5 huge questions for the Illinois basketball team against Michigan

3. Does Brad Underwood get more looks for Ty Rodgers?

I would love for Ty Rodgers to get more involved in the Illinois offense. He has looked good at times this season, and I think he can be a great asset to the program.

The offensive production has slowed down for Rodgers as of late. He isn’t taking nearly as many shots, but he is extremely efficient when he does get the ball.

That is why I want to see if Rodgers can be a bigger part of the Illinois offense. Does Brad Underwood get more looks for Rodgers throughout the Michigan game?

Rodgers is a very efficient player, and a lot of that efficiency comes from the fact nearly every shot is within five feet of the basket. He is only 6-foot-6 but plays like a 7-foot-1 big man. The crazy thing is, it works.

On the offensive end of the court, Rodgers’ involvement has slowed down greatly. I don’t want to sound like I am piling on Terrence Shannon Jr. but the shot attempts from Rodgers had decreased since Shannon returned to the lineup.

In the three games prior to Shannon returning, Rodgers took a total of 29 shots. In the six games since Shannon’s return, Rodgers has a total of 31 shots. He is still extremely efficient, as Rodgers has only had one game in the past six contests where he shot worse than 60% from the field.

Offensively, I want Rodgers more involved in the game. He is a solid offensive rebounder, as he leads the team this season with 2.1 offensive rebounds per game, but I want Rodgers to get the ball in the post more often. Instead of holding the ball on the perimeter and not moving, let’s try getting Rodgers cutting in the backdoor and posting up on the block.