Why Illinois basketball must get older

Illinois basketball has lost 8 of their last 13 games. On top of that, they have embarrassingly lost their past three games by double digits. The most recent loss was a national embarrassment in front of a national audience where the Illini lost to the Duke Blue Devils by 43 points. Now, the Illini are facing a true must-win game coming home vs the Iowa Hawkeyes. Even if they do get into the NCAA tournament, this regular season has ultimately been a failure. Brad Underwood took a gamble this offseason by taking 11 newcomers and is now facing the reality that he and his staff failed.

A number of these newcomers have fallen way short of expectations compared to those that they replaced. Also, a number of these newcomers may not even be on this roster next year which puts Illinois in a precarious situation. After this season, Brad Underwood has to realize the balance that it takes and the importance of building a roster in this age of college basketball.

Young teams do not win.

Look at Rutgers this year. Despite two sure-fire top-five picks on the team in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, Steve Pikiell’s team is currently 13-14 and will likely not have a postseason tournament to play in. Despite the Harper and Bailey highlights, this team has completely lost the rugged, defensive-minded identity that made Rutgers an NCAA tournament team in past years. In hindsight, how could anyone turn down the prospect of two top-five NBA draft picks joining the team?

However, coach Pikiell and Coach Underwood failed to build a team around these players. As the 2022-2023 Illinois basketball team showed, when there’s a reliance on true freshmen, you’re asking to be extremely volatile as a team. No matter how talented the freshmen are.

Veterans have to carry the team.

The most successful Illini basketball teams have been the oldest teams. Almost every young team that centers their team around young stars, no matter the draft position, ends up having a mediocre season. Old teams win in college basketball and do so at a high clip. Matt Painter and Purdue are the perfect example of this. Tom Izzo’s Michigan State is another example. Marcus Domask, Terrence Shannon Jr, Coleman Hawkins, and Quincy Guerrier were all guys in their fourth or fifth year of college.

Not only did they have experience, but each of them complimented one another very well. Shannon Jr and Domask were the offensive superstars, while Hawkins provided the playmaking and floor-stretching. Guerrier provided toughness, rebounding, and floor spacing.

This team has none of that

First off, this team has a leader and no alpha. Despite some intriguing talent and two surefire NBA draft picks, this team has completely wilted after adversity. When Terrence Shannon Jr was suspended for six games, Marcus Domask, Coleman Hawkins, and Quincy Guerrier all stepped up and led the team. Despite missing their star, the team played hard.

Since, the first half at Michigan State, this team has completely wilted and looked like a shell of their former self. Losing Morez Johnson Jr should not equate to losing games by 21 and 43 points respectively.

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