Fresh off his career day on Saturday against Maryland Eastern Shore, in which Morez Johnson Jr. recorded his first double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, Illinois’ freshman forward continued his dominance on Monday night.
It was clear from the early going that Little Rock lacked a physical match for Johnson. No play made that more obvious than when Johnson put back his own miss – in powerful and spectacular fashion – midway through the first half.
Fellow Illini big man Tomislav Ivisic, after briefly giving a look at the basket from the top of the key, fired a two-handed pass to Johnson, who had flashed into the lane from beneath the low left block. Johnson corralled it, quickly rose up on two Trojans defenders, who walled up and forced a difficult finish for the freshman, whose attempt trickled off the rim.
Technically, it was the result that Little Rock had wanted – but the initial stop wound up only delaying the inevitable.
Johnson, not at all deterred, tracked the ball, collected his miss and instantly came up with a better idea than a layup:
Won’t be outworked.@morezjohnsonjr rocks the rim 😈
1H 9:08 | #Illini 29, Little Rock 13
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/3iNRErDOXN— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 26, 2024
Johnson’s filthy two-handed jam – one of two on the night – rocked the backboard and its support and seemingly sent shock waves through the State Farm Center. By game’s end, Johnson had finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and a block in a career-high 22 minutes.
Now more consistently delivering production on both ends, Johnson may see his minutes hold steady in that range – and possibly increase – including in the Illini’s next matchup, when they’ll certainly need his size and defensive prowess to slow down No. 19 Arkansas on Thanksgiving Thursday.
