Illinois is playing at a pace that makes almost everybody else look stuck in traffic, and Brad Underwood would like to see more teams try to keep up.
The Illini had 87 possessions in Thursday’s win over Penn, and Underwood sounded almost eager when asked about opponents wanting to turn the game into a track meet.
“God, I pray every night that everybody wants to do that with us,” Underwood said of teams trying to run with the Illini, ahead of the Texas Tech matchup. “Good luck.
We’re going to run and run and run. I don’t know what that was [against Penn]?
Eighty-seven possessions? I couldn’t ask for anything more than that.
“So I hope people want to do that with us. We practice it every single day.
We can do it for 40 minutes. That’s the discipline we’re trying to instill.
And so, again, it goes back to an earlier question. The start of the game, when teams are fresh, they’re going to make some baskets.
And they’re going to make some runs. But over the course of 40 minutes, I hope we get to that 90-possession game at some point.”
That’s not just coach-speak. If Illinois somehow averaged 87 possessions a game, it would be the fastest team in the country by a mile - 10 possessions ahead, to be exact.
Alabama currently sits No. 1 in adjusted tempo at 77.0 possessions per game, per KenPom, and that gap would be the same as the one between the Crimson Tide and the 360th-fastest team in Division I. There are only 365 teams.
That’s the kind of speed Illinois is bringing to the floor right now. It’s also why coaches and players keep saying they’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Of course, there’s a flip side. When the game gets that fast, both teams get more chances to score in a hurry.
Open looks show up quicker. Layups become easier to find.
And if a team can rebound and instantly push the ball the other way, it can turn Illinois’ own tempo against it.
Penn flashed that early on Thursday. The Quakers, who rank No. 12 in adjusted tempo, pushed the ball after makes and tried to match the Illini’s pace.
For a stretch, it worked well enough to keep things close. Penn was within a point halfway through the first half.
By halftime, though, Illinois was up 23. The game ended in a 42-point loss for the Quakers.
That’s the theory Underwood is betting on: teams can survive the first burst, but not the full 40 minutes.
The real question is how that holds up once the competition gets bigger. Alabama is built to run, though it isn’t on Illinois’ regular-season schedule this year.
If the Crimson Tide and the Illini were to trade sprints for 40 minutes, who would have the edge? Hard to say.
But Illinois also has enough other ways to beat you that the pace battle may not even be the biggest issue.
The bigger concern may be the teams that can drag the game into the halfcourt. UConn, Duke, Michigan State and even Iowa are the kinds of opponents that could test whether Illinois’ offense still hums when possessions get longer and defenses get tighter.
Texas Tech offers that kind of look. The Red Raiders are one of the slowest teams in the country, so this matchup should say something about whether Illinois can still generate offense when the game isn’t flying end to end.
If the Illini carve them up in the halfcourt, that would be a strong sign this attack can travel against almost anyone. If it bogs down, the questions will start to pile up.
There is one wrinkle: Texas Tech doesn’t have much size, so Illinois may not need the same kind of halfcourt precision to get what it wants. Even so, this game should reveal plenty about how sustainable this pace really is.
In Other News...
Greg Sankey Just Dragged Illinois Into The Big Ten SEC Fight
Greg Sankey took direct aim at the College Football Playoff debate this week, brushing aside the familiar argument that the SEC gets special treatment because of its media rights deal with ESPN. The SEC commissioner said the selection process is the same for every conference and pushed back on the idea that his league has been lobbying or steering the rankings behind the scenes.
His comments also pulled Illinois into the middle of the larger Big Ten-SEC argument, after he responded specifically to Bret Bielemas criticism. Sankey challenged Big Ten programs to prove themselves by scheduling non-conference games against SEC opponents, a pointed reminder that the debate over strength of schedule is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Just Got A Harsh Reminder About This Top 3 Team
Illinois got its first real jolt of the season against a Texas Tech team that looked every bit like a top-tier opponent, and the early damage was hard to ignore. The No. 3 Illini fell behind by 20 at halftime before making things more respectable after the break, but the comeback effort still ended in an 84-78 loss that exposed how thin the margin can be against elite competition.
Quentin Coleman gave Illinois a lift with 19 points and efficient shooting, but the rest of the offense never found a steady rhythm. Stefan Vaaks had a rough night on both ends, and the teams perimeter struggles were a major factor, with Illinois connecting on just 10 of 34 shots from beyond the arc. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois May Have Found Another Guard Fans Will Instantly Recognize
Illinois basketball came up short against Texas Tech, but Quentin Coleman gave the Illini another reason to pay attention to the backcourt. The freshman led the team with 19 points, added five rebounds, four assists and two steals, and his second-half surge stood out even in defeat. He was especially sharp after the break, finishing without a miss from the field or beyond the arc in that stretch.
For Illinois fans, the appeal goes beyond one strong outing. Colemans early-season production and the way he carries himself on the floor have invited comparisons to former Illini guard Keaton Wagler, another freshman who made his presence felt by doing a little of everything. It is still early, but Coleman is already showing the kind of all-around game that can make a newcomer feel familiar fast. [Read more 🡒]