Illinois basketball’s exhibition loss to Baylor offered an early look at a roster with plenty of punch - and plenty of unfinished business. Some Illini flashed exactly what makes them dangerous. Others showed how much still needs tightening up before the games start counting.
Andrej Stojakovic’s night was as uneven as it gets. He actually shot better from three than he did inside the arc, finishing 1-for-3 from deep and 3-for-10 on two-pointers.
That still left him in rough shape overall, especially before he exited because of an injury. Too often, he attacked the lane on his own and settled for heavily contested shots.
The ball stuck, the offense bogged down, and Stojakovic became a rhythm-killer. He did chip in six rebounds, and his personal 6-0 burst gave Illinois a jolt of momentum.
If Illinois wanted a bright spot, Quentin Coleman delivered one. The freshman followed up his strong showing at Cincinnati with another impressive outing, this one against Baylor.
Even with a 2-for-8 mark from three, he looked the part nearly every step of the way. Coleman scored 20 points, pulled down a team-best seven rebounds with three coming on the offensive end, handed out four assists, picked off a steal and blocked a shot.
He stayed in attack mode and played with speed all night.
Tomislav Ivisic’s shooting line from deep - 0-for-5 - wasn’t the issue. Those were reasonable looks, and they just didn’t fall.
The tougher problem was on the glass. Two defensive rebounds in 20 minutes is simply not enough.
Ivisic can dominate inside when he’s engaged, but against Baylor he was quieter than Illinois needs him to be. He eventually left because of an injury.
Jake Davis did what Jake Davis does. The veteran role player was on the floor for a team-high 30 minutes and backed up his reputation with another polished performance.
He hit 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, grabbed two offensive rebounds and even handled a bigger playmaking load than usual, finishing with four assists. The package was all there: connector, shooter, leader and a reliable defender.
He also showed a little more confidence putting the ball on the deck. The one place he could have given Illinois more was on the defensive glass, where he finished with just one rebound in those 30 minutes.
Freshman Ethan Brown had a more modest follow-up after his first Illini outing was a real eye-opener. Against Baylor, he went 1-for-5 from deep and finished with seven points and three assists while again protecting the ball - zero turnovers for the second straight game.
He also added two offensive rebounds in only 16 minutes. The defense, though, didn’t match the offensive composure.
Brown was ordinary at best on that end and didn’t contribute on the defensive boards.
Stefan Vaaks gave the State Farm Center crowd plenty to enjoy off the bench. He knocked down four threes, tallied five assists without a turnover, added two steals and scored 18 points.
The transfer looked every bit like the offensive weapon Illinois expected. But the other side of his profile showed up too: one rebound in 22 minutes and little impact defensively.
Lincoln Williams made his 16 minutes count in ways that don’t always show up first on a box score. He scored just four points, but he was Illinois’ best defender and played a major role in helping the Illini get back into the game in the second half.
He also grabbed three offensive rebounds. The other end of the rebounding battle was less impressive, with Williams finishing with just one defensive board.
Jason Jakstys was the one Illinois player whose work on the glass could be praised without much debate. In 14 minutes, he collected five rebounds, including three on offense.
He was active, understood his job and handled it well. The only real note was at the foul line, where he missed the front end of a one-and-one and finished with just one free throw attempt.
If he’s going to earn real minutes this season, those opportunities need to start turning into points.
Zavier Zens also made a solid case for himself. He went 2-for-3 from the field, hit one three, added two rebounds and generally kept things clean in his 12 minutes. He took open shots, played hard, and avoided mistakes.
Illinois does not need another high-usage creator to make this thing work. What it needs are players like Zens who can hit open looks, stay disciplined and do the little things. If he keeps doing that, he’ll stay in the mix for rotation minutes.
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