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5 big observations from the Illinois basketball win over Eastern Illinois

It was a great start to the 2024-25 season, as the Illinois basketball team thrashed Eastern Illinois.

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 4, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 4, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
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3. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn isn’t cooling down

It was a wild offseason, but Illinois officially has one scholarship player from the 2023-24 season who is playing minutes for the program.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn could have departed the Illini program and made money elsewhere with an NIL deal. He could have been playing for a number of teams. But he stuck with the Orange and Blue. He wasn’t giving up that easily.

That commitment from Gibbs-Lawhorn is now paying off. In the first exhibition game, he put up 15 points on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range. He did all of this in 22 minutes.

I thought that was an impressive showing by Gibbs-Lawhorn in the exhibition game. I also tempered my expectations for the kid. Illinois brought in a lot of talent this offseason, so who knew how much he was going to play this season?

Against Eastern Illinois, we got to see the mind of Brad Underwood. He played Gibbs-Lawhorn quite a bit, as the guard played 21 minutes against the Panthers. Gibbs-Lawhorn improved his numbers as well. He finished the game with 21 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range.

I think the biggest jump for Gibbs-Lawhorn is his shooting. He was okay last season, but he started the 2024-25 campaign on fire. He is catching and shooting quickly. I love how he doesn’t hesitate to shoot too. He has great confidence in his game and shot.

Gibbs-Lawhorn is playing some incredible basketball. If he continues to put up big numbers from the bench, Illinois is going to have a great season.

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