IOWA CITY, Iowa – That’s one in a row, but it was a start for coach Brad Underwood and his Illini basketball program.
After five losses to begin the conference season and eight losses in eight games against Power 5 competition, the Illini whipped Minnesota by 27 points Wednesday. With those near misses capped by a powerful win, the Illini may have started to change the perception about the program. A sleeping giant might be awakening.
“We’ve been in so many close games that everybody looks at us and says it’s a matter of time,’’ Underwood said. “It’s us worrying about us. No matter what they think about us, it’s what we think about ourselves.
“I’ve seen continued improvement in this team every day. What I’ve seen is unbelievable improvement and unbelievable spirit from our guys. I sure was excited to know we’re headed in the right direction. You have to be careful with success and how you handle it. We need to learn how to play well on the road, play tough and play physically. We haven’t got it done yet with this team.’’
As an encore, Illini fans would appreciate another game like that, taking everyone back 10-15 years ago to a time when the Illini were reliable at home and always a threat on the road. Barring some miracle run, this is another wait-til-next year season. It’s about growth, development and keeping the pieces together for next season.
Things fell into place for one night. Freshman Ayo Dosunmu attacked the basket while attracting attention of the NBA. Giorgi Bezhanishvili reminded coaches around the league that he’s the biggest surprise in this year’s freshman class, and Trent Frazier bounced back from a slump. The Illini rolled past a mid-pack Minnesota team, albeit one that’s susceptible to flunking on the road under coach Richard Pitino.
The next challenge is duplicating that kind of performance on the road against No. 23 Iowa. The Hawkeyes have won four straight and chasing their first Big Ten Conference title in 40 years. It’s probably a two-horse race -- Michigan vs. Michigan State – for the league title with the rest of the league apparently jockeying for spots in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois’ only chance for its first NCAA bid in six years would be wining the conference tournament.
In this rebuild, it’s about Underwood’s ability to develop the pieces this season, then keep them on hand for next year, when the Illini could climb into the upper division. Transfers, the NBA and academics can derail programs.
With Frazier and Dosunmu finding a way to feed off each other, Bezhanishvili growing into a powerful big man and the freshman class a year older, it could be the team that really brings the Illini out of the malaise of so many lost seasons.
But keeping a program from cracking after each season is becoming more difficult. Nearly 40 percent of college players transfer each season, and the Illini lost six players following last season. Some of those personnel losses went against the wishes of the coaching staff. Dosunmu is also considered the second-best NBA prospect in the league behind Indiana’s Romeo Langford, according to ESPN.
So, there’s the challenge of keeping the roster intact.
At this point, the biggest surprise is Giorgi. At the start of the season, he was nothing more than the class clown, the big kid with the jokes and the Euro dance steps. By mid-January, Bezhanishvili became a scoring threat and a defensive backstop, Underwood said. Consistent rebounding from Bezhanishvili is a key, as is his ability (or inability) to stay out of foul trouble. When that comes together, he could play his way into a key role over the next few years.
Dosunmu and Bezhanishvili “are stepping into roles that most freshmen never get the opportunity to (fill),’’ Underwood said. “We’re seeing guys blossom into grown men and have lot of success.’’
In a border rivalry at Carver-Hawkeye Arena where tensions were once stoked by recruiting accusations, the Illini want to show they weren’t one-hit wonders.
“The other night, that was really impressive because Minnesota is really a good team, very good team,’’ said Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey. “They have really good players, and to beat them by 30 says a lot about where Illinois is right now. They have a really good team. They've got really good players, and they're putting it together. It’s one of those things you always hope it’s not against you.
“They have a lot of new players. They have a lot of freshmen. They play a certain style, and you knew that in particular, you knew how good Ayo was. That kid is special. You knew how good Frazier was last year. Now, they had to get used to playing with each other.
“And then you get a new center, they played three other guys last year, now they've got Giorgi and (Adonis) De La Rosa, the transfer. That's two new guys, but they're both good. De La Rosa is a fifth-year guy, and Giorgi is a freshman, but it just takes a little while for those guys to blend together.’’
With a proud Hawkeyes program seeking to end a conference title drought of four decades, it just goes to show you how hard it is to win those things. A lot of pieces have to come together. After a string of losses, the Illini just proved they could get it done for one night, but it could be a tease of things to come.
“Once those guys got it figured out and a couple of those other freshmen started playing well, you could see it coming,’’ McCaffrey said. “Yeah, their record was sub-.500, but they were in every game, they battled every game, and you knew they were going to put it all together at some point.’’
The trick is doing it again and again and again.
