Despite Illinois only losing by 11 in Piscataway on Wednesday, the game was all Rutgers until a late run at the end.

After leading by nine at the break, the Scarlet Knights led by as many as 23 points in the second half, visibly playing harder and with more energy. RJ Melendez played well in the last five minutes, and Illinois was able to get the game down to single digits, but it was too little, too late as the Illini fell, 70-59. This was Illinois’ third straight very poor second half. 

Other than Kofi Cockburn and late-game RJ, no one on Illinois played particularly well on either side of the ball. Shooters were ice cold, the free-throw shooting was horrendous until late and turnovers were again a problem. 

Defensively, Illinois allowed more open threes than it has all year, didn’t rebound well and four Rutgers’ players reached double-digits in points.

Shooting slump

Outside of the paint, Illinois has really struggled over the past three halves of basketball. From late in the Northwestern game to throughout the Rutgers game, the Illini’s shooters have struggled.

Illinois made one three in the second half against Northwestern and started 0-13 against Rutgers from behind the arc until Trent Frazier finally got one to fall. In the second half, Grandison hit his only three of the game early, and that was it until Illinois went on a meaningless run late.

If the Illini don’t shoot well, it’s very hard for them to win. Kofi can’t do everything himself, so when you’re missing relatively good 3-point shots consistently, you can’t feel confident.

Illinois also started 2-9 from the free-throw line before hitting its final seven late, but again, when the shots actually mattered, it wasn’t hitting them. 

Who wants it more?

Trent and Da’Monte Williams are in their fifth year of college basketball. Kofi is in his third. Grandison is a graduate student. So is Plummer. Why is Illinois getting out-hustled by teams multiple times a year?

The effort Wednesday night looked similar to the game at Maryland earlier this year and also similar to against Cincinnati back in November, when Illinois was at full strength. The other teams just wanted it more.

With the veterans Illinois has, it should never look like it’s not playing its hardest, but unfortunately, that’s been a problem at times this season. Head coach Brad Underwood is partly responsible, but regardless, the veterans shouldn’t ever look like they want it less than their competition. 

Time for some grades — they’re not good. 

Alfonso Plummer: D

This might be the first below-average grade I’ve given Plummer, but he deserves it. He was shut out from three for only the third time this year and scored four points. He also gave up multiple offensive rebounds.

It’s hard for Plummer to impact the game positively when he isn’t hitting threes, because he’s not very tall and his passing doesn’t stand out. 

He only had one board and one assist, and considering he missed all four of his 3-point attempts, there’s a reason he wasn’t playing near the end when Illinois had the littlest bit of hope. Very bad game for the transfer.

Da’Monte Williams: D+

Williams is known for his defense, which is why it isn’t super surprising that he had a goose egg in the point column Wednesday night. However, his defense wasn’t very good, either. 

When faced with a tough task in covering Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers’ best player, Williams wasn’t able to disrupt the stretch-four enough to slow him down. Williams also only had one rebound.

He missed the three shot attempts he took, all threes, and was just not good on either side of the ball. I expect him to bounce back defensively, but his limited offensive game continues to be a problem.

Trent Frazier: C+

Frazier did end up in double figures, scoring 11 points while going 3-6 from three with four rebounds and assists. Credit to him for hitting Illinois’ first three of the game.

But, some of Frazier’s stats, including a three, came when it didn’t matter as much at the end. Frazier also was scored on down low by Rutgers guard Paul Mulcahy multiple times. It’s rare for Trent to get outplayed by an opposing guard.

On a night where almost no one on Illinois played well, Trent looked OK despite not shooting very efficiently and not playing the best defense. But he helped keep it “close” near the end, one could say.

Kofi Cockburn: A-

Kofi still played well. He scored 20 points while recording 10 rebounds for another double-double, sitting a new school record with the 42nd of his career, while he also scored his team’s first seven points.

I could have given the big man a lower grade, because his defense wasn’t the best he’s played and he was only 50% from the free-throw line, but he scored from start to finish and gave Illinois life in the first half.

RJ Melendez: A-

RJ also played well, but not until very late when he sparked Illinois’ late run, which didn’t end up mattering much.

Melendez came into the game in the first half and Underwood put him on Harper Jr., but RJ was scored on twice immediately and pulled until the end.

However, RJ scored 10 points late to avoid Illinois from a complete blowout. He gave nice energy, had two assists, a rebound and a steal. The freshman continues to impress.

Andre Curbelo: C-

I’ll start with the bad for Curbelo. He continues to find ways to score, can’t play defense against a real guard and is still turning the ball over too much.

But, along with his two points, he had five assists and two steals. He can create offense, but he is just having trouble executing baskets and some passes.

Mulcahy bullied Curbelo down low, too, as his size remains an issue. To make up for it, he needs to limit the turnovers and score some more. He didn’t do that at Rutgers.

Jacob Grandison: D+

I credit him for hitting a three early in the second half, but that was really it for the struggling Grandison against Rutgers.

He smoked a layup, didn’t have an assist and also didn’t play good enough defense to be in the game near the end. He’s just slumping.

He was 1-4 from three on Wednesday night, and despite his great shooting to start the year, he just hasn’t been the same over the last ten games. Illini fans continue to hope that turns around. 

Coleman Hawkins: B

I liked Coleman’s effort a lot at Rutgers. He came in and gave good energy, played some good defense on Ron Harper Jr. and Brad kept him in the game late.

I really don’t like how passive he is in driving to the rim and how he can be soft with rebounds and loose balls, but we saw improvement Wednesday night.

Coleman had a putback layup and a 3-pointer late to give him five points on the night to go along with three rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block and a turnover. 

Final note

I think we learned two big things Wednesday night. The first is that if Illinois isn’t shooting well, there are very few teams it can beat. That one’s more of a confirmation.

The second thing is that we still have to worry about effort. Rutgers, plain and simple, wanted it more on Wednesday night. This is not the first time this has happened with Illinois this year. Underwood, the veterans and everyone else must get that under control or else the Illini will not make it far in March.

Very disappointing game.

@JPietsch14

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