Grades are in: Isaac Williams just one dangerous Baylor guard
- Story byThe News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
- Grades are in: Isaac Williams just one dangerous Baylor guard
Oct. 23—Player of the game
Baylor guard Isaac Williams
Scott Drew having an abundance of capable guards is an annual occurrence in Waco, Texas. The Baylor backcourt is deep enough this season the Bears can bring Williams off the bench behind Kayden Mingo, Dylan Mingo and Brett Decker Jr. and still count on a big-time performance. While Williams' overall offensive efficiency dipped from his lights out first half, the 6-foot-1 junior still put up 28 points in 22 minutes.
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Backcourt
Illinois: B+
Baylor: A
Baylor's backcourt duo of Williams and Decker made an incredible number of three-pointers — mostly in the first 20 minutes — that staked the Bears to their substantial halftime lead, which wasn't all that surprising given the high percentage both shot a year ago. Illinois' Quentin Coleman and Andrej Stojakovic were more reliant on getting to the rim, as the Illini made 36 percent of its threes compared to Baylor's 44 percent.
Frontcourt
Illinois: D+
Baylor: A-
The Illinois bigs don't shoulder the team's rebounding responsibilities alone. This is going to be an "everybody has to rebound" Illini team. But the number of offensive rebounds Baylor pulled down, including several that hit the floor first, was still far too high. The Bears finished the game with a 47-38 overall rebounding advantage — led by Juslin Bodo Bodo's 10 — and turned 22 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.
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Bench
Illinois: A-
Baylor: A
Jason Jakstys' energy off the bench provided a second-half spark for Illinois, which became a serious need after both Zvonimir Ivisic and Tomislav Ivisic went down with injuries. Freshman guard Lincoln Williams brought more of the same, giving the Illini scrappy defense, while Stefan Vaaks turned into a go-to scorer. What Baylor had more of, though, was total production off the bench between Williams and backup forward Isaac Celiscar's 15 points and eight rebounds.
Overall
Illinois: C-
Baylor: A-
Illinois closed out Friday night's game leaning on just one player, senior forward Jake Davis, that played a crucial role on last year's Final Four team. Injuries to both Ivisic twins and Stojakovic made it necessary, and the Illini still almost completed their second-half comeback behind Davis, Vaaks, Jakstys and a slew of freshmen. Almost being the operative word in a 95-91 exhibition loss at State Farm Center.
