Just because exhibitions don’t count doesn’t mean they can’t produce a quality rant. Illinois coach Brad Underwood delivered a pretty good one on October 27 after his Illini were torched 91-74 by Ole Miss. The Rebels shot 48.6 percent from the field and 52.2 percent (12 of 23) from three and only committed nine turnovers. “Defensively right now, a seventh grade middle-school team might hang a hundred on us,” Underwood seethed. “We stink and we foul too much. Tonight at 5:30 when I get out of here we’ll have a really inspired practice on the defensive side because that’s what we’re working on mostly, trying to get guys dialed in there.”
Underwood had cooled off considerably by the time he spoke to Hoops HQ five days later, but he remained realistic about the challenge he faces in rapidly turning his revamped Illini into a defensive stalwart. “We’ve probably had our best week of practice,” he said. “The hardest thing to develop is defensive chemistry. Defense is hard because kids don’t talk, they don’t communicate. And not only do you have to talk, but you have to listen. Those things take a little bit of time and reps.”
That is especially true when you have essentially a brand new team. Illinois returns just one starter and one other scholarship player from the team that lost to UConn in the Elite Eight. Underwood replenished his roster with five freshmen and five transfers, which makes this not just an inexperienced team, but a young one as well.
The defense may have a long way to go, but Illinois is teeming with offensive talent. The most potential belongs to Kasparas Jakucionis, a 6-6 freshman guard from Lithuania. Though he makes careless passes (as young players tend to do) and needs to be more efficient at catch-and-shoot threes, Jakucionis has the potential to give the Illini a devastating weapon. “We’ve had every (NBA) team in here, and I haven’t heard anybody say he’s outside the top 15 (of the draft),” Underwood said. “He’s big and he’s bouncy. The thing he’s got to improve on the most is that he’s way too hard on himself. He’ll miss two shots in a row and get down. He needs to learn to say, screw it, I’ll make the next five. That’s immaturity.”
Underwood also sees great potential in another heralded freshman, 6-8 forward Will Riley, a five-star prospect who is such a workout fiend that he broke the team record in the mile (he ran it in 4 minutes, 19 seconds) and beat Illinois’ resident Peloton king, strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher, in one of his first spins on the bike. “Will’s different, man,” Underwood said. “He’ll shoot 4,000 shots this weekend. At first we tried to tame him down a little bit because we were worried he was going to wear himself out. Now we realize, that’s just where this kid’s happy.”
Offensively, Illinois will have a different look this season. Whereas in the past few years, the team has been dependent on a high-usage scoring guard (Ayo Disumo and Terrence Shannon Jr.), this team will share the ball more and have balanced scoring. For the chemistry to work, the Illini will need efficiency, production and leadership from older transfers like 6-2 junior point guard Kylan Boswell (Arizona), 6-9 super senior forward Ben Humrichous (Evansville) and 6-7 junior forward Tre White (Louisville). The team also got good news last Thursday when Croatian native Tomislav Ivisic, a 7-1 sophomore forward who had 12 points, six rebounds and two assits in the loss to Ole Miss, was cleared by the NCAA.
It would be a nice luxury if the Illini could develop their defensive chemistry against undermanned opponents, but Underwood loaded up his schedule with heavyweights just like he always does. Along with the usual Big Ten gauntlet, Illinois will play Alabama in Birmingham on Nov. 20, Arkansas in Kansas City on Nov. 28, a home game against Tennessee on Dec. 14, the usual Braggin’ Rights game against Missouri on Dec. 22 and Duke in Madison Square Garden on Feb. 22. One way or another, Underwood will find out just how good his team is — or isn’t.
“Everybody’s giving me a hard time about the schedule, but that’s how you measure yourself,” he said. “I haven’t had a team with this many new guys since I was in junior college. I really believe our ceiling is as high as any team I’ve had, but I also know that we’ll be a better team in December than we are in November. That’s why I feel great.”
What to make of USC’s exhibition win over Gonzaga?
Given that USC also has a brand new roster under first-year coach Eric Musselman, and given that Gonzaga returns its Sweet Sixteen virtually intact and is ranked No. 6 in the AP’s preseason poll, it was safe to assume the Trojans were in for a long night when they played an exhibition against the Zags in Palm Desert, Calif., on October 26. Instead, the Trojans pulled out a 96-93 win. Five USC players scored in double figures, led by 20 points by Terrance Williams, a 6-7 super senior transfer from Michigan. Desmond Claude, a 6-6 junior transfer from Xavier, added 19.
For a team with so many new faces, the Trojans showed terrific chemistry, enthusiasm and confidence. That could owe to the fact that the roster includes 10 seniors, which is tied with Nebraska for the most in the Big Ten. “I know it doesn’t count, but Gonzaga tried to win the game,” Musselman told Hoops HQ. “I was fearful we’d lose by 30, but we played phenomenal. I’ve never been around a team that has flowed together this quickly. Our huddles were mid-season huddles. It’s just a really smart team with a lot of good kids. We’ve never had a bad practice.”
It was a far cry from the Trojans’ previous exhibition game, an 84-83 squeaker over UTSA. Musselman said he thought his players were nervous for that game and it showed in the shooting, where USC was a paltry 6 for 18 from behind the arc. Williams was 1 of 2 from three while Chibuzo Agbo, a 6-7 super senior transfer from Boise State, missed all four of his long-range attempts. Agbo was 3 of 4 agains Gonzaga and as a team the Trojans were 8 of 17. “When those two guys make threes, we’re going to be really good,” Musselman said. “When they don’t, we’re going to struggle.”
Around the Rim
* Michigan coach Dusty May has brought in 11 newcomers for his first season in Ann Arbor. They include six transfers and four freshmen. One of the transfers is a familiar name — Vladislav Goldin, the 7-1 forward from Russia who played three years for May at FAU. With Goldin’s package of size and skill, he should be a perfect complement to Yale transfer Danny Wolf, a 7-foot junior forward. Wolf combined for 22 points on 6 of 15 shooting (3 of 7 from three) to go along with 18 rebounds in the Wolverines’ two exhibition games. May told Hoops HQ that Wolf could be an even more efficient scorer if he learns to convert better on layups and paint attempts. “I just don’t think he’s used to playing with much force around the rim,” May said. “We’re playing five out and he’s driving and cutting, but sometimes he just gets knocked off his base. He got himself in good shape and he’s getting great looks, so that could be a difference for him once he gets it.”
* Indiana glided past Division III Marian (Ind.) on Friday night as expected. The more significant news was the return of two injured players who had missed the previous exhibitions — 6-5 super senior guard Trey Galloway, a starter and All-Glue selection last season who had knee surgery in April, and 6-3 redshirt freshman Jakai Newton, who missed all of last season because of a knee injury. Coach Mike Woodson has suggested that Newton might be the most explosive athlete on the roster. Galloway and Newton played 10 and 12 minutes, respectively, in the game, but their minutes should increase as they work their way into the rotation. Friday also marked the return of 6-7 freshman Bryson Tucker, a McDonald’s All-American who sat out the previous exhibition against Tennessee because of a minor knee issue.
The game had a tinge of Hoosier nostalgia because Marian’s new coach, Pat Knight, is a former IU player and assistant coach. Pat is the son of legendary IU coach Bob Knight, so it was fitting that the game was played on the one-year anniversary of his father’s death. When Pat was introduced to the crowd in Assembly Hall, he jogged to half court and kissed the center circle.
* By the way, we’ve heard all through the off-season that Indiana was going to leave its woeful three-point shooting in the past. During the Hoosiers’ two exhibitions, they shot just 10 for 44 (22.7 percent) from behind the arc. It’s way too early to worry, but it’s not too early to wonder.
* The season hasn’t technically started yet, but Ohio State coach Jake Diebler suffered a pair of twin losses last week when two of his top recruiting targets decided to play elsewhere. Darryn Peterson, who hails from Canton, Ohio, and is currently playing for Prolific Prep in California, committed to Kansas while North Carolina native Isaiah Denis, a 6-5 guard, opted for North Carolina.
* A big question for Wisconsin coming into the season was who will fill the void at point guard created when Chucky Hepburn transferred to Louisville. Could the answer be … no one? That’s a possibility given that none of the three candidates started the Badgers’ exhibition game against UW-River Falls. Wisconsin did not look all that sharp as it took longer than it should have for the Badgers to put the game away with a 78-62 win. It obviously didn’t help that their starting backcourt of 6-4 senior guard Max Klesmit and 6-4 sophomore guard John Blackwell combined for five points on 1 of 14 shooting. John Tonje, the 6-5 super senior transfer from Colorado State wasn’t much better (3 of 11 from the floor, 1 for 7 from three), but he did sink 8 of 9 from the foul line to lead the way with 15 points.
* When 6-6 senior guard Kobe Johnson transferred from USC to UCLA, the popular take was that he would be a perfect fit in Mick Cronin’s culture, given that he was a Pac-12 All-Defense selection a year ago. Early indicators are that Johnson could turn out to be an effective passer as well. He had 11 assists to just two turnovers in the Bruins’ exhibition win over Cal State LA. “Kobe’s been by far our assist leader from July 8th in our first practice up until today,” Bruins coach Mick Cronin said afterward. “I’m going to say 40 or 50 more assists than the next guy over a four-month period of workouts. So that’s not a surprise at all.” Johnson averaged a career-best 3.3 assists for the Trojans last season (though he did average 2.1 turnovers per game). His 20.9 percent assist rate ranked 12th in the Pac-12, according to KenPom.com.
* After reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in ten years, Nebraska suffered arguably the worst off-season injury of any Big Ten team when 6-10 senior forward Rienk Mast underwent season-ending knee surgery in May. Fred Hoiberg was already going to rely heavily on his nine newcomers (including seven transfers), but the loss of the all-league forward means the Cornhuskers will need even more production from their other two returning starters, 6-7 senior forward Brice Williams and 6-6 senior forward Juwan Gary. It also helps that Nebraska will be one of the oldest teams in the country, with a roster that includes six players who are in their fifth year (or more) of college basketball.
But it says here the X-factor on this team wil be Berke Buyuktuncel, a 6-10 sophomore forward from Turkey who came to UCLA as a freshman last season with tremendous hype but could never work his way into the rotation. Though Buyuktuncel had just four points in 20 minutes in the Huskers’ 73-53 exhibition win over Grand Valley State, he did grab 12 rebounds. Buyuktuncel never had more than five in a game for UCLA last season.
BIG TEN GAMES TO WATCH (All times ET)
Ohio State vs. Texas in Las Vegas, Monday, 7 p.m., truTV. This is quite a test for Jake Diebler to begin his first full season as the Buckeyes’ head coach. Diebler crushed the portal last spring, bringing in stud transfers Meechie Johnson from South Carolina and Aaron Bradshaw from Kentucky, among others. This game will also mark the collegiate debut of Texas’ heralded freshman Tre Johnson, a 6-5 smooth-shooting wing who is a projected lottery pick.
Wagner at Rutgers, Wednesday, 6 p.m., Big Ten Network. Speaking of projected lottery picks, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey will be making their debuts a couple of days later than most of the league, but they’ll be worth the wait. The two of them combined for 45 points in the Scarlet Knights’ exhibition loss to St. John’s, but only one other player (6-6 super senior guard P.J. Hayes) reached double digits. That’s going to hard to sustain over the long haul.
New Mexico at UCLA, Friday, 11 p.m., CBS Sports Network. The Lobos had to bring in eight newcomers after losing their three best players from the team that won the Mountain West tournament, but they will still present an interesting early test for the Bruins.
Northwestern at Dayton, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN Plus. The Wildcats return 62.3 percent of their minutes from last season, highest in the Big Ten, but the sledding will be tougher without Boo Buie. Junior forward Nick Martinelli and 6-4 super senior guard Jalen Leach, a transfer from Fairfield, combined for 45 points in the Wildcats’ exhibition win over Lewis. It won’t be easy to win at Dayton, which begins the season ranked No. 27 on KenPom. The Wildcats are 51st.
Washington at Nevada, Saturday, 10 p.m., MWN. Danny Sprinkle had great success the last three seasons at Montana State and Utah State. The biggest reason for that, 6-8 senior forward Great Osobor, has followed Sprinkle to Seattle for their third destination together.
Michigan at Wake Forest, Sunday, 1 p.m., ESPN2. This will be a terrific road challenge for the Wolverines. Their top priority will be trying to lock up Deacons’ senior guard Hunter Sallis, a candidate for ACC player of the year. He scored 18.0 points per game last season.
