Illini Still in Gift-Giving Mode, Obliterate Northwestern, 96-66!

By Jeff Mayfield

[January 03, 2024] 

The Illinois Fighting Illini are still in gift giving mode as you can see from their 96-66 obliteration of the Northwestern Wildcats last night at the State Farm Center! Illinois had already given their fans a great non-conference season, 9-2, a win over Missouri in the Braggin’ Rights clash, and are off to a sparkling 2-0 start in the Big Ten-that’s the gift that keeps on giving!

And speaking of gifts, all I wanted for my birthday was an Illini win-however we could get one. But some people are better at giving gifts than others and some folks take the challenge of finding and presenting the perfect gift. That’s what happened to me. My wife started the process by spending the day with me. Then she went out with me on a pre-game birthday dinner. And then she did the unthinkable, she actually attended the game with me! And she was a good luck charm along with a lot of our friends whose pictures I saw poppin’ up all
over social media-nice going Illini fans! When the fans are pullin’ their own weight-it really helps the team at critical junctures in the games!

And while we’re on the subject of gifts-I’d love to give the AP pollsters who rank the top 25 teams each week-especially the ones who either didn’t rank Illinois at all OR had them so low as to be insignificant-a year’s supply of coal. You folks have simply not been paying attention! Is it a blow to probably play the rest of the season without a probable All-American in Terrance Shannon, Jr.? You’re darn tootin’! But is ‘next man up,’ just a cute little saying OR do you believe it? Do you live it? I can promise you that Illini Coach Brad Underwood, his coaches, and players would love to prove to you, the doubters and haters, and to fans nationwide that sometimes when you sadly lose a critical part of your success-all other players are afforded the chance to make-up the difference. I’m not saying they will-so, you’re telling me there’s a chance.

This is a solid basketball team with or without TSJ or any of our guys. Make no mistake, at least for me, we’re way better with TSJ, but I have confidence that this group will go to great lengths to prove how good they can be. But, and that’s a big but, our league is still the most difficult to navigate in the nation. And with Purdue and Michigan State looming around the corner, let’s not get crazy. No one is going to run the table in this conference! With all that being said, let’s get to last night’s stars:

My Wife [& she was a ‘Pre-Game’ selection!]

#1 Marcus Domask

Let me share what I wrote about him last game- “Smart, heady, coachable, solid, mature, fundamentally sound…we could go on all night with the adjectives and superlatives that describe this portal pick-up. AND when he struggles in one area-he makes up for it in 3 others! Case in point in this one he cobbled together his first double double of the year with 11 points and 11 assists. He also had two blocks and a steal! What an addition to this ball club!”

Do you think I’m over-selling him? Do you think he’s not quite as good as I make him out to be? Well then, take a look at his line from last night: 32 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1 block. And as awesome as those stats are-they are not close to describing how dominant MD was in this ball game-he simply looked like one of the best players in our league and seemed to be unguardable [though NW tried literally everybody on him and I’m sure Coach Collins would have used a volunteer from the crowd if possible]!

#2 Quincy Guerrier

Whoever did the scouting and brought him here to the heartland should be toasted regularly. I know we tried to get him in the past but so glad he is here now! What gifts did he bring last night? How about his fourth double double. Quincy finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds!

#3 Justin Harmon/Coleman Hawkins

As we reported earlier, sometimes a setback opens the door for other players to get more established. That has certainly been the case for Illini sharpshooter, Justin Harmon. He looks relaxed, confident, and wants the ball! He’s putting in lots of extra work including getting up lots of extra shots and it is really paying off. His stroke seems smooth and he’s really got it dialed in at the moment! In this contest he tallied 20 points and nailed all 4 of his 3-point attempts in the 2nd half! What a gift of beauty!

And Coleman still seems to draw some of the weakest calls this reporter has ever seen and that’s saying something. But CH keeps delivering and is playing at a very high level at the moment. His gifts to the outcome last night-13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal. But his hustle plays are what sets him apart…getting tip-outs, block-outs, and annoying the other team’s best players. Coleman tries to deliver a gift in every possession!

Now what?

I don’t want to shatter your good gift-receiving mode, so I’ll gently encourage you NOT to glance at the schedule. And to you fans that can’t help yourselves, it shows @ Purdue, Michigan State, Maryland, and @ Michigan. Can you say, the gift of a gauntlet?

But these Illini don’t seem to be worried. They are about 3 possessions away from still being undefeated-despite what those crazy pollsters may say! Let’s hope that the momentum continues to flow. Let’s hope that our players keep sharing the gifts with each other. And let’s hope they keep delivering the gifts to their fans.

Thanks for the birthday gift Illini!

[By JEFF MAYFIELD]

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