 The Illini outrebounded the Braves by a whopping 49-25 margin that
included 19 offensive boards for the good guys. Illinois only had 12
turnovers, and after a slow start shooting in the first half, really
heated up in the second to hit for 47 percent from the field.
Illinois limited Bradley to 36 percent shooting for the game.
Three stars of the game were:
Star 3: Rayvonte Rice
Rice does a lot of things well and is more like the classic
scorer than he is a red-hot shooter from long range. He runs the
court exceedingly well and displays some pretty good hops, judging
by a couple of his highlight reel dunks Sunday night. He seems to
sense or feel when it is time to put the dagger in the opponent and
wasted no time doing so in this contest.
Ray's line for the night was 13 points, seven rebounds, five
assists and only one turnover. Included in his seven rebounds were
four on the offensive glass, and he was relentless going to the
hoop. His intensity seems to lift the confidence of his teammates
and gets them to play at a higher level. We could've easily moved
him up on the star chart Sunday night.
Star 2: Tracy Abrams
Tracy had a real solid ballgame Sunday night. We like the way he
ran the show, pushed the ball in transition and was looking for open
teammates constantly. He seemed to get his guys in their sets
quicker than in the last couple of games, and that made it tougher
on Bradley, as it seemed to wear them down.
Tracy finished the game with 12 points, eight rebounds and three
assists against only two turnovers. Handling the ball as much as he
did, that is a testament to some of his improvement.
An incident as the clock expired at halftime was especially close
to our hearts. Coach Groce had drawn up one last play and it
unraveled. Tracy stayed on the court for a minute and put his arm
around the coach and asked him what went wrong. Groce patiently told
him. The coach also gave him some options on what to do in that
situation. I love it when a coach and a point guard are
communicating in a positive way like that.
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Star 1: Jon Ekey
We think we saw Ekey handing out game programs and selling
pretzels! He might as well have, as he did about everything else. We
love the way he pops out quickly to the perimeter on the
pick-and-pop plays. Obviously, the Big Ten teams and the tougher
defensive teams that we face will not allow him to do so nearly that
easily, but he sure is doing it well now. From a coaching
standpoint, we love how he keeps balls in play by tipping them out
behind the arc. We would prefer to snatch them, just to make sure we
get extra possessions, but he hustles and gives us extra chances —
you have to love that about him. He can also get up and get up
quickly, which is nice to see.
Jon's line for the night was 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from
distances, seven rebounds (which are amazing when you look at his
body type – you might not think he could get a rebound), and he had
only one turnover. You never know what you are going to get when you
get a fifth-year player like him, but so far, what's not to like?
Honorable mention: Nanna Egwu
Nanna chipped in with 10 points for the fourth straight game.
Yes, you read that correctly. Nanna has scored exactly 10 points in
every game so far this season. H e also gets our patience award as
he was open in the post several times Sunday night and failed to get
the ball. We'd like to see the rock pitched in to him when he does
that much work, even if he doesn't shoot it.
MTXE (Mental Toughness, Extra Effort): Jaylon Tate
Your LDN staffers on the scene really like this youngster. He
came off the bench Sunday night to log 23 minutes, but he wasn't
just out there. He displayed outstanding court vision, found open
teammates regularly and ended up dishing out six assists against
only one turnover. IF he can be a consistent contributor and he and
Tracy can mesh into a two-headed monster, that would go a long ways
toward making this a successful 2013-14 campaign.
Next up for the Illini is a Friday home date with Chicago State
that tips at 8 p.m.
[LDN staff]
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