It was a great weekend for the Illinois basketball program, as another Braggin’ Rights game is in the books.
The Illini have gotten the better of Missouri the last few years, as we are 3-1 in the last four contests. Out of the last 12 matchups, Illinois has bested the Tigers 8-4 as well.
This was a new Missouri team on Sunday. They had more talent than in recent past, so they were a much tougher team. That didn’t stop the Orange and Blue, though.
Illinois came out firing. We were hot early on, but Missouri continued to hang around. A solid defensive performance and good play by a myriad of talent on the roster helped lead Illinois to a great 80-77 win over Missouri.
Here are five huge observations from the Illinois basketball win over Missouri
1. Short leash for Ben Humrichous
Illinois basketball is off to a decent start in the 2024-25 season, but there is one glaring issue with the program right now.
Ben Humrichous was supposed to be Illinois’ sharpshooting three-point ace who could put defenses on their heels. He was supposed to be the player who was our deep threat. That isn’t the case at all, though.
Humrichous has gone through some major struggles so far with the Illini. Especially of late, he has really hit a wall. In the three games prior to the Missouri contest, Humrichous was just 3-of-12 from three-point range, and he was averaging 4.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 3.3 fouls in those three contests.
For a few games, I have been calling for Humrichous to be replaced with Will Riley. While Riley hasn’t been playing the best, he would be an upgrade over the Tipton, Indiana, native.
On Sunday, Brad Underwood still started Humrichous, but there was a much shorter leash. Humrichous didn’t even make it five minutes into the game before he was replaced by Carey Booth. Throughout much of the game, Humrichous would be subbed out for a bench player.
Humrichous ended the Missouri game with three points, one rebound, and one block on 1-of-3 shooting from the field, all of which were three-point attempts. He also had three fouls and a turnover in the game.
The offensive struggles are tough to watch, but Humrichous’ defense was also not up to snuff. He got torched the entire game. It was mainly the opposing player backing down Humrichous and scoring an easy bucket at the basket.
It wouldn’t shock me to see the leash get even shorter with Humrichous. There could be a day when that leash is no more and neither is his starting role.