Grades are in: Illini freshmen lead the way past UIC
- Story byThe News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
- Grades are in: Illini freshmen lead the way past UIC
Oct. 28—Players of the game
Illinois guards Ethan Brown, Quentin Coleman and Lucas Morillo
Is it a cop out to choose three players? Maybe, but the three Illini freshmen put up nearly indistinguishable final stat lines. Brown was the top scorer of the bunch with 12 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. Morillo was the top rebounder with eight alongside his 10 points and four assists, and Coleman had five assists along with 10 points and seven rebounds. All three impacted the win in a similar fashion.
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Backcourt
Illinois: A
UIC: D
Ball movement was at a high level Wednesday night at State Farm Center, with Illinois posting 28 assists on 37 made shots. That level of facilitation wasn't limited to just one playmaker either. Coleman, Brown, Morillo and Stefan Vaaks all finished with multiple assists in the blowout win. The Flames, meanwhile, had 13 assists on 27 makes in a far less efficient effort.
Frontcourt
Illinois: A
UIC: C
Illinois' team effort rebounding approach means sometimes all starting center Tomislav Ivisic has to do is box out his man and watch one of the Illini guards come flying in from the perimeter to snag the ball off the rim. Ivisic finished with just three rebounds against UIC, but the 7-foot-1 center did put up 14 points. The Flames leaned on Jayce Nathaniel and Lucas Scroggins with 10 points apiece.
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Bench
Illinois: A
UIC: D
Injuries to David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic and Zvonimir Ivisic created a rotation — and multiple lineup combinations — that won't be typical for Illinois in the regular season. Who started and who came off the bench Wednesday night mattered little, but the Illini did finish with a 46-24 advantage in bench points behind 10 apiece from Vaaks, Morillo and Zavier Zens. UIC's more limited bench production was led by Scroggins' 10.
Overall
Illinois: A
UIC: D
A 20-point lead for Illinois less than 8 minutes into Wednesday's exhibition finale erased all doubt about the final result. The Illini pushed their advantage to as many as 46 points in the second half and ran out the clock on the Flames without really letting off the gas with an offense that proved its potency down a pair of All-Big Ten caliber players and a two-way big man. The next goal for Illinois? Get fully healthy as soon as possible in the regular season.
