With that in mind, the Illini still took to the court to take on an opponent other than themselves, which merits some discussion. I imagine that the main question most Illini fans have is which half will be more indicative of the team's play this season. The halftime score was only 35-32 in favor of Illinois and Wayne State even held the rebounding advantage 16-12. Illinois quickly righted the ship in the second half though, spurred by Meyers Leonard and Brandon Paul's offense. Illinois' defensive aggressiveness finally paid dividends, as they outscored Wayne State 44-19 in the second half.
If I were to give a semi-informed, educated guess, I would say this Illini team will consistently perform somewhere in between the two polarizing halves. Bear in mind, starting point guard Sam Maniscalco was held out of the game as a precautionary measure, as were three other players that figure to contribute to the rotation in Myke Henry (knee), Devin Langford (broken finger) and Crandall Head (suspension). Head coach Bruce Weber toyed with lineups for most of the game and any semblance of the projected starting rotation rarely played together. Add in that it's the first game for a young team with many new parts and there is some explanation to the sluggish start.
With this in mind, let's explore a few positives and negatives that I observed tonight.
Positive - Defense: After two consecutive seasons of lackluster defense, characterized by apathetic effort and laterally lethargic players, Weber and Co. have assembled a group that should thrive on the defensive end. The perimeter defenders do an exceptional job keeping their man in front of them (something McCamey and Cole struggled with often) and the post players are big-bodied and unafraid to mix it up on the block. The rotations on defense are noticeably crisp as well, including the half-court trap that James Augustine used to execute to perfection. The effort is there, too, with players diving for loose balls and concerted attempts at physicality. Unfortunately, this leads to our first negative which is.......
Negative - Foul Trouble: There were 49 total fouls in the game, 21 of which were committed by the Illini. While this is a necessary result of aggressive defense, it was extremely counterproductive at times and led to bailing out the Wayne State offense that was mostly inept in the half-court against the Illini's tight defense. I was extremely impressed by the defense but the number has to decrease in order for this team to succeed. There is absolutely no way this team will be able to keep up offensively with Big Ten teams who are shooting free throws in the bonus for the majority of the game. This will be something to keep an eye in the early part of the nonconference season.
Positive - Mike Shaw/Tracy Abrams: I'll start with Abrams, who logged major minutes at point guard with Mansicalco's absence. Weber has said often that Abrams is the ultimate competitor during game situations and that was very obvious throughout the exhibition. I was impressed by his poise. The freshman assumed the point guard position and dished five assists to no turnovers. Moreover, he's an above average dribbler and would have easily had the second-best handles on last year's team behind McCamey. There have been many naysayers over the years shoehorning Abrams as a shooting guard that would never really succeed at the point. I would argue emphatically to the contrary and, if anything, I feel more confident that he'll be leading the Illinois over the next four years.
Shaw also impressed when given a larger role in the wake of the frontcourt foul troubles. Shaw was easily the most active player on the floor and recorded twice as many rebounds (8) as Leonard and Tyler Griffey in comparable playing time. It was no secret why he got those rebounds either; Shaw wanted it more than anyone else on the floor, elevating and using his large frame to secure errant shots. If Shaw could puts forth similar effort all the time, the freshman will be an integral part of the frontcourt rotation.
Negatives - Nnanna Egwu: Much has been said about Egwu's inspired play in the offseason, including some speculation that he might receive minutes as the starter. Such speculation will have to be tempered for now, as Egwu only played 13 foul-plagued minutes before eventually fouling out. Egwu is skilled, no question about it. In 13 short minutes, Egwu scored 10 points, including 4-4 on free throws, and displayed some of that rumored motor by notching two steals and two offensive rebounds. Keeping him on the court will be the issue, though. Egwu will need to develop some defensive discipline in a hurry. The fouls he committed were mostly forced and could have been easily prevented. Egwu's offensive skill-set and 6'10" frame is extremely valuable in the frontcourt and will need to stay out of foul trouble to protect Leonard and Griffey.
The words to describe this team right now are these: extreme caution. This is a young team that will have a lot of trouble scoring at times. But the effort is there, along with defensive intensity, and that can mask a lot of offensive problems and even help in creating offense. This team has a long way to go, but they have a bright future. Just remember Illini fans, caution. Extreme caution.
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