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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Penn State

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts off the bench during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts off the bench during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Skyy Clark (55) dunks the ball during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Skyy Clark (55) dunks the ball during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Skyy Clark had one of his best games

Most of the Illinois starters had a bad game. Even Matthew Mayer, who scored a team-high 14 points, didn’t have a good game. Nearly everyone in college basketball can score 14 points on 11 shots.

The one starter who did have a good game was freshman, Skyy Clark. Coming into the game against Penn State, I was watching to see if Clark could start getting in a groove.

Clark hasn’t had a bad year by any means, but he is still trying to adjust to the college game. He is also trying to adjust to his role on the team. On Saturday, Clark took a huge step in adjusting to that role.

I believe Clark had his best game of the season against Penn State. He finished the game with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one block while shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. He also had just one turnover on the day.

Clark can truly do everything on the court. He is starting to show his three-point prowess, as he hit the most three-point shots on Saturday. He also led the Illini in rebounding and blocks, and Clark was second on the team in scoring.

There is a lot of bad Illinois fans are taking from this loss to Penn State, but one silver lining you can take is the continued emergence of Clark. As mentioned in the previous slide, Brad Underwood is looking for leadership, and maybe he has that leadership in the form of a freshman in Clark.

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