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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Indiana

By Rees Woodcock

Jan 19, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) reacts to a call during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 19, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) reacts to a call during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – DECEMBER 10: RJ Melendez #15 of the Illinois Fighting Illini talks with head coach Brad Underwood during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Center on December 10, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

3. RJ Melendez had one of his best games

I am going to reiterate it in nearly every slide; Illinois played one of their worst games of the season on Thursday night. This was an absolutely horrible performance.

But there was one decently bright spot for the Orange and Blue. Overall, I was pretty happy with what I saw out of RJ Melendez.

Melendez has had a pretty quiet 2022-23 campaign. Coming into Thursday night, he had only had one double-digit scoring game in the prior 10 contests. That is how bad things had gotten for the talented sophomore.

I was impressed with Melendez against the Hoosiers, though. His defensive abilities probably stood out to me the most. I thought his hustle was solid, and he was able to shut Indiana down at times.

Offensively, Melendez ended up padding his stats toward the end, but overall, he still had a pretty good night. He finished with 10 points, four rebounds, and one steal on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range.

It is really hard to find anything good coming out of that 15-point loss to Indiana. I believe Melendez was one of the only bright spots. I hope he can continue playing solid basketball the rest of the way out because we are going to need him.

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