Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Tennessee

By Rees Woodcock

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood claps from the sidelines during an NCAA college basketball game between Tennessee and Illinois at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023.
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood claps from the sidelines during an NCAA college basketball game between Tennessee and Illinois at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Dec 9, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) controls the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 9, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Coleman Hawkins (33) controls the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Illinois settled far too often

I believe the strength of the Illinois basketball program is how aggressive we can be at times. This team is full of players who can get into the paint and finish.

Illinois wasn’t aggressive toward the basket nearly enough on Saturday. This team settled for three-pointers early in the shot clock or wasn’t moving nearly enough and this resulted in a lazy three-pointer.

It honestly looked like Illinois was tired. We were on a long road trip that ended by taking on a top 20 team on the road, and we were tired. Illinois players didn’t want to drive into the lane and take another beating. We didn’t have the energy for that. So, instead, players just started chucking up three-pointers. The fact we only lost by seven points playing this way is kind of impressive.

Illinois finished with a season-high 36 three-point attempts. That is five more than the previous season-high which was against Marquette, the only other Illinois loss, where we had 33 three-point attempts.

In the five-game winning streak Illinois was on entering Saturday, the most three-pointers the program took during that stretch was 28 three-pointers against Valparaiso. Clearly, we settled and didn’t want to drive the lane.

Illinois plays best when we drive the lane, though. It is what makes Terrence Shannon Jr. so special. He is so fast getting to the hoop, and he can finish with either hand. Marcus Domask did such great work driving and finishing within 10 feet of the hoop against Florida Atlantic. Ty Rodgers can bully his way to the hoop too. I believe all Illini players are extremely talented when they get into the paint, but that didn’t happen often on Saturday against Tennessee. We settled and the results reflected that fact.

Home/Illinois Basketball