Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions
It was a rough Valentine’s Day night for the Illinois basketball program, as the Penn State Nittany Lions broke our hearts in a big way.
The Illini experienced a little déjà vu against Penn State. In the game back on December 10, the Nittany Lions caught fire and beat Illinois by 15 points. The same script happened on Tuesday, as Penn State would start hot and never cooled down.
Despite Illinois narrowing the deficit to single digits a couple of times, Penn State would continue to hit shot after shot. The final score of 93-81 in favor of the Nittany Lions was actually closer than how the game felt. The Illini were outplayed in this contest.
Here are five observations from the Illinois basketball loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions.
1. Ty Rodgers was phenomenal
There are things people will pick apart after falling to Penn State by double-digits again and rightfully so. Losing once to the Nittany Lions is painful, let alone getting swept by them.
But I want to give a shoutout to Ty Rodgers. He has really started to develop into a great player, and on Tuesday night, Rodgers was one of our best players on the court.
Rodgers would finish with a stat line of 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Those are solid numbers for a true freshman to put up, but I think Rodgers’ impact goes far beyond stats.
The style of play Rodgers brings to the table is perfect for Brad Underwood. Rodgers gets to the basket and is aggressive in the paint. He hasn’t even developed a college basketball body yet, and he is already backing upperclassmen down.
I would argue that the most impressive thing about Rodgers’ game is his leadership. You can see him developing his voice. He is great at communicating with his teammates. I was watching last night, and in previous games, what Rodgers does in transition and when Illinois is playing defense. He is calling out which man to cover, and he is communicating when screens are happening and where the opposing players are going.
I hate to lose, but there are little positives you can take even from a loss. It is a joy to watch Rodgers develop before our eyes. This kid will be a star.