DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 16: Ty Rodgers #20 and Terrence Shannon Jr. #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini of the Illinois Fighting Illini look dejected as they leave the courted after being defeated by Arkansas Razorbacks 73-63 in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 16, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Illinois basketball was back in action on Friday night in the first exhibition game of the young season.
It was nice to watch the Illini play in a game. It had been quite some time since this had occurred, and the last time we watched the Orange and Blue on a broadcast was losing to Arkansas in the NCAA tournament.
Illinois ended up dominating Ottawa on Friday night, as we should. Everyone obviously got a ton of play in the 115-65 rout. But I was watching for a few things and there were some areas that stood out to me the most.
Here are five observations from the Illinois basketball win over Ottawa
1. Illinois starting lineup was different
Coming into the game on Friday night, I assumed that the solid starters for the Illini were going to be No. 1 Ty Rodgers, No. 2 Terrence Shannon Jr., No. 3 Luke Goode, No. 4 Coleman Hawkins, and No. 5 Dain Dainja. Well, I was right about four out of the five projected starters.
Against Ottawa, Brad Underwood went with a starting lineup for No. 1 Rodgers, No. 2 Shannon, No. 3 Goode, No. 4 Marcus Domask, and No. 5 Hawkins. He didn’t go with Dainja and decided to go with a smaller lineup to start the exhibition game.
My first thoughts were that this was a surprising move. Underwood usually likes to go big, but as the game went on, I completely understood the decision. The starting lineup Illinois had on the court was impressive.
The chemistry the five starters had was exactly what I was hoping it would be to start the year. They were all in tune with each other, and this showed on the court. Smart passes and knowing where each other was going to be enabled Illinois to quickly snag a double-digit lead.
I was wondering what the starting lineup would be against Ottawa, and Underwood threw a curveball. That curveball looks to be a great decision, though. I would love it if Illinois rolled with this starting lineup to start the season.
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