Illinois (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) appears to be in a very good place as it prepares to welcome the Oakland Grizzlies (1-1, 0-0 Horizon League) to the State Farm Center in Champaign on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT (on BTN).
The Illini have opened up their 2024-25 season with 30-point victories over in-state opponents Eastern Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville – and looked quite dominant in the process.
Meanwhile, Oakland, which has overturned its roster from last season’s NCAA Tournament qualifier, has handily knocked off the NAIA’s Defiance College but been blasted out by Boise State, 87-43. Let’s take a closer look at how the Golden Grizzlies measure up to the Illini.
Interior offense
Despite putting up a measly 43-point total against Boise State, the Grizzlies scored 24 points in the paint on the Broncos (after hitting Defiance for 36 inside). All five Golden Grizzlies starters can and will get to the rim, although guard DQ Cole loves to put up threes. (More on that later.)
Obviously, it’s in the Illini’s best interest to keep the Grizzlies out of the paint. Facing a team with subpar shooting, playing off, going under screens and dropping against pick-and-roll would seem to be the best strategy against Oakland. It helps that Illinois has an exceptional combination of length and athleticism across the rotation, including freshman rim-protecting specialist Morez Johnson Jr.
This block from @IlliniMBB‘s Morez Johnson is 😳#B1GMBBall on @BigTenPlus 💻 pic.twitter.com/E1M6x99IFI
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 5, 2024
Offensive rebounding
Averaging 17.5 offensive rebounds per game, the Golden Grizzlies crash hard – and then turn those boards into points (12.0 second-chance points per game). Oakland lacks size (tallest starter: 6-foot-7), but the Golden Grizzlies have solid athletes who play hard.
Brad Underwood-coached teams usually handle their business clearing the defensive glass, but the Illini just gave up 19 offensive boards to a mid-major in SIUE last Friday. Illinois should be aiming to reduce that figure by at least half. All five need to box out for the Illini against the Golden Grizzlies, and you’d better believe Underwood will have sent that message in practice this week.
Three-point shooting
To say Oakland has struggled from long range would be a massive understatement. Truth be told, the Golden Grizzlies can’t buy a bucket from beyond the arc. Through two games, they’ve shot 20.7 percent on 3-pointers, but that rate has not discouraged them from getting them up, as Oakland has shot 29 threes per game. In fact, Cole got up 15 by himself in the team’s last outing, despite getting only one to fall.
Illinois has the luxury of keeping things very simple and all but conceding the perimeter to Oakland. Protect the rim. Stay in front. Soft close-outs. Make the Golden Grizzlies prove they can knock down threes. Aside from Cole, who was just a 32.7 percent 3-point shooter a year ago, Oakland lacks another player who – at least so far – is even all that willing to shoot, let alone proved capable of hitting the mark.
Passing
The Golden Grizzlies had only two assists in their loss to Boise State. Of course, Oakland made only 18 field goals against the Broncos, but that number still has to be a concerning one for coach Greg Kampe.
Any Division I basketball team can get hot and go on a run, so it’s important that the Illini don’t feel so comfortable in their superiority that they take half-measures (or bring a similar level of effort). But sound defensive principles and snappy rotations should be prioritized over risk-taking for the sake of making a play. If Illinois’ plays off on the back side, packing passing lanes and forcing Oakland to play iso-ball and take contested jumpers over 40 minutes, the Golden Grizzlies are quiet likely to beat themselves.
2024-2025 stats: 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game
Last season: 3.2 points, 3.7 rebounds
On an Oakland squad that is mostly starting over, Naivalurua – a rare returner – has seen his role expand greatly and taken advantage. Averaging nearly a double-double at just 6-foot-6, Naivalurua is a big-bodied, athletic forward who can cause problems for the Illini. Tomislav Ivisic should draw the initial matchup, but don’t be surprised if the rangier Johnson winds up locking horns with Naivalurua quite a bit.
