The Illinois basketball team made things interesting on Wednesday night against Alabama.
This was an epic game that went back and forth much of the night. The Illini had early control of the contest, but there was just too much firepower coming from the Crimson Tide.
Illinois took a one-point lead into the halftime locker room after a storm of three-pointers by both sides ended the first 20 minutes. A slow second half start got us behind the eight ball, but the Illini fought back and kept the game close. In the waning moments, we had a chance to tie the game, but the ball didn’t fall our way. Illinois couldn’t hang on in Chicago, dropping the contest to Alabama, 90-86.
Here are five impactful observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Alabama
1. A simple thing let down Illinois
Let’s start the proceedings off with a negative. The simplest thing in the world let Illinois down on Wednesday night.
You have to make your free throws. You get a chance to score a point without anyone guarding you, and Illinois couldn’t convert from the free throw line.
Coming into the game against Alabama, the Illini were a good free throw shooting team. We were hitting 79% from the charity stripe, and this ranked No. 37 in the country. That number came crashing down, though.
Illinois only converted 13-of-22, 59%, from the free throw line against the Crimson Tide. Plain and simple, this was the difference. Hitting 17-of-22 gets us to overtime, and 18-of-22 wins Illinois the game.
All of the flashy three-pointers and great lane drives are fantastic, but if you can’t convert the free throws, Illinois will struggle to win big games every time. That has to change moving forward.
2. Andrej Stojakovic’s versatility is amazing
You have to give the MVP of the game to Andrej Stojakovic. Illinois has a ton of firepower, but this kid stood out above everyone and took over the game when we needed it the most.
Stojakovic was great from three-point range, hitting 2-of-3 from deep, but his presence in and around the paint was phenomenal. He can truly do it all on the court.
The ability to get to the hoop and finish against Alabama’s big men was great. He took contact and was still able to convert the bucket.
Stojakovic went baseline a couple of times and finished with reverse layups that the defense couldn’t handle. Those were NBA buckets.
There were times Stojakovic would get into the lane, and the defense would collapse on him. He didn’t panic, though. The talented shooter was able to assess the situation and hit a fadeaway mid-range jumper.
Illinois landed a great transfer portal player this offseason. Stojakovic is going to be a massive asset to this program and someone who could lead us to great heights.
3. Freshmen had their freshmen moment
It has been a pretty magical run with the Illinois freshmen. They have played some great basketball thus far, and it was only a matter of time before there were some freshman moments.
To begin the Alabama game, I thought David Mirkovic looked great. He hit some big shots, and he was a menace on the boards. But in the second half, the freshmen were nonexistent.
Mirkovic finished the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but in the second half, he had zero points and just three rebounds. He was 0-of-5 from the field and 0-of-2 from three-point range in the final 20 minutes, too.
I am not just going to point out Mirkovic’s struggles either. Keaton Wagler didn’t look good in the second half. He was 0-of-2 from the field for one point in the final 20 minutes of action.
Sometimes bad games happen. It isn’t always a bad thing when these young players struggle, as they can see what they did wrong and work on their basketball flaws between games. The freshmen definitely looked like freshmen on Wednesday night.
4. This was a game between two elite programs
In years past, there have been games against elite-level competition when Illinois has been blown out of the water. Those contests have shown us that the Illini don’t really belong in elite company.
On Wednesday night, that is not what I experienced at all. I watched two elite-level programs going at it for 40 minutes, and one team had to win and the other had to lose.
This is an Alabama team that played No. 1 Purdue tough. They are a great team and easily a top 10 program in the country. While it is a painful loss, there is no shame in the way Illinois lost on Wednesday night.
Were there some glaring issues that need to be corrected? Sure, the free throw line was extremely frustrating. But the Illinois team I watched go up against Alabama is a team that can not only compete for an Elite 8, but I legitimately think we can contend for a national title this season.
Illinois has great guard play. The paint presence for the Illini is solid. The program has shooters from the outside. We can bang around in the paint. Our guards can take contact and get to the charity stripe. There really aren’t many, if any, weaknesses with this program. Illinois just went up against another great team, and someone had to come out with a win. Don’t be shocked if we meet this Crimson Tide team in the Elite 8 or Final 4 this season.
5. A fully healthy Illinois team is going to be scary
The last thing I want to note is the potential of this Illinois basketball team. In the first four games this season, Illinois was not healthy in the least bit. We were missing at least three key players in each of those contests.
On Wednesday night, the Illini got a little healthier. Tomislav Ivisic was eased back into action after missing the last three games. He didn’t look great, but he did hit a big bucket in the second half.
Illinois fans got to see the first glimpses of Mihailo Petrovic. Honestly, in the 12 minutes he was on the court, Petrovic was everything as advertised and more.
I love the way Petrovic plays the game. He is going to create so many scoring opportunities for the Illini, and the fact that he can shoot from three-point range opens up more perimeter options, too.
Here is the thing: those two don’t have their legs underneath them yet. Ivisic and Petrovic are probably not in full game shape, and once they get going at full strength, this Illinois squad is going to be insanely dangerous.
Ivisic is going to give Illinois another 7-footer who can rebound and shoot from three-point range. Petrovic is going to give Illinois a true point guard, which is not currently on the team. While the loss on Wednesday was disappointing, I think there are plenty of positives to take from the game. One of the biggest positives is that Illinois is near full health. Watch out, college basketball.