Because they capped the season with two frustrating losses, the Illini (19-10, 9-9) did not earn a bye for the upcoming Big Ten tournament. However, the No. 10 Illini should feel good about their first opponent, the No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers (13-16, 5-13). Illinois kicked off a three-game run of 20-point wins with a dominant rout of Wisconsin on Feb. 11.
But the Illini shouldn’t get too comfortable. Head coach Shauna Green and the players both feel the team is not playing up to their standard. Illinois’ close loss to No. 22 Minnesota (22-7, 13-5) on Sunday shows that this young team has not quite adjusted to the two-day prep.
“If you look at some of our two-day prep and our turnarounds, it’s been kind of a problem,” Green said. “I think this is a learning curve for us as a young team, being able to flip it. You got to come and be ready to go. And you’re tired, you’re this, you’re that. But no one cares, there’s no excuses, we got to be able to go.”
With Big Ten and NCAA tournament play on the horizon, the Illini are going to have to learn fast what it takes to win during a back-to-back schedule. In the past two games, Green has been running an eight-to-nine-man rotation, depending on foul trouble and matchups with bigs. With single elimination play, each of those players has to be ready to go in the Illini’s ‘next man up’ mentality. Here’s what each player can bring to secure a run in Indianapolis.
The starters: Set the game’s energy
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Green has settled on a steady starting five since mid-January: freshman point guard Destiny Jackson, freshman forward Cearah Parchment, sophomore forward Berry Wallace, junior guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger and sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton.
While all the starters need to play their best to kick off the game strong, it will take especially focused efforts from Guyton and Brown-Hagger. These two have taken the longest to fall into a rhythm that meets the demands of the starting position. But recent strides have shown their untapped potential.
This rematch against Wisconsin should make Guyton feel good. She recorded a career high 22 points and shot 100% from three on six attempts. While repeating this would be difficult, Guyton’s confidence during that game was her highest of the season. Guyton has only had back-to-back 10-point games twice this season, and with the condensed nature of tournaments, Guyton’s going to have to produce at a high level in consecutive games.
Brown-Hagger has also found her groove. She’s always been known for strong defense, but in February, her shooting increased to match her defensive effort.
“She’s always been a great defender, but I think she’s even taken it up a notch,” Green said about Brown-Hagger’s jumps in performance. “Her percentage, her efficiency has gone really, really high.”
Last season, when Brown-Hagger first joined Illinois, her role was to elevate the team with her fire off the bench. She was someone Green could and still can rely on to hit shots that will turn the tide of games and set the team on runs. Now, she’ll need to bring that intensity from the tipoff instead of later on.
“Man, did she make some big plays and some big shots,” Green said after Illinois’ loss to No. 9 Iowa (24-5, 15-3). “It’s just fun to see her play offensively with such great confidence right now. And if we’re gonna continue to win games here on out in this postseason, we need her to play at a high level.”
For the rest of the starters, they will need to continue their dominant streaks. Wallace has been leading the team in scoring and is averaging nearly 20 points. Parchment is the Illini’s strongest offensive rebounder, and when she isn’t able to clean up around the glass, the Illini struggle to maximize possessions. Jackson’s high court vision is not only helpful when she assists, but also for forcing turnovers. The Illini are at their best when offense is generated from their defense, and this trio’s defense is steady.
Maddie Webber: High-level shot selection, efficiency
Junior guard Maddie Webber had a four-game double-digit streak through the team’s West Coast trip in early February. But since Illinois’ return to the Midwest, her performances have been spotty. But even when she is quieter on the court, she still maintains effective shot selection.
To cap the season, she had her first perfect night against the Gophers on Sunday afternoon, scoring 14 points. She shot 6 for 6 from the floor and made both of her 3-point attempts.
“We’re a lot better when she’s in that mode,” Green said about Webber’s efficient night.
Webber needs to bring that intelligent shot selection back during tournament play. Her higher-scoring games have been the key to Illinois keeping contests close, even in losses. If Webber can find the consistent double-digit scoring she had earlier in the season and keep her shooting efficiency, the Illini will have a dangerous scorer off the bench.
Lety Vasconcelos: Consistency all-around
As the tallest person on the team, redshirt sophomore center Lety Vasconcelos needs to be aggressive on the glass. She has had a couple of solid stretches this season with high-level scoring, blocking and rebounding, but lately, her game has stagnated.
After recording a career-high 9 points against Rutgers (9-20, 1-17), Vasconcelos only had one field goal in Illinois’ final three games. She hasn’t balanced out her lack of offensive production with rebounds or blocks. Against the aggressive bigs of Minnesota, Vasconcelos was consistently beaten around the rim.
To help her team, Vasconcelos needs to put in more effort all around. She looks tired on the floor and fouls too easily, too often. At 6-foot-7, she should be averaging more than 3.3 boards and should have developed a trusty hook shot or jumper by now. But even with the recent slump, she has had big games before.
The Illini don’t need her to knock down 10 points or achieve a double-double, although that would be beneficial. All they need from the Brazilian is efficient finishing on post-up plays and a consistent rim protector.
Naomi Benson: Confidence as a back-up center
When Vaconcelos needs a breather, Green has started calling in freshman forward Naomi Benson. While Benson isn’t as effective as Vasconcelos when it comes to scoring and rebounding, Benson gives energy and strong paint defense.
In Sunday’s game, she made an immediate impact coming off the bench in the second quarter. Her block on sophomore guard Tori McKinney led to a shot clock violation on Minnesota. Even though the Illini were still down by double-digits, the block and defensive aggression brought the crowd to their feet. It also energized the team to finish the half strong, and the Illini cut the lead to single digits at halftime.
Benson can make the most of her minutes by being a strong, clean defender in the paint while moving the ball and spacing the floor on offense.
Hayven Smith: Reliable relief
Sophomore center Hayven Smith has gotten about 10 minutes less playing time this season compared to last season. Despite standing almost as tall as Vasconcelos, having a season of experience over her in the Illinois system and being able to maneuver well around the rim, Smith has barely been used as a reliever. She averages just 3.39 minutes per game and has only played over 10 minutes once, during the team’s season opener against SEMO (12-17, 8-12).
Even though Smith hasn’t played as much, her biggest asset to the team is her ability to step in and use her experience of guarding tough assignments from last year. In the majority of her outings, she never fouled, which was likely her main task, as Vasconcelos has a habit of getting into foul trouble. If Smith can continue this streak of holding down the paint while Vasconcelos or Benson gets a breather, she will bring needed depth at that center position for Illinois.
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