Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Valparaiso

2. The game looked too quick for Marcus Domask

Leading up to the game against Valparaiso, I have been impressed with Marcus Domask. He has looked great this season, and the fact he was able to pick up the Illinois offense so quickly was great for the program.

But Friday night looked different. Something was off with Domask. He didn’t have that same offensive energy that he had in the prior three games.

From the jump, it looked like Valparaiso was too quick for Domask. He would get the ball or dribble up the court, and the Beacons would be swarming him. This would cause a turnover or a bad possession for Illinois.

I almost feel like Domask, and really Illinois as a whole, came into this game thinking we were just going to steamroll Valparaiso. It was almost like we weren’t prepared and were potentially thinking about a team ahead of them on the schedule.

That is how Domask looked. He looked lethargic and not really into the game. Domask finished Friday night with seven points, six rebounds, three assists, and three turnovers while shooting 2-of-9 from the field and 1-of-4 from three-point range.

Everyone has bad games, and I am hoping this was just a bad game for Domask. I am hoping this was a wake-up call for him and the team. We can’t keep coming out of the gates lacking energy and care. It is going to bite us in the butt too often.