Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Missouri

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Dec 22, 2022; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard DeAndre Gholston (4) drives to the basket as Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) defends during the first half at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

The Illinois basketball team has been struggling lately, and those struggles continued to be inflamed on Thursday night against Missouri.

I would argue this was one of the worst games for the Illini since Brad Underwood took over the program. Even in the 12-win campaign in year two, there were glimpses of hope. But this program is not only losing games, but we are losing them in a disappointing fashion.

Illinois was out of the Missouri game from the start. The Tigers played with more aggression, emotion, and skill on Thursday night. Missouri was, by far, the better program from the top down, and it pains me greatly to say that. This game was an absolute embarrassment. A 51-27 halftime deficit would end up turning into a 93-71 victory for Missouri.

Here are five observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Missouri.

1. Illinois needs more from Coleman Hawkins

Coming into the season and a few games in, one of the best players on the Illinois basketball team was Coleman Hawkins. He was supposed to be our leader.

On Thursday night, Hawkins didn’t even come close to being our leader. He wasn’t what we needed him to be in any form or fashion. In fact, this was arguably his worst game since joining the Illinois basketball program.

Hawkins would finish the night with four points and six rebounds but would also add six turnovers. He was 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 0-of-6 from three-point range. He just constantly looked lost on the court, and this killed the Illini.

There was one time this season when Hawkins was pegged as an NBA Draft pick by multiple outlets. He was looked at as one of the more intriguing players in college basketball because of his size and athletic ability. But I believe that is probably out the window now.

Hawkins needs to figure out his place on this team. It seems that there are some major chemistry issues, and he is right in the middle of it. If he can figure out his role and get playing better, then Illinois will win games. But, if he can’t, this team is going to continue to struggle.

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