Illinois basketball was in a tight spot entering Saturday, and the program came up huge.
The Illini had been floundering as a program. We had dropped five out of the last eight games, and things were looking pretty bleak. To get back on track, a victory over Minnesota on Saturday was a must.
Funny enough, Minnesota came out of the gates and hit three three-pointers to go up 9-2 early on in the game. They started hot, but Illinois made sure to storm back and take the lead. Despite a good start, the Golden Gophers looked outmatched for much of the contest.
Illinois secured a double-digit lead in the first half. That 11-point margin extended to 27 points at one time in the game. Minnesota did make a little run at the end, but Illinois still ended up winning the game over the Golden Gophers, 95-74.
Here are five crucial observations from the Illinois basketball win over Minnesota
1. Will Riley came through in a big spot
Coming into the game on Saturday, I mentioned that Illinois basketball was in a must-win mode. We had to knock off Minnesota and then follow that win up with a victory over UCLA.
I also mentioned in an article that Illinois needed to lean on Will Riley. This kid has all of the talent in the world, and he is playing with incredible confidence. Let him eat and see where he takes us. On Saturday, Brad Underwood had the Will Riley Show continue on, and it was glorious to watch.
Riley finished the Minnesota game with 27 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and one block. He also shot 11-of-17 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range while making all three free throw attempts. Oh yeah, Riley didn’t have a single turnover either.
This was Riley’s best game as a member of the Illini in a spot where the program had to win the game. The 27 points Riley put up were his second-highest of the season, and he notched his highest total with nine rebounds and seven assists.
Over his last four games, Riley has scored at least 16 points. In that same span, he is averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and just 2.0 turnovers per game. Those are incredible numbers. I am glad Illinois is leaning on this kid to produce because we are going to need him the rest of the way out.