Illinois basketball dug a hole in the second half, but we managed to climb out and emerge victorious against Ohio State.
The Illini looked to be down and out in the second half against the Buckeyes. Ohio State had an eight point lead with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Illinois stormed back and managed to tie the game up.
Minutes later, with the game tied 71-71, Ohio State hit a huge three-point shot with under two minutes to go. This could have easily ended the Illini, but we fought back again. Huge buckets and even bigger rebounds saved the day for the Orange and Blue. Illinois finished the game on a 6-0 run and came out with a win over Ohio State, 77-74.
Here are five massive observations from the Illinois basketball win over Ohio State
1. Dain Dainja put the team on his back
Throughout the entire season, you could see that Dain Dainja was an asset to this team. There were stretches he wouldn’t see the court often, but when he did get minutes, this kid was dominating.
Dainja was huge in the most recent win over Iowa. He dropped nine points, five rebounds, and two blocks in just 15 minutes of action. That was a great game, but Dainja wasn’t done impressing the Illinois fanbase. When we needed him the most, on Friday night against Ohio State, he came through.
Illinois needed a paint presence against the Buckeyes. When that happens, Dainja is the person to call. He answered that call to the tune of 18 points, eight rebounds, and one block on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor. The big man logged 20 minutes of action in the game as well.
Even though I have seen it out of him before, it always amazes me how nimble Dainja is on the court. Illinois was able to get the ball into him on numerous occasions, and he was able to keep his pivot foot and work around a defender. I can’t tell you the last time I saw an Illinois big man with the feet of Dainja.
Dainja finished with 18 points, meanwhile, Illinois had three starters combine for 14 points. Without Dainja’s huge performance, we are heading home with a loss and preparing to be a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. That is how big of a night he had for this program. He truly put the team on his back.
2. It feels like Ty Rodgers could be used like that more often
There are quite a few players on the Illinois basketball team who have the potential to blossom into stars. I love what Niccolo Moretti brings to the court. Amani Hansberry and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn are also fun to watch. But the player that I am eyeing who I believe has the most star potential is Ty Rodgers.
Rodgers does things on the court at 6-foot-6 that is extremely rare. Honestly, he is like our Charles Barkley. He isn’t huge, but his grit and toughness on the glass are something to marvel at on the court.
Most people don’t look at Rodgers as having the key contributor abilities, but he once again flashed them against Ohio State. He finished the game with 12 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, and one block on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor. Rodgers logged 32 minutes as well.
The thing with Rodgers is that he isn’t looked to for offensive production nearly enough. During the season, it was the main upperclassmen who would get the ball and try to score. There were a couple of games when Illinois looked to Rodgers, but it was rare.
On Friday night, Rodgers needed to put up points, and he delivered for the program. He got the ball around the bucket and had the ability to find a way to make the shot. At 6-foot-6, Rodgers has a great paint presence, and I wish he was used in this capacity more often. Illinois could use another paint monster.
It would also help the Illini to use Rodgers, as we did on Friday night, when the offense is stalling out. We went on a couple of droughts against Ohio State, but having someone like Rodgers to go to around the hoop for points would be a nice luxury. Let’s start using the star forward more often on the offensive end of the court.
3. The last few minutes of Coleman Hawkins was clutch
Man, was Coleman Hawkins having an ugly game. He looked horrific for the first 35 minutes against Ohio State. Granted, he wasn’t the only Illinois basketball player laying an egg, but Hawkins is a big-time member of this program, and he looked terrible.
In the first 35 minutes against the Buckeyes, Hawkins had a total of three points, three rebounds, and one assist while turning the ball over twice. He wasn’t taking shots or being aggressive toward the basket. Hawkins was extremely passive for some reason. It was almost like he wasn’t feeling well and was acting as if he was a decoy during this stretch of time.
The game was close coming down the stretch, though. Illinois needed some big plays from some big-time players, and when that was the case, Hawkins showed up.
In the final five minutes of the game, Hawkins doubled his production on the court. During this stretch of five minutes, he had four points, four rebounds, two blocks, and one assist. He had better numbers in that five-minute stretch and the 35 minutes prior.
Hawkins woke up during the final stretch of the game. He was skying for rebounds, which were huge. Illinois couldn’t give the ball back to Ohio State, and Hawkins made sure that was the case. He also came up with some crucial points that were needed to seal the win.
Many people are going to see the Hawkins box score and think he had a terrible game. That was true for the first 35 minutes, but in the last five minutes of the game, he was clutch for the Illini.
4. It was just one of those games for Marcus Domask
Sometimes basketball just happens. You wake up and have an off day. Things just don’t go right, and the hoop seems to have a lid on it for you. That was the case with Marcus Domask on Friday night.
Domask is without a doubt a great player. He is incredible on the basketball court with his ability to score from the perimeter and with his back to the basket. He is a Swiss Army Knife, and Illinois is lucky to have him on the team.
But this was a stinker of a game for Domask. He finished the Ohio State game with seven points, four assists, and two rebounds while going 3-of-16 from the floor and 1-of-5 from three-point range. He also had four turnovers on the night.
This was technically Domask’s second-worst game of the season. He had a worst shooting percentage in the loss earlier this season to Tennessee. But this was by far the worst time to have one of the worst games of the season.
Basketball is a tough sport, though. Bad games do happen. This was one of those weird games. On multiple occasions, Domask was able to get to the rim. He missed two layups where the ball looked to be going in the hoop, but it hit the inside of the rim and popped out.
When Domask would back his man down, he did his patented fadeaway jumper, but that shot was just a few inches too short all night long. All around, he just couldn’t get much to go against the Buckeyes.
The silver lining to Domask having a bad game is the fact Illinois won and he got the bad game out of the way. He doesn’t have back-to-back bad games, which excites me for the Nebraska matchup on Saturday. Look for Domask to put up a big number against the Cornhuskers.
5. Terrence Shannon Jr. did what superstars do
In the five huge questions article leading up to the Ohio State game, I wondered if the dynamic duo of Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask would come through for Illinois against the Buckeyes. I also mentioned in that post that when one of the great players isn’t having a good game, the other picks them up.
Just hours later, Domask lays an egg for the Illini. A player who has averaged 21 points in the last four games and 15.7 points per game for the season dropped seven points against Ohio State. This was a brutal performance, but the dynamic duo came through, as Shannon picked his teammate up when he was down.
Shannon did what superstars do. He put up a big number in a crucial spot. He finished the Ohio State game with 28 points on 8-of-20 shooting from the floor and 2-of-7 from three-point range. He also did what he does best and got to the free throw line. Shannon converted 10-of-11 from the charity stripe.
I didn’t even mention Shannon doing a little bit of everything on the court. He had three rebounds, three assists, and two steals to go along with his game-high 28 points.
Shannon was aggressive toward the basket. He played with a bulldog mentality. The refs were blowing their whistles, so he took advantage of this fact.
I was also impressed with Shannon’s defense against the Buckeyes. He had the two steals, one of which was a breakaway dunk. He also guarded well on the perimeter. Shannon got around screens well and didn’t allow Ohio State to get a lot of open looks.
Big-time players come through in big-time games. Shannon put on his cape and led Illinois to a huge win in the Big Ten Tournament. He is a true superstar.