Just when I think I couldn’t get any more disappointed in the Illinois basketball program, they show up to Madison Square Garden and get shellacked.
My hope was that the Illini would come out and play some tough defense. Duke had a better offense, but Illinois could come out and get nasty and physical against the better team.
That didn’t happen at all, though. Illinois looked like hot garbage, and Duke showed us why they are a top-five team in the country.
The Blue Devils had no mercy on the Illini either. They scored at a high clip, and even their second and third rotations were hitting shots. A 17-point halftime lead for Duke ended up turning into a 110-67 beatdown by the Blue Devils.
Here are five painful observations from the Illinois basketball loss to the Duke Blue Devils
1. Defense has disappeared for the Illini
So much can go wrong on the offensive end of the court, but one thing you have control over is playing defense. Teams can be gritty and make games respectable by the way they play defense.
For Illinois, defense seems to be a thing of the past. This program isn’t playing defense right now, and the ugly display was in front of a national audience against the No. 3 team in the country.
I know Duke has a ton of talent, and Illinois has been injured and ill lately. That doesn’t stray away from the fact that the Blue Devils put up triple-digits against the Orange and Blue.
Defensively, Illinois had zero answers for Duke. We couldn’t guard on the perimeter, as the Blue Devils hit over 50%. Duke took us inside and we didn’t have any way to stop them there either.
Tomislav Ivisic doesn’t seem to be 100%, and he was bullied around the paint all game long. Kylan Boswell had some early moments defensively, but he disappeared quickly. Ben Humrichous can’t play defense. Tre White and Kasparas Jakucionis both had a hard time keeping up as well.
Illinois has had plenty of bad offenses in the past, but what we are watching right now might be the worst defensive program I have ever seen come through Champaign.
2. It is brutal to watch Illinois shoot 3-pointers
What in the world is Illinois doing? I understand you want to shoot a ton of three-pointers, but when is it enough?
Brad Underwood has to realize that this program is awful at shooting three-pointers. During the halftime break, they said that Underwood wanted to keep shooting three-pointers and that Illinois was a good three-point shooting team. That is just blatantly false.
Coming into the Duke game, Illinois was shooting 31.2% from three-point territory. That is bad enough to rank No. 305 out of 364 teams in DI basketball. On top of that, we shoot 30.3 three-pointers per game, which ranks No. 5 in the country. Being at the bottom in three-point shooting and at the top in attempts is a recipe for disaster.
Underwood has completely buried his head in the sand, though. He doesn’t want to realize that his program is awful at shooting from distance.
Illinois finished the Duke game shooting 2-of-26, 7.7%, from three-point range. The first make came with 16 minutes left in the second half.
For some reason, the first five attempts of the game from the Illini were three-point shots. We missed them all, of course. This got us into a big hole, as Duke took advantage of the missed shots.
In the first half alone, Illinois was 0-of-16 from three-point range and 15-of-18 from two-point range. We can drive the ball and get to the rim all game long. Yet, for some reason, this program thinks we need to shoot a high volume from beyond the three-point arc.
Just because the shot is open doesn’t mean you have to take it. Duke is a good team. They know Illinois is bad at shooting from three-point range. There is a reason those shots were open for the Illini.
3. From top to bottom, Duke has a ton of talent
What a bad time to play the Duke Blue Devils. Illinois is in a rough spot right now, and we needed someone like a DII program or Southern Illinois to get back on track.
To have the No. 3 team in the nation is a brutal spot to be in. Illinois didn’t have a shot in this game before the tip-off, and Duke showed us why they are one of the best teams in the country.
From top to bottom, the Blue Devils are insanely talented. They have McDonald’s All-Americans on the roster, and their athletic ability is through the roof.
Duke had seven different players score double-digit points on Saturday night. This included the future first-round NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg going for 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
With the way Illinois is currently playing, it wouldn’t shock me if Duke’s second or third rotation could compete or even beat us. That is how much talent the Blue Devils program has right now.
If this game had been played earlier this year, I think Illinois would have competed much better. It was honestly just a bad time to play that good of a team. No matter how much I complain, one thing is a lock. Duke is a really good team that will likely be in the Elite 8 or better in March.
4. Illinois could use someone like Ty Rodgers right now
There are a lot of issues with the Illinois basketball team right now. We are awful defensively, and our offense isn’t too far behind.
The icing on the cake was when Morez Johnson Jr. went down with a broken wrist. This hurt Illinois’ chances of being competitive in the paint. Johnson was a physical force, which Tomislav Ivisic is not. Johnson also gobbled up rebounds both offensive and defensive for the Orange and Blue.
With Johnson out, Illinois is extremely short-handed. We need someone who can be an athletic freak and get rebounds with the best. Honestly, the only player on the team right now healthy enough to do that is not playing.
If Illinois wants to potentially make the NCAA tournament and get a little spark, it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to burn Ty Rodgers’ redshirt. He has sat out the entire season thus far, but having him inserted into the action would give Illinois some healthy legs.
Rodgers knows what Brad Underwood wants to do on the court. He played 22.7 minutes per game last season and averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. Those are numbers that this program could use dearly too.
I know this won’t happen. I believe Rodgers clearly has an agreement to redshirt and likely transfer out of the program. That is a hunch, not reporting. But if we really want to win some games down the stretch, Rodgers could help in that department.
5. I don’t get why Brad Underwood doesn’t make changes
I want to preface everything I am about to say by saying, I am not off the Brad Underwood bandwagon. He just took us to an Elite 8, so he has bought some time. That doesn’t mean I won’t rip him, though.
In years past, I have mentioned a player or two who I think should be benched. I have complained about how the offense is run or the defense is played. Those things have happened, and I am not denying it. But, as of right now, this might be the most frustrated I have been with Underwood.
I mentioned Underwood in the first couple of slides because he can’t seem to get out of the three-point shooting mentality. He is trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Illinois isn’t a three-point shooting team, hard stop.
But the frustration is more than just how Underwood runs the offense. Illinois continues to start and play players who shouldn't get nearly the minutes they are getting.
Please, for the love of everything basketball, stop with Ben Humrichous. Stop playing him more than 10 minutes in a game. He logged 22 minutes against Duke and was 0-of-5 from the field, all of which were three-point attempts. He only had one rebound too. Just one rebound in 22 minutes of action. How is that possible? You think you would slop into at least two or three rebounds.
I know Will Riley didn’t have a great game, but he is so much better suited for the starting job than Humrichous. Underwood needs to stop being so stubborn.
The rotations confuse me. The style of play confuses me. Underwood’s lack of answers confuses me too. Illinois almost lost by 50 points against Duke. 50 POINTS. We didn’t have the talent on the court to compete. That rests on the shoulders of Underwood and the coaching staff.
Regardless of whether Illinois makes the NCAA tournament or not, Underwood has to do something different next season. Getting this many microwave players every year is a risky game to play. While the transfer portal is always hot, restarting every season takes its toll.