Illinois basketball came into Friday night with the hopes of just cruising to an easy win as we await the Duke game.
That wasn’t the case, though. Sam Houston came out of the gates swinging, and the Illini didn’t have an answer early on.
Illinois didn’t look good on both ends of the court in the first 20 minutes. This enabled the Bearkats to keep close and maintain a five-point deficit at the half.
In the second half, Illinois’ offense finally woke up. We dropped 63 points on Sam Houston in the final 20 minutes, and this led to a 108-86 win over the Bearkats.
Here are five Illinois basketball observations from the lackadaisical win over Sam Houston
1. Illinois was caught looking ahead
The Illinois basketball team was coming off a big game against Texas Tech, in which we fell short. Duke is on the horizon as we travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on the Blue Devils on Tuesday.
Illinois was clearly overlooking Sam Houston. This is a program that should have been a cupcake game, but the Bearkats came out fighting.
Sam Houston looked like they wanted it more in the first half. Illinois only being up 45-40 at the half was unacceptable. We weren’t in this game mentally, and it showed on the scoreboard.
Thankfully, whatever happened in that halftime locker room shook the team up. The Illini came out in the second half more engaged and put Sam Houston away. This is a good wake-up call for the program. Illinois can’t sleep through any game this season.
2. The Illini upperclassmen finally stepped up
I didn’t think it would be necessary, but Illinois needed players to step up against Sam Houston. The bat signal was thrown up into the sky, and the upperclassmen answered.
The most impressive upperclassman was Tomislav Ivisic. He started hot by hitting a three-pointer, and unlike in most games, he continued playing well from deep.
Ivisic finished the game with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the floor and 6-of-14 from three-point range. While his rebounding isn’t where it should be for a 7-foot-1 player, he still gave Illinois huge scoring numbers.
Andrej Stojakovic and Stefan Vaaks were huge for the Illini, too. Stojakovic nearly matched Ivisic with 26 points. He also stuffed the stat sheet with five rebounds and five assists.
Vaaks ended the game with 14 points. He was aggressive early on, and it helped Illinois keep Sam Houston at arm’s length.
Illinois slept through some of the game against Sam Houston, but the veterans finally took over. We needed them to avoid the embarrassing upset.
3. Quentin Coleman always finds a way to contribute
I got a social media post towards me saying that Quentin Coleman should be benched because he makes bonehead plays. To me, that shouldn’t be the case at all.
Coleman is a special talent. He is someone who can not only help Illinois put up points, but he can put up numbers across the board.
There are going to be some mistakes. He is just a freshman. Coleman is far beyond his years, though. On Friday night, he had three turnovers, but he positively affected the game in more ways than he negatively affected it.
Coleman finished the win over Sam Houston with 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Another number that pops out to me is the team-high three offensive rebounds. That type of tenacity is what this program needs.
While Coleman had moments of being a freshman, he still can make an impact. That is the sign of a truly special player.
4. I loved Zvonimir Ivisic’s impact on the Illini off the bench
Illinois struggled greatly when it came to defense. Sam Houston putting up 86 points is embarrassing. That has to get corrected.
The only player who I was happy with on the defensive end of the court was Zvonimir Ivisic.
Ivisic came into the game and had an immediate impact on defense. He only played 15 minutes, but he had two steals and a block in that time.
Each time Sam Houston came down the court, they couldn’t get anything in the paint because of Ivisic. He also had five points, five rebounds, and two assists to go along with his two steals and a block.
Illinois needs more defensive effort like what Ivisic gives the program. Giving up 86 points to a mid-major is wild. Let’s clean that up.
5. Once again, David Mirkovic’s rebounding was missing
David Mirkovic can’t come back soon enough. I think all Illinois fans feel this way. He makes such an impact on the Illini, and his absence is evident in every game.
On Friday night, Mirkovic’s rebounding could have been used. Illinois managed to win the rebounding battle 45-35, but this is one of those games where the rebounding margin should be larger than just +10.
Illinois lost the Texas Tech rebounding battle -11. That is what the fear is moving forward. Only winning by 10 rebounds against the Bearkats is a bit concerning.
Coleman being the leading rebounder with eight rebounds is not good. He is our smallest guard. Illinois’ two 7-foot-or-taller big men had a combined 10 rebounds in 37 minutes. We also didn’t have anyone besides Coleman with over five rebounds.
Mirkovic is dearly missed. His return will be huge for many reasons, but the biggest is snagging rebounds. He will change the games.
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