The Fighting Illini went on the road this past weekend to take on Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, and later #21 Arizona(Nico Mannion is a stud) and the trip was not a total loss. Here some thoughts from the first three games this season to get you prepared for what is to come.
What we need:
Scoring- We need more production out of our top tier talent. Guys like Ayo and Trent. Trent in the first game of the season went 0-9 from the field to start the season against Nicholls State. According to Sports Refernece.com Ayo is only averaging 15.0 PPG. That should be at minimum 20, especially if you are looking to become a lottery pick in the NBA draft, scoring is a must in modern basketball.
Stop Turning The Ball Over: The turn over bug has bit the Illini bad, it’s an infection that won’t wont go away, at least through the first 3 games of the season. The Illini have turned the ball over 62 times this season. Limit the amount of turnovers you commit and it’s amazing how much easier it is to score the ball.
Get Girogi Involved: With the addition to Kofi Cockburn, who will punish opposing players in the low-post, the Illini offense needs to figure out how to get Giorgi B offensive opportunities. He on the other hand has a big transition period to get through, going from the “go too” big man down low to playing the four. Giorgi has shot the three ball pretty well on limited attempts(.750 on 1.3 attempts per game) which will in turn space the floor out. The lane is clogged as we know it, Kofi takes up half, Ayo and Feliz are dominant slashers and make their living creating opportunities at the rim, there is too much happening under the basket. If Giorgi can keep shooting at a high clip or maintain it, it will spread the floor for more offensive opportunities.
Overall the road trip was successful. The Illini played a great first half against the Wildcats, but the second showed their weaknesses. Starting 2-1 on the year is about what I expected from our Illini. Now it’s time to get back to Ubben, enjoy the week off and get back to business as we have three games in seven days starting with Hawaii next week.
