Illinois basketball embracing the next man-up mentality

Illinois basketball stayed hot at home with a 39-point win (91-52) over Penn State at the State Farm Center. The media received the news that star and potential Lottery Pick Kasparas Jakucionis would be a last-minute scratch with a forearm injury but tonight it didn’t matter. The Illini squad came out swinging and took a 45-21 lead into Halftime. Illini Forward Ben Humrichous led the team with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Morez Johnson Jr. recorded his 2nd double-double of his career with a career-high 20 points. Tre White remained hot from the field with 20 points in the victory.

Illini Men’s Basketball continues to climb the rankings. Before the Penn State game, the Illini rose to 13 in the AP Poll. After the win over the Nittany Lions, Illinois is now 7th in Kenpom and 6th in the Net rankings. They play again Saturday at 11:00 against USC at the State Farm Center. With a win against USC, the Illini will have the chance to potentially jump into the top 10 early next week. The status of Kasparas Jakucionis for Saturday’s game is currently unknown. With or without KJ, Brad Underwood and his team will be ready with the “next man up” mentality.

Who’s to step up?

If Jakucionis is not available this weekend I would expect Will Riley to continue to start. Riley has struggled of late but it’s a matter of time before he finds his groove. Illinois needs to continue to be aggressive on the boards, hit free throws, and continue to play unselfish basketball. With the next-man-up mentality, we will continue to see Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn get increased minutes to showcase his athleticism on both ends of the court. Morez Johnson Jr is someone who deserves to get 25 minutes a game. He continues to show us night in and night out why he is special. You never want your star player sitting out with injuries but it gives the young guys an opportunity to get more minutes. That will ultimately prepare Illinois basketball for another deep run in March madness.

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