Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to the Indiana Hoosiers

3. Illinois’ best player didn’t shoot the ball when it mattered

I love this Illinois basketball team because of the current talent and the potential I think the program has with the players on the court.

There are some great players on this team. Jayden Epps is going to be a true superstar once this team is his next season. I love what Ty Rodgers brings to the table every game as well. He is an athletic freak who will hold his own in the paint.

But when the game is close or tied and Illinois has the ball, I need to see the best player on the court taking the shots. I need to ride or die with Matthew Mayer driving to the hoop and getting to the free throw line or him taking the last-second three-pointer to tie the game.

Mayer was Illinois’ best offensive player the entire night. Yes, he went 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range in the first half compared to just 1-of-7 from the field and 0-of-4 from three-point range in the second half, but he is the best player and he needs the ball.

Illinois had a chance to squeak by Indiana if we could have made a few shots down the stretch. The player getting to the hoop was Jayden Epps. He made the choice to drive it instead of kicking the ball out to Mayer. Epps would then miss a free throw.

Mayer would come down the court with time expiring, and he passed it to RJ Melendez. Melendez was 0-of-6 from the field and 0-of-2 from three-point range against Indiana. Over his past 16 games, Melendez is 8-of-46 from three-point range, which is 17.4%. That is who ended up taking a game-tying three-point attempt.

I want the ball in Mayer’s hands for the final shots. He is the best shooter and playmaker on the team. This was his game to win or lose.