Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Valparaiso

4. Illinois has intriguing depth at point guard

In the midst of Illinois making a comeback after being down seven points to Valparaiso at halftime, I had someone mention to me that the Illini lack of point guard depth is showing.

When I heard that, I was a bit puzzled. For one, I didn’t think point guard depth had anything to do with Illinois coming out of the gates looking like they didn’t want to be there. Secondly, I completely disagree with that statement.

I believe Illinois has great depth at point guard. In fact, I love the one-two punch of Ty Rodgers and Niccolo Moretti with a little bit of Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn sprinkled in.

Rodgers had one of his best games as a member of the program on Friday night. He finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two assists while hitting 4-of-6 from the field. Rodgers is tough to guard because he is so big and strong. His ability to get around the hoop and score is phenomenal.

While Rodgers isn’t a true point guard, when Illinois subs in Moretti, the opposing team has to readjust again for a different style. Moretti is that true point guard who is always looking to find the open man and to create for his teammates. He finished with six points, two assists, one rebound, and one steal on 2-of-2 shooting from the field.

I would argue that one of the few Moretti flaws is that he is too passive sometimes. There was a moment against the Beacons where Moretti found himself next to the basket with no one on him, and his instincts had him pass the ball out to the three-point arc.

On top of those two being great, once Gibbs-Lawhorn finds his groove, Illinois is going to have a three-headed monster in the backcourt. I love the depth Illinois has at point guard, and my hope is that Brad Underwood continues to use all three throughout the year.