5 disappointing observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Northwestern

2. Illinois had a hard time finishing at the rim

I would still argue to the day that this is the most talent on an Illinois basketball team in my lifetime. From top to bottom, nearly everyone can start on 95% of teams in the country.

But sometimes even the best players can’t do certain things. On Friday night, the Illini couldn’t finish at the rim. No matter how hard they tried, they would squander easy buckets that could have increased the margin and maybe even put the game away.

I love the addition of Kylan Boswell, but there were multiple times against Northwestern where I scratched my head and wondered how he missed a layup. He is great at using his body to bully his way to the bucket, but the wires just don’t seem to connect when he gets there.

Jake Davis had a chance to shine early on, as he got a couple of minutes. Davis rolled to the bucket and had an easy layup, but he too missed the bunny.

Even the great Kasparas Jakucionis has trouble putting the ball in the hoop when he drives. He has a great ability to get to the rim, but finishing is not his specialty.

Just look at the numbers. It is pretty rare when a player has a better shooting percentage from three-point range than two-point range. Against Northwestern, Jakucionis was 6-of-10 from three-point distance and just 1-of-6 from two-point range.  

I have never seen a more talented team struggle at such a simple shot. Layups are something that is taught when you first start basketball, but for some reason, the Illini can’t manage to put the ball in the hoop within a foot. It is something that will haunt us if we don’t figure it out. It already did on Friday night.