Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Northwestern

5. Illinois should utilize Dain Dainja more often

It is frustrating to see Illinois try to force their way into offense. They dribble the ball around without a purpose. They pass up open shots and the result ends up being a turnover or an even worse shot from the field. None of it makes sense.

When the Illini are missing from the outside or things seem to be coming off the rails, why not start utilizing Dain Dainja in the paint? He could be a calming presence for the Illini and someone who could open up shots from the outside.

Dainja would put up a solid stat line against Northwestern. He finished the game with nine points, nine rebounds, and three blocks while going 4-of-6 from the field. He only played 24 minutes, though. That is the thing that bothers me the most.

Illinois would shoot 28.6% from three-point range against the Wildcats. This isn’t our specialty, but we have players who keep chucking the ball up and hoping it goes in. When shots aren’t falling, we should start going to Dainja more often.

When you lay out the per 40 minutes stats, meaning if each player played the entire game, Dainja has some of the best numbers on the team. He has the athletic ability to dominate opposing teams. If we start using Dainja in the paint more often, then I think we can turn this season around. Until then, I don’t see us being too competitive.