Illinois basketball looked like the better team for much of the game, but Purdue ended up securing a big road win in the Big Ten.
The game was setting up so well for the Illini. The Boilermakers looked slow in the first half, and we were hitting shots. I thought this was a real chance for Illinois to notch a top-five victory and to launch into serious discussions about being a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Sadly, everything would fall apart in the second half. Purdue looked much better, and they eventually took the lead. A couple of big shots down the stretch put a dagger in the Illini, as we would fall to Purdue, 77-71.
Here are five painful observations from the Illinois basketball loss to Purdue
1. The Illini bench didn’t come through
To knock off the No. 3 team in the country, Illinois needed everyone to play well. Not only did we have a starter who didn’t look good, but the Illinois bench also didn’t show up to the game against Purdue.
Two specific players I am looking at from the bench who really had a rough game were Justin Harmon and Dain Dainja. Both veteran players were looked to for leadership, and both players came up short.
Harmon finished the game with zero points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block on 0-of-3 shooting from the floor and 0-of-2 from three-point range. He also had three fouls and one turnover on the night.
Purdue has Zach Edey at center, so Illinois wasn’t going to get a ton of clean looks in the paint. That is why Harmon was needed on the perimeter. He would have helped space the floor, but his lack of point production hurt the Illini.
Illinois also needed Dainja at the No. 5 spot to make an impact. He played seven minutes in the game, and boy howdy, they were a rough seven minutes. Dainja had back-to-back turnovers that were killer. For the night, he had four points, one rebound, and one steal on 2-of-2 shooting from the floor. He also had two fouls and two turnovers.
I thought Luke Goode had a solid game with good effort, but we could have used more out of him. Amani Hansberry and Niccolo Moretti helped spell some minutes, but they didn’t produce much either.
Illinois’ bench finished a combined seven points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block on 3-of-8 shooting from the field and 1-of-5 from three-point range. They also had 11 fouls and three turnovers. The Illini needed more out of the bench, but they didn’t have it in them against Purdue.
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2. Terrence Shannon Jr. disappeared at the wrong time
Illinois was taking on the No. 3 team in the nation on Tuesday night. This was a chance to show the nation that we are one of the best teams in the country. It was also a chance for Terrence Shannon Jr. to cement his place as a first-team All-American.
That didn’t end up being the case, though. Illinois gave up a lead and let Purdue surge ahead at the end. Meanwhile, Shannon never really showed up to the game.
I was waiting and waiting for Shannon to flip the switch. He can start games slowly and then come alive to put up big numbers. That switch was never flipped. Shannon was a non-factor for much of the game for the Illini.
When the final horn blew, Shannon’s box score showed 11 points, two rebounds, and one assist on 3-of-13 shooting from the floor and 0-of-4 from three-point range. He did make all five free throws, though.
Purdue is just a tough matchup for Shannon. He has now played the Boilermakers twice in his career with the other game coming on the exact same date, March 5, last year, and Illinois lost that game 76-71. Shannon put up 13 points, one rebound, and two assists in that contest.
I think Shannon struggles with two things against Purdue. The first is the fact they have Zach Edey. Shannon loves to drive to the hoop and get to the free throw line. It is tougher to do that when you have a giant in the middle of the paint.
Purdue also does a great job of rotating on defense. They aren’t a lazy perimeter-defending team. So, that means Shannon doesn’t get the open three-point looks he usually gets against weaker opponents.
This was a rough game for Shannon and the Illini. Hopefully, we got this game out of the way, and Purdue doesn’t pop up on our schedule again.
3. Team-style basketball won out
Tuesday night featured a fascinating game between Illinois and Purdue. These two teams have some similarities, but they have two completely different approaches to the game of basketball.
Illinois played more of an isolation game, where the ball gets moved around a couple of times but it mainly sticks in one player’s hand. This player tries to create offense off the dribble.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Purdue. Even with one of the most dominating players in Big Ten history, the Boilermakers find a way to move the basketball. They play well as a team, and they pass the ball to find the open man or to create open looks.
Purdue’s style of basketball won out on Tuesday night. They played solid basketball on the road, and Illinois didn’t have an answer late in the game.
Going more of an isolation game for the Illini works against teams that don’t have a 7-foot-4 big man coming over on help defense. We can usually back a defender down and get an easy look. Illinois also wasn’t able to drive into the lane because of that same 7-foot-4 big man helping on defense.
When those two areas get shut down for the Illini, we are going to struggle. The ball didn’t move against Purdue, as Illinois’ nine assists tied the lowest number of assists for the program over the last nine games.
Purdue just plays a 1980s style of basketball. They have good ball movement, good communication, and they played a sound team game. While Illinois comes close to beating the Boilermakers, that style of plays continues to win out.
4. Surprise performance by a couple of Illini players
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Illinois basketball team on Tuesday night. I thought there were some bright spots in the loss.
Marcus Domask was sensational for the Illini. His 20 points were only second to Zach Edey in the game. He did a great job backing down his man and wiggling around Edey to score points. But there were two players who had been missing lately but showed up against the Boilermakers.
The first player was Quincy Guerrier. He made a big impact on the offensive end of the court, especially early on in the game. Guerrier was hitting shots from everywhere and finished with 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor and 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Guerrier’s 12 points is the most points he has scored in a game since the 12 points he put up against Nebraska on February 4. You have to go back to January 24 to find the last time he put up more than 12 points.
Illinois needed Guerrier’s strong offensive performance. Joining Guerrier in the welcome-back club was Ty Rodgers. He finally had a good offensive game for the Illini, which was much needed.
Rodgers finished the Purdue game with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor and made both of his free throws. His eight points were the most he has scored since February 10 against Michigan State when he also had eight points. January 30 is the last time Rodgers scored more than eight points in a game.
Terrence Shannon Jr. wasn’t having a good game, so Illinois needed players to step up to compete against the No. 3 team in the country. Without Guerrier and Rodgers, the Illini probably get blown out by Purdue. Thankfully, these two showed up at the right time.
5. Au revoir, Zach Edey, get out of the Big Ten
It has been three long seasons, but I think it is finally over. I think the Illinois basketball team is done playing against Purdue big man, Zach Edey.
There is always a chance the Illini play him one more time, as the Big Ten Tournament starts next week, but as of right now, there are no more scheduled games against that 7-foot-4 monster.
Edey has been a thorn in the side of the Illinois basketball team since he become a starter at Purdue. He has been great statistically, but even when he isn’t putting up big numbers, his presence in the paint causes enough chaos.
During his time at Purdue, Edey has started in five games against Illinois. He is 5-0 in those contests. Edey is averaging 17.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 blocks in those five games as well.
It was all capped off on Tuesday night with Edey’s best performance against the Illini. He dropped 28 points and pulled down a measly eight rebounds in their win. In the last game, when Edey got in foul trouble, he only logged 23 minutes but still managed 15 rebounds.
When Edey isn’t touching the basketball, he is giving Illinois headaches in other ways. Offensively, he draws so much attention to the point his teammates have open three-point looks. Defensively, he is a black hole where everything around him gets sucked up. You can’t take the ball at him or he will make you pay.
It has been fascinating to watch Edey play the game of basketball because of his dominance, but I am so happy to say, au revoir, Zach Edey. It was a wild ride but get the heck out of the Big Ten.