Quick hits | Illinois 66, Oakland 54

Nov. 13—What happened

Some adversity for Illinois for the first time in the regular season in the form of too many turnovers and a night where three-point shots didn’t fall quite as easily as they did in opening week wins against Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville. The end result was the same Wednesday against Oakland with a 66-54 Illini victory, but it just took a little more work to get there. Fewer turnovers in the second half certainly helped Illinois hold on for the win.

What it means

Illinois coach Brad Underwood is big on his teams being able to find a way to win when shots don’t fall. That was certainly the case against Oakland. After shooting 39 percent from three-point range in the first two games of the season, the Illini connected at just a 28 percent clip Wednesday night at State Farm Center. The answer was ultimately better effort on the offensive glass, the ensuing second-chance points and running offense to Tomislav Ivisic.

What’s next

Arguably the most difficult game on the schedule with a Nov. 20 trip to Birmingham, Ala. Hardly a “neutral” site when facing No. 2 Alabama. The Crimson Tide reached the Final Four last season and are seen as legitimate national title contenders behind All-American guard Mark Sears. Crushing the likes of EIU and SIUE is one thing. Facing the Tide will reveal where this Illinois team truly stands at this point of the season. Even more than Wednesday night did.

What was said

“Just about what I thought. Hats off to (Oakland coach Greg Kampe) and his crew. They’ve obviously had some productive practice time since their last ball game. They’re awkward to play against to put it bluntly. There’s not a lot of teams that play that way. … A very valuable lesson for our guys to understand that not every game is fun, easy, pretty. There’s going to be some games that are lower possession and you’ve got to grind it.” — Underwood

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/quick-hits-illinois-66-oakland-045900177.html

Author : The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

Publish date : 2024-11-14 04:59:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.