Illini Beat Maryland 71-62, Big Ten goes for Three-Peat

The Illini faced their first big test of the season today and responded well, beating the Maryland Terrapins 71-62 on the road. Even though Maryland isn't as strong as they were under former head coach Gary Williams, this win is huge for our Illini. As part of the Big Ten/ACC challenge, this was the first nationally televised game for our freshman and first true test of the season. The Illini clawed out an impressive come-from behind win to put one on the board for the Big Ten! Here are my take-aways from this game:

This is the most talented and athletic Illini team I have seen in ages. Every player has the ability to take over the game at any time. The future is definitely bright for our young team.

For the first time in a long time, MOST of the players on the team have multiple ways to score. If our jumpers weren't falling (they weren't at the beginning of the game), our guys have the athleticism and ability to get inside. We did, and it worked.

Being a young team, there are going to be some growing pains against tougher opponents. Defensively, I noticed a couple of miscommunications on defense, wrong or late switches, that led to some scores. Luckily they kept it minimal tonight, but expect to see that at least a few games this year. Especially against tougher opponents and more hostile environment. But despite the growing pains, I will commend our guys (new and old) for playing with excellent intensity on the defensive end. Bruce has got to love that. Our guys also need to learn when the lob to the middle is there. I saw way too many turnovers on guys trying to feed Meyers Leonard. If it's not there, you can't force it. Swing the ball around the perimeter and see if Leonard can't get better position. I can't blame them for wanting to feed Leonard though,

Because he is special. You can really tell he used to play guard before his growth spurt. He has excellent court awareness and athleticism for a 7 footer. On top of that, he's a beast around the rim defensively and can finish offensively. Add in a little mean streak (see the taunt near the end of the game on that blocked shot?) and he will be an intimidating force during the Big Ten season. Leonard had 12 and 6 on the night.

And now for the older guys:

Sam Maniscalco is a stud. Plain and simple. He can just straight ball. Him being on the team will add at least a handful of wins to our team. On top of that he's the on court leader. He's calm, cool, and smart. He might save a technical foul here and there. Sam had 24 points including 5-8 from 3-point land.

I noticed a lot of improvement out of Griffey too. We always knew he could hit that outside shot, but today he showed he could finish inside. This steady playing time is really letting him get into a rhythm. He can be a pleasant surprise this season. He had 7 points and 6 boards in limited time.

And finally, Brandon Paul to me will be our most important player. He's got the best offensive skill set and has clearly matured this offseason. I rarely saw out of control lunges at the basket, trying for a foul. He knew when to shoot and when to drive. He fed his teammates well. He finished with 17 points and 3 assists. And he's the emotional leader of the team. Look for him to be a spark plug and be the energy we may need on the road.

If the Illini can keep up this style of play, we are going to be in for an exciting season. This might be the funnest Illini team to watch in recent years. Next, we face another big test in 19th ranked Gonzaga.