The Illinois basketball program once again wowed on Thursday night against Penn.
This was the Quakers' chance to get the better of the Illini after falling to the Orange and Blue in the first round of the NCAA tournament in March.
Illinois was facing a tough challenger, too. Penn is likely going to win the Ivy League this season, and they had a ton of upperclassmen return to the roster. With an injured Illinois team, this was their chance.
Instead, the Illini won by a bigger margin. We lost Keaton Wagler, Kylan Boswell, and Ben Humrichous in the offseason. David Mirkovic and Jake Davis were out with injuries. Still, Illinois dominated the Quakers even more than back in March.
Penn was able to hang around in this game for about 10 minutes. That is when Illinois turned on the burners. The Illini quickly made it a double-digit deficit and never looked back. By the game’s end, Illinois ended up throttling Penn, 112-70.
Here are five Illinois basketball observations from the throttling of Penn
1. Illinois’ scoring comes from so many different places
It is pretty crazy what the Illinois offense is doing right now. We came out of the gates firing despite missing David Mirkovic and now Jake Davis.
Illinois has played two games, and the 112 points we put up on Penn on Thursday night were the second-highest total in those two contests. In the first game, the Illini scored 120 points.
The point total isn’t coming from just one player either. Everyone is contributing offensively.
Illinois had six players score in double figures against the Quakers. Overall, there were 10 players for the Illini who scored points. It isn’t just the three-point shot. The scoring is coming from everywhere on the court.
In the win, Illinois only made 10 three-point attempts. Zavier Zens was the lead dog, going 4-of-8. Quentin Coleman and Andrej Stojakovic both got downhill with ease, and this enabled them to get to the bucket. The same can be said for Lincoln Williams
Illinois has so many weapons and so many ways to destroy teams. That was on full display against Penn.
2. I love the Illini freshman hustle
There was so much good that stood out on Thursday night. One of the big things that I noticed and mentioned on social media was the freshman hustle.
Illinois has good freshmen who had a lot of stars coming out of high school. Those players could have had egos. That isn’t the case. Each freshman Illinois has on the court hustles and does the little things to help the team win.
I love Coleman’s energy. He is always flying around the court trying to make a play on both ends. Williams is always skying for rebounds and being that gritty guard that successful teams need.
Lucas Morillo is a name I haven’t mentioned yet. He got in the game and instantly went hard for rebounds and gave Illinois second-chance points.
This type of mentality from the freshmen is why Illinois isn’t missing a beat without Mirkovic and Davis. If we can keep this energy, toughness, and tenacity up for the rest of the season, I think we can win it all.
3. Quentin Coleman is skyrocketing to stardom
Through two sections, I have mentioned Coleman. This is section three, and I am going to mention him again.
Coleman is a star. There is no way around it. When it is all said and done this season, Coleman might be the best freshman this program has ever had.
I know this sounds like hyperbole. Illinois has only played two games against weaker opponents. What I am seeing on the court, I think Coleman is going to be elite and maybe one of the best ever for the Illini.
Illinois went up against a good Penn team on Thursday. They were laced with returning talent, and this is a team that the Illini face in the first round of the NCAA tournament. We beat them by a bigger margin this time.
Coleman hasn’t had a bad freshman outing yet. Against better competition, he raised his game to a new level. Coleman finished with 19 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal against the Quakers. He was also 8-of-9 from the field, which all but one attempt was inside the three-point arc.
Something that I love about Coleman is that he knows who he is on the court. He isn’t out there jacking up 10 three-point attempts per game. He knows where his bread is buttered, and Coleman attacks. This kid is going to be incredible for Illinois.
4. When Andrej Stojakovic is aggressive, he is at his best
I love it when Illinois gets aggressive Stojakovic. You can tell it is going to happen from the jump, and when it does, he is at his best.
Stojakovic finished the night with 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, and one block. Since he got downhill a lot, he finished going 9-of-17 from the floor. He also made all five free throw attempts, which comes from aggression.
Illinois also got 2-of-3 from the three-point arc out of Stojakovic. I look at each three-pointer as a bonus bucket. He isn’t good at shooting from deep, so when he can make them, it is nice.
That is where Stojakovic can get into trouble, though. Last season, when Stojakovic attempted at least three three-point attempts in a game, he was 13-of-51, 25.5%. That is bad. We need to keep that number down a little bit. When he is aggressive, Stojakovic is at his best.
5. The Illinois rotation is similar to what we will see in big games
Usually, this early in the season, Brad Underwood has bigger rotations because we are playing trash teams. I don’t think that is the case right now.
I believe Illinois is going to ride with the current rotations even against better competition. I think the Penn game gave us a glimpse of what is to come.
On Thursday night, Illinois played 10 players for at least 14 minutes on the court. That is a huge number, considering most teams probably only go seven deep.
The fewest minutes out of the bunch was Morillo, who registered 14 minutes. He is a talented freshman who is going to play a lot this season.
If any of the bench players who played double-digit minutes against Penn were to drop back, it would likely be Zavier Zens. He logged 18 minutes on Thursday night, and he played lights-out.
What is crazy is that Mirkovic and Davis are both out with injuries. Could Illinois legitimately go 12 deep this season? I think there is a chance. What a luxury Underwood has built.
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