Daylight Savings set clocks back an hour this weekend, bringing darkness much earlier. But as nighttime fell over Champaign, the State Farm Center awakened for the first of 17 Illinois men’s basketball games in the 2024-25 season.

Besides junior forward Ty Rodgers, whose intentions to redshirt were announced before the game, the new-look Illini were on full display. In the end, Illinois (1-0) pulled away from the Eastern Illinois Panthers (0-1) with a 112-67 final score, starting the season in the win column.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn continues to impress

After an extremely impressive exhibition at Ole Miss, sophomore guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn went back to work. His ability to score the basketball allowed Illinois to stretch the lead late in the first half. He dropped 18 points in the opening 20 minutes, on four made baskets and three three-pointers.

He finished with 21 points on the day, but scoring isn’t all he brings to the table. Gibbs-Lawhorn’s physicality, defensive effort and experience were equally as valuable to the Illini. 

“The main thing I worked on is just trying to become a leader,” Gibbs-Lawhorn said after the game. “No matter what role I have, it’s just being a leader. Helping the guys stay level-minded.”

Just a 6-foot-1 guard, most wouldn’t take him for being as physical as he was on Monday night. Gibbs-Lawhorn shot eight free throws due to his relentless drives and ability to create contact at the rim. 

His role was uncertain this offseason, but his hustle is carving out a nice spot in the rotation. For a team needing someone to step up early and bring the coveted “Every Day Guy” mentality, the lone returner sure seems like a good option.

“The best thing about Dra is, and I appreciated this so much about Dra last year, when he wasn’t playing,” head coach Brad Underwood said. “He is genuinely happy when others succeed, and that is so contagious. All of our guys in our locker room know how hard he works and how much time he puts in, so that translates. He’s an easy guy to root for because he is everything we’re about.”

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers

There were turnovers galore in Oxford for the exhibition, and that theme stayed true in the official season opener. Through six minutes of action, the Illini had four turnovers and three field goals, an alarming statistic at the time. They finished the game with only 13 turnovers.

Though they calmed down throughout the game and performed better than their exhibition showing, they still looked like a team playing with an entirely new roster. Unforced errors like traveling violations and passes out of bounds should improve as they gain more chemistry, but it is something to watch as the season progresses. 

The fantastic freshmen

Despite the Croatian newcomer being labeled as a “sophomore,” he can be included with the four young newcomers in this section. Freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis, forwards Morez Johnson Jr. and Will Riley and sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic were each tremendous in their first taste of NCAA basketball. 

Riley was the leading scorer in the game, boasting ridiculous range for a kid who should be a senior in high school. He knocked down five three-pointers and 31 points in his welcome to Champaign, bringing fans to their feet. He added seven rebounds and three assists and looked very comfortable in the second half.

“Let him cook,” Gibbs-Lawhorn said with a laugh. “I know that feeling when you catch fire. So at that point, you gotta just watch.”

Ivisic was right up there in productivity as well, with 14 points and 14 boards. He wasn’t incredibly efficient from the floor, but a couple of shots rimmed out, and the seven-footer was testing his range as well. His six three-point attempts for a big man might seem like a lot, but Underwood is keen on his team shooting the ball this year.

“I hope we have a night where we have 50 three-point attempts, and we make 25 of them,” he said. “It’s what this team is made to do.”

Jakucionis filled every box on the stat sheet with 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists. He hesitated a couple of times from the three-point line but still showed a lot of poise for a freshman projected first round pick.

Johnson rounded out the group with a very physical performance. He only had three points to his name, but seven rebounds gave the team plenty of opportunities. He only made one of his four free throw attempts, so cleaning that up will go a long way toward his value late in games, but overall, it was a good showing.

Final “nuggets”

It was a lively crowd to watch this talented new roster. The Orange Krush filed in and was noisy as always, and the rest of the State Farm Center brought the energy as well. However, it’s not hard to get excited when they secure the highly anticipated free Chicken McNuggets after an opponent misses both free throws. 

“It was a nice first start,” said Underwood. “It was nice, truthfully to see the guys back in State Farm Center. I’m so proud of our fans…there’s nothing like playing here.”

The rebounding was also nice to see. For a team that returned 1.2 rebounds per game, they hit the boards well. The first-half rebound margin was 30-12, a collection of everyone throughout the athletic and lengthy rotation. All 10 Illini who received real minutes recorded a rebound, showing their versatility.

It’s right back to work for the Illini on Friday, when they’ll host SIU Edwardsville at 7 p.m.

@benfader7

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