Illinois Basketball: Player Grades and Observations Against VCU
The Illinois basketball team pulled off a gutsy 64-46 win against the VCU Rams Saturday afternoon.
Here are my player grades and observations.
Observations
No. 1 Groce Changed the Starting Line-Up
In my first article, I suggested the John Groce should shake-up the starting five. He did, and he changed it to what I had proposed.
Although it was ugly early, the Illini won by 18.
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No. 2 Leron Black is Better Than Expected
Leron Black put up 18 points, tying his career-high, and hustled the entire game. It was a breath of fresh air seeing an Illini big play with a lot of confidence and swagger.
Black has averaged 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds over his last three games. Putting Black in the starting line-up proved to be huge for Groce and the Illini.
No. 3 Illinois Basketball Played Good Defense for 40 Minutes
At times this season, the Illini defense has been rather terrible. They gave up 84 points to Winthrop, and that was the tipping point for me with this defense.
Illinois’ defense against VCU was actually what got them going offensively.
For a period in the second half, the Illini fouled a little more than I would’ve liked, but overall I was impressed with the defensive intensity especially when the offense was slow.
Grades
Tracy Abrams
PG, Illinois Fighting Illini
A-Abrams has been the most consistent player on this team all season long. He did not stop that today. He hit open shots when Illinois needed him to. Tracy found open teammates and delivered the passes beautifully. Although, he had a few turnovers against the press today, and that is what has docked his grade a bit.
Malcolm Hill
SF, Illinois Fighting Illini
B -Malcolm Hill had a solid game today. I felt that he forced the issue a little bit too much, and I felt that he dribbled more than he needed to. At times, it felt like a James Harden type of offense. Hill ran the isolated offense more than he probably should have, and it stopped the flow of the offense. He did hit some big shots though. He drained the buzzer beater at the end of the 1st half, and hit the dagger in the 2nd half to put the Illini up 12.
Leron Black
PF, Illinois Fighting Illini
ALeron Black was outstanding all game long. He had the first 4 Illini points, and finished tying his career high with 18 points. He also had some very nice hustle plays (as he usually does), and rebounded well. Black was on fire from mid-range all game long. He would have an “A+” if he didn’t have a couple bad turnovers and 2 three-point attempts. Leron Black made the Illini Nation proud today, and it was good to see him playing so well.
Mike Thorne Jr.
C, Illinois Fighting Illini
C -Thorne did not have the game I wanted him to have. This VCU team does not rebound all that well, and I thought he would score more in the post. He is catching the ball far too high for my liking, and he needs to get deeper in the post. I hope he improves before IUPUI comes to town. He still had some nice finishes and offensive boards.Next: Who Has Signed and Who Is Next
The Bench
PG/SG/SF/PF/C, Illinois Fighting Illini
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