4. The Illini aren’t getting a lot from Tre White
Have I complained enough about the refs yet? Well, here is a little more. Since the refs took out Illinois’ best player, we needed more talent to step up.
I talked about Will Riley a couple of slides ago. He had a big game, and Illinois wouldn’t have been in the running to win the contest if it wasn’t for his big day. But we also have experienced players who should have stepped up in the absence of Kasparas Jakucionis.
The main player I am looking at is Tre White. Multiple Illinois players didn’t play well on Sunday, but White, to me, was the most disappointing.
White did that age-old magic trick of disappearing. Illinois needed him in crunch time, but he didn’t show up. He finished the game with three points and four rebounds in 20 minutes of action. He didn’t make a shot, as his three points were from the free throw line.
I am disappointed with White because he is in his third year in the college ranks. Illinois was missing a crucial piece, and this was the chance for White to help take over and get to the rim. This kid is a slasher, and he didn’t want to take the ball into the paint.
For the game, White had a plus-minus of -10, and he was -6 in the second half. He was just a warm body on the court for the Illini, but we needed him for more.
Moving forward, Brad Underwood needs to get White more involved. It was like he was new to the team, and this was his first game. Let’s get him moving around more and slashing to the basket. He is a great athlete, and we need to use him.