5 interesting observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Alabama

5. I need more opportunities for certain Illini players

In the first slide, I mention how great Will Riley has been for the Illinois basketball program. There was a reason he was a five-star recruit.

While Riley is doing a great job and put up 18 points on 12 shots against Alabama, I think there could be a better distribution of the basketball when it comes to attempts on the team.

The main player I am looking at is Ben Humrichous. He is a bonafide sniper from the outside. In four games this season, he has shot at least 40% in all but one contest. For the 2024-25 campaign, Humrichous is hitting his shot from three-point range at a clip of 46.2%.

What boggles my mind is that he only took seven shots on Wednesday night. Humrichous is Illinois’ best shooter, but he is taking the fifth-most shots on the team. More plays need to be drawn up for him.

I would also like to see more involvement of Tomislav Ivisic in the paint. Listen, I get that he can hit from three-point range, as he was 2-of-6 from downtown against Alabama, but Ivisic is such a massive human who can bully players in the paint.

Ivisic did take 11 shots against the Crimson Tide, but six of those shots were from three-point range. Having the big man down low more often and getting him the ball around the rim could be more conducive to putting points on the board.

I wouldn’t mind Morez Johnson Jr. getting more opportunities on the court. He has only played 17 minutes in the past two games, but when he is on the court, he is effective. Johnson can suck up rebounds with the best of the best. If you give him more opportunities, I think Johnson will shine.