Illinois Basketball: 3 Observations From the Iowa Hawkeyes Victory

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 welcomed in the Iowa Hawkeyes last night and jumped them from the start.

Illinois took at 16-point halftime lead and never relinquished it. They now move to 13-8 on the season and 3-5 in the Big Ten.

Here are my three observations from the Iowa victory.

Te’Jon Lucas is Our Point Guard

For the past few months, I have preached and preached that Te’Jon Lucas should be seeing more and more minutes as the No. 2 point guard.

Well, I was wrong because he clearly is not the No. 2 point guard anymore. This kid deserves to be the starting point guard on this basketball team.

Last night, Lucas finished with 6 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. This is the most complete point guard play we have seen in quite some time.

In a surprisingly smart move, John Groce gave Lucas the starting nod last night. He received 27 minutes and the Illini won the game by 12 points.

There were times throughout the game that Lucas would start getting on a hot streak and then Groce would pull him for Tate, but that didn’t last too long and Lucas was back in the game.

This is now the fourth time this season that Lucas has received over 20 minutes in a game and in those contests the Illini are 3-1 and should have been 4-0 if it wasn’t for the meltdown against Maryland.

Lucas is the man for the Illini and it is proven that when he plays more, the Illini are more successful. I just hope Groce realizes this fact.

Nov 24, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Michael Finke (43) looks to pass as West Virginia Mountaineers guard Daxter Miles Jr. (4) defends during the first half of the second game of NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Finke is Good

The fact that Michael Finke is good has been known for a while. I always thought he was one of the best shooters on the team.

Finke’s downfall is his defense, but when used right with the right players, I think he can shine.

Last night was one of the nights that Finke was great. He shot 7-of-10 from the field for 17 points. He also added in another five rebounds as well.

Illinois needs that type of spark off the bench to be able to compete with teams. He has provided that in a few games this season.

When Finke scores 10 or more points, Illinois is 7-2 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten. That is a great record and something that needs to be looked at moving forward.

Finke is an asset to this team; he just needs to be in the right position to shine night in and night out.

I also like how his rebounding is progressing as well. He had five rebounds last night and is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game this season. That is a jump from the 3.7 RPG he was pulling down last year.

I wonder how Finke will be used moving forward, but the facts are there, he is an asset that is crucial to the success of the Illini.

John Groce Shortened Roster

Okay, I know this sounds kind of crazy since John Groce played ten players last night at least ten minutes a piece, but he clearly shortened his roster.

This has been a process for quite some time, though.

Last night we didn’t see DJ Williams and Aaron Jordan. These are two highly touted recruits a few years ago and now they are nonexistent.

I am curious on why these two didn’t play against Iowa considering they are two talented players. My guess is there is something else there that we just aren’t seeing right now.

But, just taking what it is at face value, I would like to see these two play a little more in the future still.

I think both Williams and Jordan have value on the basketball court that isn’t being tapped into.

Williams is extremely athletic and can shoot the ball somewhat. He can cause mismatches on the court and that would help moving forward in the Big Ten season.

Jordan can be used as well. He has a great shot but isn’t the best on the defensive end of the court.

I see where minutes can be taken away from some players and given to these two in the future. We got the win against Iowa and I want that to continue. That is why I want to see these two players.