In college basketball, the exhibition game is used to give teammates a break from competing against one another. It also functions as the culmination of a sort of dress rehearsal of regular-season rituals.
Most of all, it provides coaches with ample opportunity for experimentation.
To that end, Illinois’ second and final tuneup before Friday’s regular season opener was an achievement. The multiple lineup combinations and liberal substitutions were dizzying to this spectator, but interesting nevertheless. Its overall ineffectiveness (on this night) notwithstanding, the zone defense that Bruce Weber employed for several Quincy University possessions in the second half was surely tantalizing to veteran observers of the Illini coach. In short, Weber and his staff are messing around with unknowns while the season is still young.
But do we know anything? What of substance could be gleaned from looking at a game like this?
That Illinois defeated Quincy 73-45 is not relevant. Of greater import is the progress of several members of a largely unproven team.
One is Tracy Abrams, the freshman currently being groomed as the Illini’s Point Guard of the Future. Recruited as a dogged defender who could perhaps blossom into an offensive floorleader, Abrams’ handle and head are impressive at this stage of his development.
Joseph Bertrand impressed, as well. Now fully recovered from the leg injuries that yielded him a medical redshirt two seasons ago, the most dynamic Illinois athlete easily elevated for pull-up jumpers and a spectacular block of a Quincy layup. He also displayed a diverse floor game, collecting 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Meyers Leonard remains a talented question mark. He was assertive and opportunistic against overmatched Quincy bigs, knocking down the open baseline jump shot he’ll often get from Weber’s offense and revealing a couple of the post moves he’s incorporated since laboring through last season as a raw freshman.
But Leonard’s work on the glass has Illini coaches in his ear. They want him to be a consistent double-double threat, and he was out-rebounded by smaller players in each of Illinois’ exhibition games.
His maturation will be vital to the success of a team that is sorely lacking in frontcourt experience and refinement. Abrams will be counted on for key backup minutes behind Sam Maniscalco at the point. Bertrand’s contributions cannot be predicted, as he’s fighting for space on the crowded Illini wings.
All three were merely objects of interest in a basketball game that doesn’t count for anything. They and the other Illinois players will continue to be part of an experiment until more is known about this team.