4. Illini big men have special paint defense
Quite a few things caught my eye in the Missouri game. Illinois was able to hold off the Tigers at the end, and this was a huge victory.
While the Illini managed to put up 80 points, which is still impressive, what had me most impressed was the interior defense.
Brad Underwood did a great job recruiting not only for offensive production, but we landed a couple of great big men who can play defense in the paint.
The ability of Morez Johnson Jr. to hold his own in the paint is phenomenal. You can see his progression from game one to the Missouri game on how he guards in the paint. He isn’t sloppy with his hands, and he uses his body to keep his position more often.
Illinois’ other big man who has impressed me greatly is Tomislav Ivisic. The defensive prowess of this kid is incredible. He is great at communicating, and Ivisic’s ability to snag rebounds is special. There were multiple times against Missouri where I was extremely impressed with his ability.
There is a lot of flash with Kasparas Jakucionis hitting big-time three-point shots, but let’s not discount what is going on in the paint. Illinois has a duo of big men who can match up against any paint players in the country.