Illinois Basketball: Player Grades Against Rutgers

Illinois Basketball took care of business at home against a bad Rutgers team in Terrence Shannon Jr.’s return.

Who stood out in all the right ways for Illinois Basketball? Who struggled to find their way on the court? Let’s break it all down with some player grades…

#25 Max Williams – A+

He grabbed a rebound!

No, but really, he only played one minute. Which is a good sign that Illinois was up by so much late.

#5 AJ Redd – N/A

Played two minutes

#2 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn – N/A

Interestingly, rumors were flying pregame about DGL’s desire to stay in Champaign. He shut those down himself over on Twitter, ahem, X. As far as the Rutgers game goes, he played two garbage-time minutes.

#11 Nicco Moretti – N/A

After finding himself playing real minutes against Michigan for Illinois Basketball, Moretti was related to a garbage-time player with Terrence Shannon back. Illinois flat-out needed players who were healthy enough to play against Michigan, and Moretti was available off injury. He didn’t look great, but it may take some time for him to find a groove.

#42 Dain Dainja – C

Dainja hasn’t found his role on this team yet this season. After a few seasons of low post dominance with Kofi Cockburn, Dainja maybe saw a path for himself to play a similar role. However, Coleman Hawkins emergence and dominance at the 5 has significantly impacted Dainja’s minutes. Against Rutgers, Illinois could have really used somebody with Dainja’s size defensively, unfortunately, Dainja is more often a liability on that end of the floor than he is helpful.

#20 Ty Rodgers – B

After Purdue decided to guard Ty Rodgers with their 7 ft. 4 giant, I think many people were left wondering if Ty Rodgers was a useful basketball player for Illinois. It was a 5-on-4 for Purdue defensively. Since that game though, Rodgers has become far more aggressive. He is a monster on the glass and has shown an ability to finish through contact. The free throw percentage is up too. Against Rutgers, Rodgers played 14 minutes with Shannon back in the lineup, scoring 4 points with 2 boards. He also had a sweet tip to Coleman Hawkins for a putback. It looked intentional.

#10 Luke Goode – C

Fascinatingly, Goode was the player who found his minutes most impacted by Terrence Shannon’s presence. He went from playing 29 minutes at Michigan to only playing 19 against Rutgers. To be fair, he did find himself with four fouls in the 2nd half and Justin Harmon was rolling. Goode finished with 3 points, a rather uneventful day for him. Those minutes will be something to keep an eye on, even if he continues to start.

#0 Terrence Shannon Jr – B

Shannon’s first game back from suspension for Illinois Basketball was a mixed bag in totality, but his impact was undeniable. I am not sure he ever even hit the rim on any of his three-point attempts, missing wildly all day. And he didn’t make a field goal until the second half. However, when Illinois needed him most, he came through. Rutgers cut the lead to 4 points, and Shannon swung the momentum completely back in the other direction with two fast-break layups. He gave Illinois what it was missing in his absence, what it was missing in that Maryland game. The jump shot will come along as will his defense as he gets back up to game speed.

#4 Justin Harmon – A+

Harmon has been on a bit of a rollercoaster ride over his last 6 or 7 games. He showed he is capable of putting up close to 20 points and could knock down outside shots. He also showed that his jump shot can be a streaky one, and while he is a fine defender, he’s not a very great one. Harmon put it all together against Rutgers, forcing Underwood to play him for almost 30 minutes. He was taking the ball to the rim and finishing around contact, and at times, seemed like the only player on the floor who could get you a bucket. Illinois will need Harmon to perform as close to this as he can the rest of the way.

#13 Quincy Guerrier – A+

Guerrier has been one of Illinois Basketball’s best players since the Tennessee game in Knoxville a while back. His three-point shot rounded into form, and he showed a remarkable ability to put the ball on the deck and finish at the rim. Guerrier’s strong play continued on Sunday afternoon against Rutgers, putting up 15 points with 11 rebounds. He was a putback machine all day, and for some reason, Rutgers refused to box him out. Guerrier is proving to be the piece Illinois has desperately needed over the last few years and will be one of the reasons Illinois make a deep run in the tournament if they do.

#3 Marcus Domask – B-

It was clear in the first ten games or so that Marcus Domask didn’t have a great feel for his role offensively. He often operated as a catch-and-shoot three guy, which as we know now, isn’t his strong suit. Shannon’s absence unlocked Domask offensively and booty-ball at Illinois was born. Domask showed he can hunt favorable matchups in the mid-post and either get a great look himself or set up his teammates.

So how did he look with Shannon back? Inefficient (not too terribly) and sometimes indecisive, but Underwood continued the brand of offense established over the last three weeks and continued to play him over 30 minutes. The ball was put in his hands a lot in the half-court, and he responded with 12 points and 5 assists. The turnovers continue to be head-scratchers, as he finished with 3 on the day. It will be interesting to see how Domask continues to adjust to Shannon being back in the lineup.

#33 Coleman Hawkins – B

Coming off the best performance, perhaps in his entire Illinois Basketball career, Coleman Hawkins was pretty solid! He struggled in the post against Rutgers, as Clifford Omoruyi had his way down low. Still, Hawkins was remarkably effective in this game, finishing the game with 5 steals, 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. He also caught two awesome great passes from Terrence Shannon to open the game. His three-point shot was a little wayward, but he hit one when Illinois needed it most and flipped the momentum of the game.