Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes

2. Matthew Mayer played lights out

I don’t think I have ever seen an Illinois player develop into a dynamic playmaker this quickly in my life. Matthew Mayer went from an underwhelming talent to a superstar nearly overnight.

Iowa didn’t have an answer for Mayer all game long. He would end the contest with 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists while hitting 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from three-point range. He also knocked down all three free throws.

It is truly incredible what Mayer can do with the basketball. He is sensational when plays are called for him, but he is even better when we just get him the ball and let him go to work. Sometimes he does the insane NBA step-back move and knocks a three-pointer in your eye. But he also makes good basketball plays, and that is why he ends games with multiple assists.

Mayer continues to cook on the court. He has now scored at least 21 points in two of the past three games, and he has hit double-digit points in 13 out of the past 15 games. The only two games he didn’t hit double-digit points were the sick game against Indiana and the cupcake game against Bethune-Cookman.

Over the past three games, Mayer is 12-of-28 from three-point range. This comes out to 42.9%. That is a great number. It is also one of the reasons why I was mad at the end of the Iowa game. I know Jayden Epps is good at shooting, but that ball should have been in the hands of Mayer for the last-second shot.