Illinois (7-1) is fresh off a 49-point win against Bellarmine. Tuesday, the Illini defeated the Knights 90-41 for their last game before conference play. 

“I think we are continuing to progress, but obviously we got our hands full against a really good team with Indiana coming here on Saturday,” said head coach Shana Green.

The Indiana Hoosiers (8-1) and the Illini are each other’s first Big Ten opponent of the season. Saturday’s 11 a.m. CDT tip-off is also the very first matchup for women’s basketball in the Big Ten.

A-game needed

Illinois’ inconsistency was one of its struggles during its non-conference games. Specifically, during Tuesday’s game, the Illini saw several periods of scoring droughts. Not only that, but the Illini started off strong and fast with their scoring, but that speed dwindled as the game progressed. 

As Indiana is Illinois’ first chance to make an impression in the conference standings, it needs to keep a consistent and steady pace throughout all four quarters. Consistency is something that Green’s young team needs to hone in on as their matchups start to get more challenging and more important. 

“I’m excited for the challenge,” Green said. “I have a ton of respect for Indiana, and everyone in the Big Ten is a hard game. It’ll be good to just kind of see where we’re at and have a good test at home.”

Big Ten programs currently make up 32% of the AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll. Neither Indiana nor Illinois is ranked, but the more wins it earns, the better chances each program has to stand out from such a competitive conference. 

Despite an 18-point victory during the Hoosiers’ game Wednesday night, Indiana head coach Teri Moren was not pleased with her team’s performance. 

“I haven’t really put a whole lot of thought into Illinois,” Moren said earlier this week. “Here’s what I do know: we got to play much better than we did tonight. My hope is that between now and Saturday … that our team can get it together.”

While both the Illini and Hoosiers are fresh off a win, it appears that the Hoosiers are practicing even harder after what Moren said. 

Depth of bench

Illinois’ bench continues to prove its importance and dependability. Tuesday night was a chance for the Illini’s bench to shine. At one point during Tuesday’s matchup, all five players on the court were from the bench. 

If junior guard Maddie Webber and sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton can break into the double-digits for points, they will be an asset to leading Illinois to a victory against Indiana. 

The two transfers had a combined total of 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists during Tuesday’s game. However, improving their consistency when it comes to shots made will help them potentially become starters later on. 

“She’s ready when I call her name,” Green said about sophomore forward Irene Noya Catoira. “I trust her when I put her in there to be solid defensively, and she’s starting to score a little bit now, too.”

It will be interesting to see how much Green utilizes Noya Catoira during conference matchups. After Guyton and Webber, Noya Catoira and redshirt center Lety Vasconcelos are the next two up on the bench. 

Noya Catoira and Vasconcelos had a combined total of 13 points and 13 rebounds each. Both Noya Catoira and Vasconcelos are strong defenders on the court. Recently, however, they’re slowly starting to earn more points, showing their versatility in both defending and scoring.

There’s no ‘I’ in team

“If you’re going to have a great team, it takes every single person,” Green said. “All my championship teams, we had 14, 15 (players) that were all bought in, and everyone is a key to that, and that’s what this group is about. That’s what I love about this group.”

Each and every player on Green’s roster this season has something to add to the team. They are a younger group who are constantly learning and improving. 

“We’re still learning,” Green said. “We’re only eight games in. We haven’t arrived yet.”

If Green thinks her team is still learning after putting up an average of 81.9 points, it’ll be impressive to see how much better they can get as they continue to learn.

Part of learning means supporting your teammates. Illinois does just that. No matter how important the play, during the games, they are all out there supporting one another. 

Graduate student forward Gisela Segura got her first points as an Illini on Saturday, and the bench immediately jumped up in celebration.

“To see everyone cheering for her and how happy they were for their teammates is what it’s all about,” Green said.

The support within the program is a key asset to these young or new players, earning more confidence as the games get more important and more intense. 

Tipoff for Illinois against Indiana is at 11 a.m. CDT at State Farm Center on Saturday. 

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