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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Ohio State

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 26, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Matthew Mayer (24) and forward Ty Rodgers (20) and guard Sencire Harris (1) and forward Coleman Hawkins (33) during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Matthew Mayer (24) and forward Ty Rodgers (20) and guard Sencire Harris (1) and forward Coleman Hawkins (33) during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 26, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) controls the ball as Illinois Fighting Illini guard Sencire Harris (1) defends during the second half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) controls the ball as Illinois Fighting Illini guard Sencire Harris (1) defends during the second half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Illinois freshmen give me a ton of hope for the future

Losing by 12 points to one of the worst teams in the Big Ten is terrible, but the future of the Illinois basketball program is still very bright.

Despite the weird team we have this season and the patchwork feel of it, I think the Illini are about to enter a great period for the program, which will be led by the three freshmen on the team right now.

Ty Rodgers, Jayden Epps, and Sencire Harris are the present and future of the Orange and Blue. Even with the program struggling, these three seem to bring the energy and talent each and every night.

Against Ohio State, I was consistently pleased with how the freshmen were playing. Rodgers is everywhere on the court. I would argue he is turning into the best rebounder on the team.

Harris had another good game. While his shot isn’t there yet, he creates a lot of offense with his speed. When Harris gets a rebound, he pushes the ball up the court and this creates transition buckets.

I want to give Epps some time for his offensive game to come around. He is super inconsistent when it comes to shooting three-pointers, but you can tell his game has the potential to be special.

Each time Illinois has a disappointing loss, I have to keep thinking the future will be bright. These three freshmen are special, and we have a good recruiting class coming in for 2023 and 2024.

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