Five Takeaways From Illinois Basketball’s Exhibition Loss To Ole Miss

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois men’s basketball suffered its first setback of the season in an 88-79 exhibition loss to Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon at the State Farm Center. Here are five takeaways from the game:

1. Kofi Cockburn Dominates in the Paint

Despite the loss, Illinois center Kofi Cockburn put up a dominant performance, finishing with 28 points and 14 rebounds. He was a force in the paint, scoring at will and grabbing rebounds over Ole Miss defenders.

2. Perimeter Shooting Struggles

While Cockburn excelled inside, the Illini struggled to hit shots from the perimeter. They shot just 21.1% (4-of-19) from three-point range and 60.0% (6-of-10) from the free-throw line.

3. Turnovers Hurt Illinois

Another issue for the Illini was turnovers. They committed 19 turnovers in the game, leading to 20 points for Ole Miss. The Rebels were able to capitalize on Illinois’ mistakes and convert them into easy buckets.

4. Newcomers Show Promise

Despite the loss, there were some positive signs from Illinois’ newcomers. Freshman Brandin Podziemski had a solid performance, finishing with 14 points and five rebounds. Fellow freshman Skyy Clark also showed his potential, scoring 10 points and dishing out five assists.

5. Coaching Carousel Continues

The exhibition game marked the first time Illinois head coach Brad Underwood faced his former team, Ole Miss. Underwood coached the Rebels from 2016-2021 before taking the Illinois job. The game was also a rematch of last year’s NIT Championship game, which Illinois won. Underwood said he enjoyed the opportunity to face his former team and wished them well in the upcoming season.

Illinois will open its regular season on Monday, November 7th, with a home game against Eastern Illinois. The Illini will look to improve upon their perimeter shooting and reduce their turnovers in order to start the season on the right foot.