Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Marquette

3. Luke Goode comes through for the Illinois bench

Brad Underwood went five players deep on the bench against Marquette, but only one really helped Illinois offensively.

The combination of Amani Hansberry, Dain Dainja, and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn played a total of 16 minutes and failed to score a single point. They were a combined 0-of-5 from the floor. But, thankfully, the Illini had someone else step up when it came to scoring.

Coming into the season, I was excited to see what Luke Goode could do for Illinois. He was our best shooter in the 10 games he played at the end of last season, but he is finally healthy. We are getting to see what a healthy Goode looks like, and it is awesome.

Goode gave us a glimpse of his true potential against Eastern Illinois by hitting 3-of-5 from three-point range for nine points. He didn’t get many opportunities against Oakland, only shooting two three-pointers and missing both.

Last night against Marquette was huge, though. Goode registered 19 minutes of action and was a spark plug off the bench. He finished the game with 13 points and four rebounds while going 4-of-7 from three-point range. He also hit 1-of-2 from the free throw line.

Getting 13 points off the bench from Goode kept Illinois in the game. When the Golden Eagles would start to pull away, Goode would knock down a clutch shot. This was specifically noticeable when Marquette went up eight points and Goode knocked down a three-pointer at the end of the first half.

Goode gives Illinois another three-point scoring threat. If he can continue hitting at a high clip, we should be able to win a lot of games in 2023-24.