Against No. 8 Alabama last Wednesday, No. 25 Illinois (4-1) showed vulnerabilities on defense and its shooting from the perimeter, absorbing its first loss of the season as a result. If the idea was to snap back Saturday at home against Maryland Eastern Shore by addressing those issues, the Illini got it at least half right.
Behind their best defensive performance of the season and a solid offensive outing that didn’t exactly cure their shooting woes, the Illini cruised to an 87-40 win over the Hawks’ at State Farm Center in Champaign.
While blowouts like Saturday’s may seem like open-and-shut cases, even the widest wins can offer insights, so we’d like to present our three key numbers from the Illini’s most recent matchup:
Fifteen was an important figure all around for Illinois against Maryland Eastern Shore – especially on the defensive end. The Illini held the Hawks to just 15 first-half points and finished the game with 15 forced turnovers while holding the Hawks to just 15 field goals (on 68 shots, for a shooting percentage of 22.1). No one will confuse Maryland Eastern Shore for Alabama, but those are eye-popping numbers against any Division I competition – and certainly a good sign after the Illini’s defensive difficulties against the Tide last week.
Morez Johnson Jr. – uniform No. 21 – had been patiently waiting for his moment, and he seized on it Saturday. Fellow first-year teammates Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley and Tomislav Ivisic have been receiving much of the attention around Champaign, but Johnson has quietly been putting together stellar performances on short minutes, and Saturday’s was his most impressive yet. Playing only 13 minutes off the bench, Johnson used his length, strength, superb athleticism and instincts around the rim to put up career highs in points (10) and rebounds (13), including eight offensive boards. Defensively, Johnson blocked a shot and deterred numerous others. As his game grows throughout the season, expect Johnson’s minutes to follow, as he brings a unique dynamic to this squad that no other Illini can provide.
Never gave up on the play.@morezjohnsonjr with the rebound and putback!
2H 3:37 | #Illini 84, Maryland-Eastern Shore 33
Subscribe/stream on B1G+ https://t.co/WexJfPhFf1 pic.twitter.com/C4G3Je0lqH— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 23, 2024
Normally, a poor shooting performance isn’t something to celebrate. But if your glass is half-full, you’ll see the upside in dominating an opponent despite misfiring at the rate Illinois did against Maryland Eastern Shore. The Illini’s shooting struggles (10-for-40 for 25.0 percent on 3-pointers against the Hawks) clearly followed them home from Birmingham, but that didn’t stop them from battering the visitors in a 47-point victory. With their marksmen misfiring again, the Illini attacked the basket, ultimately scoring a season-high 42 points in the paint – two more than Maryland Eastern Shore scored in total. By now, we know Illinois is going to put up (and often consistently hit) their 3s, but finding the proper balance between launching from long range and exploiting its size and athleticism around the rim will give this team its best chance to knock off much more powerful foes in the future.
