Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to the Purdue Boilermakers

2. I was impressed with Luke Goode

I was disappointed by quite a few players on Sunday. The Illini looked awful in the first half, but we ended up clawing back and making this game competitive.

One of the reasons Illinois was even close to winning the Purdue game was due to the great play from Luke Goode. I would argue this was one of the best games Goode has had for the Illini in his career.

Goode would play just 16 minutes off the bench but would finish with 10 points, three rebounds, one steal, and one block on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and knocked down both of his three-pointers. He was efficient with the basketball, as he only had one turnover in the game.

There is something that Goode did that won’t show in the box score, though. He was a menace to Zach Edey. Yeah, I know, a 6-foot-7 player gave trouble to a 7-foot-4 big man. Crazy, right? But it is true. Goode would double-team Edey whenever he was in there. He was really good about not fouling the big man, and he had quick hands.

I also loved Goode’s hustle on the court. He was diving for the basketball quite often, and he would bring an energy that some of the other players weren’t bringing. There is one thing every single basketball player can bring to the court regardless if they are playing well or not. That one thing is hustle. Goode brings that hustle night in and night out.

Let’s also not forget, this roster is pretty much completely new to Goode. This was only his eighth game back from injury. He is still gelling with his teammates. I am excited to see what Goode brings to the program over the next couple of weeks.