After an offseason characterized by arguably more speculation and wonder than those surrounding any other program in college basketball, Illinois’ new-look roster was cracked open for Sunday’s exhibition game against No. 24 Ole Miss – and the Illini promptly fell flat.
It felt like a shock – all that buildup, and then … meh. The Rebels – a quality, cohesive SEC club – took the win in Oxford, 91-74, and you could argue that they should have. But that’s not the point. An offseason of buzz and anticipation had set Illini fans up to see, well, by gosh, something. And most of them are still trying to figure out exactly what it was they witnessed.
With the official start of the season only eight short days out, let’s try to put Sunday in perspective – hey, it was an October exhibition game, after all – with five takeaways from the Old Miss game:
The Illini turned it over 22 times against an Ole Miss team that last year forced only 12.3 per game. Yes, Chris Beard-led teams are known for their exceptional defense, but many of Illinois’ errors were almost laughably unforced. Multiple possessions were wasted due to errant passes against a Rebels opposition applying little pressure. No team, regardless of talent level, can be consistently competitive coughing up 20-plus turnovers again. But we expect that number to come down.
In one of the lone bright spots, the Illini outrebounded the Rebels 44-32 in an all-around effort as four different players snatched six boards or more. Most impressively, Illinois got 16 rebounds from Kasparas Jakucionis, Kylan Boswell and Tre White ina. three-guard lineup. Crashing hard, the Illini leveraged their positional size to haul in 15 offensive rebounds, creating second-chance points that helped (somehwat) offset a subpar shooting day.
Ole Miss knocked down 12 3-pointers on 52.3 percent shooting, and to be fair, the Rebels caught a couple hot streaks. It happens. But the Illini weren’t making it any harder on them out there beyond the arc. Poor rotations, not enough fighting through screens and sagging too deep off shooters in the first place allowed Ole Miss to find an easy rhythm. Scouting reports are less in-depth for an exhibition, but that doesn’t account for Illinois’ lack of effort in this area.
Despite the end result, multiple Illini gave fans a glimpse of what’s to come. Freshman Jakucionis showcased his exceptional footwork on two separate occasions and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. Fellow rookie Will Riley knocked down threes on back-to-back possessions – one off the dribble and one off the catch. Sophomore Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn hit three triples and led the team with 15 points, tacking on a block and a steal. 7-foot-1 center Tomislav Ivisic controlled the defensive paint with countless deflections and showed off a smooth stroke on offense going 2 for 3 beyond the arc.
Back-to-back threes for @WillRiley_7 👌
2H 12:15 | #Illini 50, Ole Miss 66 pic.twitter.com/mAzNsK0xNQ
— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 27, 2024
One game never tells a team’s story – especially when it comes to shooting. Why overreact to a day when the shots aren’t falling any more than one when everything is going in? But for a group whose individual offensive talents are expected to help carry it early in 2024-25, a 43.5 percent mark from the field and 30.3 percent shooting from 3 are discouraging. More worrisome, the Illini shot an abysmal 52.6 percent (10 for 19) from the free-throw line. Lots of youth and lots of connections to be made between new teammates. For now, let’s chalk it up to first-game jitters.
