Illinois Basketball: 5 big questions for the Illini against Marquette

5. What type of production does the Illinois bench give us?

I feel like Brad Underwood is pretty set on the starting lineup moving forward. No. 1 Ty Rodgers, No. 2 Terrence Shannon Jr., No. 3 Marcus Domask, No. 4 Quincy Guerrier, and No. 5 Coleman Hawkins seem like the go-to starting lineup right now.

Behind these five talented players is a handful of guys who can play some big-time minutes. They have all of the talent in the world, but when they get called upon, they need to come through for the program.

The only bench player to really have a good game against Oakland this past week was Dain Dainja. He had 10 points, seven rebounds, and one block in 19 minutes of action. Besides for him, the Illinois bench struggled.

So, on Tuesday against Marquette, a big question I have is; what type of production does Illinois get out of the bench?

I was surprised by the lack of production from the Illinois bench against the Golden Grizzlies. Justin Harmon, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, and Luke Goode gave the Illini one point. They were 0-of-6 from the field, 0-of-2 from three-point range, and made 1-of-2 from the free throw line.

Illinois needs more production from those three players. Harmon is a graduate transfer who has a ton of experience. Goode is a three-point shooter who needs to knock down a couple of three-pointers in each game. And Gibbs-Lawhorn is a great slasher. He should be able to get to the free throw line for at least four attempts in each contest.

If Illinois wants any chance to win on Tuesday night, these three players need to step up. I know they are better than one point. Let’s see it against the Golden Eagles.