Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Ohio State

3. Glad to see Jayden Epps keep his confidence

Brad Underwood went with a lineup change against Ohio State. Instead of starting Sencire Harris, he went with another freshman in Jayden Epps.

This change actually made sense, considering Illinois’ lack of scoring against Indiana. Epps also gives Illinois more options on the offensive end of the court in general.

But, early on in the game, Epps struggled. He had some open shots from deep and kept missing. Within the first five minutes of the game, Epps was 0-of-2 from the field and had a turnover.

Usually, this means Underwood pulls the player and you don’t see him for large swaths at a time. That didn’t end up being the case on Tuesday night. Epps stayed in the game, and I believe this helped him with his confidence.

Yes, Epps didn’t start off well, but he settled into the game because he was given a chance to settle in. He wasn’t pulled for bad play.

The result of Underwood sticking with Epps proved to be good. With 5:50 to go in the first half, Ohio State was only down 21-19. From that point, Illinois would go on a 13-7 run. Epps would contribute six of those points during that stretch. This was a big turning point in the game.

By the end of the game, Epps would finish with 14 points, two rebounds, and one assist while going 5-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-8 from three-point range. He also knocked down both of his free throws.

Epps isn’t just the future of the Illinois basketball program. He is also the present. This kid is a great scorer of the basketball, and we need to continue to display his talents every night.