Illinois Basketball: 3 Observations From the Indiana Loss

Jan 7, 2017; Bloomington, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach John Groce gives instructions to his team during a timeout during the second half of the game at Assembly Hall. The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 96 to 80. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

The Illinois Basketball team went into Bloomington, Indiana last night and got pummeled by the Hoosiers.

This was a loss that I expected, but much like the Maryland game, it was the way the Illini lost that has me worried.

Here are three observations from the Indiana defeat.

Scoring Distribution Off

This season has been solid for the Illinois basketball team. They went into the game last night with an 11-4 record and scoring we haven’t seen in a long time.

Illinois had seven players averaging six or more points per game heading into the game last night against the Hoosiers.

This scoring distribution did not continue through the game, though.

Illinois finished with four players that hit the six-point mark and the rest of the team floundered below that level.

This rough scoring included a combined seven points from three of the five starters in the game as well. That isn’t a recipe for winning.

The four scorers with six or more points were Malcolm Hill and Jalen Coleman-Lands, who both had 21 points, Maverick Morgan with 18 points, and Te’Jon Lucas with 6 points.

There are some positives I can take from the individual performances from some of these players, but overall this was not the scoring distribution that I was hoping for.

If Illinois isn’t going to play defense then they need to outscore teams. Having only four players with six or more points is not the way to outscore teams.

Illinois needs to get this fixed quick heading into the future.

Dec 21, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Terrence Phillips (1) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Te

Te’Jon Lucas Should be the No. 2 PG

Is this ever going to happen because I bring it up week in and week out yet John Groce still doesn’t really do anything about it?

I think it is clear to everyone that Te’Jon Lucas is a far superior point guard than Jaylon Tate and it showed last night against the Hoosiers.

Lucas came into the game when Illinois got into that huge hole and actually helped them make a few runs.

Of course, these runs fell short as the Hoosiers ended up beating Illinois by 16 points, but the offense and everything around Lucas flowed better when he was in the game.

The stat sheet also showed that Illinois was better with Lucas in the game as well.

Lucas finished with 6 points and 4 assists in the 15 minutes of playing time Groce allotted him. Tate had 0 points and 3 assists in the 10 minutes he played.

Just looking at these stats and watching the game proves that Lucas is a better option in just about all areas on the court.

But, the one area that really stands out to me is the offense.

Lucas scored six points in this game against Indiana and that is more points than Tate’s last four games combined.

Groce needs to have Tate ride the pine and let Lucas be the No. 2 point guard on this team. The rest of the season depends on it.

Nov 18, 2015; Providence, RI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (5) and guard Malcolm Hill (21) celebrate during the first half of a game against the Providence Friars at Dunkin Donuts Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Coleman-Lands Hitting His Stride

I have also beat to death the point of getting Jalen Coleman-Lands more involved as well. He is a great shooter and the Illini need to make every team aware of this.

Coleman-Lands was finally utilized to his full potential against Indiana and dropped 21 points in the loss.

This was an efficient 21 points as well. Coleman-Lands shot 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-8 from the three-point line.

Illinois needs this type of production night in and night out from Coleman-Lands. In this game, they finally focused on getting him more involved and it worked.

I loved the way Coleman-Lands drove the ball as well. He didn’t just chuck up a bad three-point shot because when he realized it was going to be bad he pulled it down and drove to the hoop.

Coleman-Lands had his best game of the season against Indiana. His previous high in scoring was 18 against McKendree earlier this year.

Coleman-Lands’ shooting accuracy was also some of the highest this season as well. His field goal and three-point percentages were the second best of the season.

If Illinois can just get on the same page as a team then Coleman-Lands great performances won’t be lost. He had a great game and it is exciting to see him hitting his stride.