can win by 33 points and cough the ball up 22 times. Just imagine the score if we were better with the basketball.

After the win over the Lions, Illinois is now averaging 16.7 turnovers per game, and we rank No. 334 in the nation. One would think the turnover issue would improve against a bad team. That wasn’t the case. This issue worries me a little bit.

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