Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Western Illinois

4. I think it is fair to think about an Illinois lineup change

Illinois secured a nice transfer commitment from Marcus Domask this offseason. He excelled at Southern Illinois, and now he is taking his talents to the big stage.

Domask had a good game against Marquette a few weeks ago, but when you look at his entire body of work, he has struggled greatly this season. These struggles continued against Western Illinois.

Against the Leathernecks, Domask finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and one block. He was just 4-of-10 from the field and missed all three three-point attempts.

If you exclude the Marquette game, Domask is now 12-of-37 from the field, 32.4%, and 3-of-18 from three-point range, 16.6%. Those are not good shooting numbers.

So, I think it is fair to start the conversation about a potential lineup change. It probably won’t happen right now, and Domask still needs some time, but there are some options waiting in the wings.

I look at Luke Goode as a solid option. Goode continues to shoot well from outside, and he is a nice shot in the arm when Illinois needs scoring. Having him switch out with Domask in the starting lineup would be seamless.

There is a possibility that when Coleman Hawkins is healthy again, Domask could be the one going to the bench. Dain Dainja replaced Hawkins in the starting lineup, but Dainja has been playing some good basketball. Having a big lineup in there would give Illinois a big advantage in the paint. Regardless, it might be time to move Domask to the bench. We need to switch things up to get him out of the funk.