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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Saint Peter’s

By Rees Woodcock

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 02: Genesis Bryant #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini interacts with teammates in the first half of the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second round of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament at Target Center on March 2, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MARCH 02: Genesis Bryant #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini interacts with teammates in the first half of the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second round of the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament at Target Center on March 2, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 02: Head coach Shauna Green of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the first half of the game in the second round of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament at Target Center on March 2, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

The women’s Illinois basketball program welcomed the Saint Peter’s Peacocks on Wednesday afternoon.

Heading into the game, the Illini were clearly a better team, as Saint Peter’s failed to win a game last season and was just 1-1 this season. Even though we were the better program, the result was still a bit shocking.

Illinois took control of the game early on, leading 27-4 after the first quarter. The only reason the Peacocks had four points was due to a last-second bucket. This trouncing continued, and Illinois would eventually win the game, 103-33. This was the second-largest margin of victory in program history.

Here are five observations from the Illinois basketball win over Saint Peter’s

1. The Illinois bench needed these minutes

There are plenty of good things to come out of a blowout win, and one of the biggest pluses is the fact the Illinois bench got to play a lot of minutes.

Kam’Ren Rhodes played a team-high 29 minutes for the Illini. We need depth behind talented guards Genesis Bryant, Makira Cook, and Jada Peebles. Rhodes can provide that and played some invaluable minutes against the Peacocks.

I was also happy with some of our frontcourt players getting time. Duke transfer Shay Bollin and North Carolina State transfer Camille Hobby played 22 and 15 minutes, respectively. Getting them acclimated to the new team is crucial for the program moving forward.

It was a blowout of epic proportions, but there is a lot of learning and development that can come out of a blowout. I think the win over Saint Peter’s is going to help Illinois get prepared for the upcoming tough schedule.

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