Illinois Basketball: A Rollercoaster Week
Brad Underwood, the head coach of Illinois men’s basketball, is a classic Big Ten guy. He’s not quite like Michigan State’s Tom Izzo or Northwestern’s Chris Collins, but he’s doing his own thing, and he’s just fine with that.
Last week, Illinois had some big highs and a surprising low. They crushed Penn State 91-52 after scoring some impressive wins on the West Coast against Oregon and Washington. But then came Saturday, when they slipped up at home against USC, losing 82-72. This was their first loss since a buzzer-beater defeat to Tennessee back in December. It was a bit of a wake-up call for Underwood.
Freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis, who’s already being eyed by the NBA, missed his second game due to a left forearm injury. And boy, did they miss him.
After the USC game, Underwood didn’t hold back. "We were kind of sleepwalking in the second half," he said, which led to their three-point shooting going ice-cold, hitting only 22.22% of their shots late in the game.
“We over-dribbled to the point I think we pounded every nail on the court,” Underwood told reporters. “There was no flow, and we need that…we need him [Tomislav Ivišić] and [Jakučionis]. Those guys give us great connectivity and offensive flow. That keeps balance on the court.”
Underwood was pretty blunt about it. "We looked like a 5th-grade team in basketball camp all wanting to run to the ball," he admitted. "I wish I had a better answer for that."
Looking ahead, Illinois is gearing up for a showdown with Indiana on Tuesday night. They’ll be facing off against former Illini player Luke Goode. Both teams are sitting at 4-2 in Big Ten play, and this is their only matchup of the season. It’s gonna be a good one (Big Ten Network, 7 p.m. ET).
But there’s still uncertainty about Jakučionis’s return. Underwood confirmed on Monday that he’s doubtful for the Indiana game and couldn’t say when he’ll be back. "I don’t know," he said simply.
Illinois slipped from No. 13 to No. 19 in the AP Top 25 this week. They’re one of six Big Ten teams in the rankings, along with Michigan State, Oregon, Purdue, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
After Indiana, Illinois heads to East Lansing to take on the Spartans on Sunday. It’s the first of two matchups with them in the next month, with the second game set for February 15th in Champaign.
This season’s shaping up to be full of twists and turns. Can Illinois bounce back and make a strong push in the Big Ten? We’ll have to wait and see!
