CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois fans didn’t get to see the great show the Illini basketball team put on during the 2020-21 season. But the No. 11-ranked Illini opened the sequel season with quite an electric performance in Saturday’s 101-34 exhibition rout of NAIA opponent St. Francis.
Andre Curbelo (11 points, five assists, three steals, two blocks) dazzled with dishes, Kofi Cockburn (14 points, six rebounds, one block in 15 minutes) powered past opposing posts, Trent Frazier (10 points, six steals, three assists) dominated defensively, Coleman Hawkins (13 points on 4-6 FG) looked confident enough for a breakout and Austin Hutcherson (14 points on 5-7 FG, seven rebounds) lived up to some of the hype in his State Farm Center debut.
Granted, all of it came against an NAIA opponent against an opponent whose tallest player is 6-foot-8, but the dominance — especially defensively — was encouraging for the relative sample size. St. Francis shot 24.5% from the field and had 26 turnovers — including 16 Illini steals. The Illini had 39 points off turnovers, led second-chance points 20-0 and outrebounded St. Francis 50-24.
Illinois went 2-for-11 from the field to start the game but made 12 of its next 14 shots to claim a 35-10 lead with 6:08 remaining in the first half. The Illini had such a comfortable lead that Cockburn, Frazier, Curbelo and fellow starter Da’Monte Williams did not play for the final 10 minutes.
What it means: Well, not much. This was basically just a dress rehearsal for the real thing, but Illinois mostly locked in defensively and imposed its will against an inferior opponent. There will be plenty of instances of sloppiness the coaches can criticize — they probably love that — but that’s why they hold exhibitions. Mostly, the Illini looked pumped to be back in front of thousands of fans.
Star of the game: There were some encouraging performances, but Frazier completely took over the final five minutes of the first half — on both ends of the court — with seven points, four steals (!) and two assists during a stretch Illinois went on a 16-5 run to take a 51-18 halftime lead. After earning All-Big Ten Defensive honors last season, the 23-year-old Frazier is shooting for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s going to be a pain for everyone, but especially teenage guards. There was a lot of flash on Saturday, but Frazier’s toughness and tenacity on defense is the stuff Brad Underwood wants to see most.
Stat of the game: Illinois outscored St. Francis 56-6 in the paint. Illinois fouled just five times.
Don’t overlook: Underwood wasn’t happy most of the night, the job of a head coach of the heavyweight in a lopsided fight, and will find some things he didn’t like. Illinois shot 15-for-24 from the free-throw line and 8-for-23 from three and had 13 turnovers (Curbelo had five).
Honored: The Illinois football team was honored on the court at the first media timeout after flying home from State College (Pa.) following a 20-18 nonuple overtime win at No. 7 Penn State. The Illini got a huge ovation, and Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman presented head coach Bret Bielema with the game ball for his 100th career victory.
What’s next: Illinois plays its second and final exhibition at 7 p.m. Friday against Indiana (Pa.). The game will not be on television broadcast but can be streamed on BTN Plus digital streaming service, which requires a subscription.
