Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Southern

5. Luke Goode is such a weapon for Illinois

In year one of Luke Goode in Champaign, we caught glimpses of his true talent, but he only played 8.9 minutes per game that season.

Last year was supposed to be Goode’s breakout campaign. An injury derailed that narrative, but the Fort Wayne Fireball did play in 10 games and was sensational. He averaged four points per game and hit 42.1% of his three-point attempts.

Since Illinois fans only got to see Goode for 10 games and 13.8 minutes per game last season, it was hard to gauge how talented this kid really was on the court. Could he really keep up the great three-point shooting percentage we saw for a small clip last season?

The answer is, yes.

At this point in the proceedings, I think we have a large enough sample size to say that Goode is a superstar when it comes to the game of basketball. He is someone who can knock down a three-pointer and then get back and play some tremendous defense.

Goode has now had at least nine points in all but one contest this season. He is averaging 8.8 points per game and has hit 14-of-30 from three-point range, which comes out to 46.7%. That is a number that would make Steph Curry jealous.

What is even crazier is that Brad Underwood is bringing Goode off the bench. He isn’t starting for the Illini, but in the Southern game, he did get more minutes than three of the starters.

Goode is going to continue to earn more and more minutes for this program. He is a big-time weapon for the Illini and by far the best three-point shooter on the team. With that type of three-point shooting, let’s just hope he sticks around for another year. The sky is the limit for this kid.