Morez Johnson Jr. has shown that he deserves key minutes

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Illinois basketball team was able to hold off a tough and gritty Missouri Tigers team, 80-77. As it came down to the wire, the backcourt duo of Kylan Boswell and Kasparas Jakucionis was too much for the Tigers. Despite strong play from their backcourt, Brad Underwood needs to find a way to have his guys value the basketball a little bit more. The Illini committed a whopping 17 turnovers in this one. It was their fifth straight game with at least 11 turnovers.

One key adjustment that Brad Underwood made today was using Morez Johnson Jr. more.

Morez Johnson Jr’s impact on the glass.

Brad Underwood: “I thought Morez was fantastic, best game of the year (for him.) His energy was impactful, his physicality was impactful.” pic.twitter.com/xdMnxsEW8L

— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) December 22, 2024

Missouri came out aggressively, making it a point to attack Ben Humrichous on the offensive end. That worked early, but Missouri could not stick to that plan. Despite the Illini bigs struggling with foul trouble, Humrichous played just 20 minutes and was 1-3 from the floor. The Evansville transfer only grabbed 1 rebound and was a -6 in the +/- for the game.

Compared to Ben Humrichous’ 20 minutes today, Johnson Jr. played 19 minutes and would have likely played more had he not fouled out. Even though fouling out, the fouls he was called for were questionable at best as he went straight up. The freshman big was key to winning today as he was a team-high +10 per the Real App.  Johnson Jr. was active as always, finishing with six points and eight rebounds (5 offensive rebounds). He was a big reason why the Illini dominated the glass in this one. I would love to see Morez get close to 20 minutes each and every night because he does all the little things. With Ty Rodgers out, I feel the Illini need someone to do that dirty work. Morez Johnson Jr.  does that and more

Key for Big Ten season

The Illini are going to play a lot of physical, older power forwards come Big Ten play. Players like Julian Reese of Maryland, Tyler Bilodeau of UCLA, and Danny Wolf of Michigan, are all power forwards who are the head of the snake of their respective teams. Ben Humrichous has clearly showed that he is a defensive liability and he contributes close to nothing to the rebounding efforts (10 total rebounds in past five games). Morez Johnson Jr. will need to continue the kind of play that he showed today and he seems ready to take a big step forward.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

We at Armchair Illini are proudly sponsored by Hamilton Walker’s Steak, Seafood, and Spirits. Located in the heart of downtown Champaign, there is certainly no better restaurant for Illini fans to visit. Order online here or call (217) 350-0363 to make a reservation.

For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at [email protected]. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.