Illinois basketball is finally back despite many fans missing the action due to the game not being televised anywhere.
The Illini trotted out many similar faces, sans David Mirkovic. Mirkovic is out for a little while after surgery, but he should be back by the start of the season.
What this exhibition enables is for Brad Underwood to get a little cute with lineups and decisions. The starting lineups and rotations don't need to be where they will be to start the regular season. Underwood takes advantage of this with some surprises in the game against Cincinnati.
Surprise 1 – Jake Davis played and started
Coming into the game on Saturday, there were two players who were not going to play. Mirkovic was out, and Jake Davis was projected to be out.
Underwood had a chance to rest Davis, but instead, he played and started for the Illini against the Bearcats.
Davis had a pretty solid outing, too. He played 24 minutes and finished with 10 points and five rebounds. He also shot 3-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-5 from three-point range.
Illinois is going to need Davis this season. He was a corner three-point specialist in the Final Four run last season, and we are going to need him to do the same in 2026-27. It was good to see that he was out there on the court.
Surprise 2 – Ethan Brown got the start
With Mirkovic out, there was going to be a starter who wouldn't normally start in the lineup. There were plenty of options, but I didn't think it would be Ethan Brown.
Brown is just a freshman. He was a three-star recruit and the No. 227 player in the class of 2026. Less than a week ago, I produced a projected starting lineup for the season. I had Brown essentially in the third string coming off the bench.
I am impressed by Brown's numbers, too. He played 25 minutes and put up 15 points, five rebounds, and two assists. He shot 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range. I am also amazed by his zero turnovers.
Keaton Wagler ruined everything for freshmen. I look at these numbers and think, could Brown be the next Wagler? That is tough for any freshman in the lineup. This type of experience is great for Brown.
Surprise 3 – Illinois' sloppiness wasn't high
It is the first time on the court against real competition. This game usually means there are a ton of turnovers, and Illinois is extremely sloppy with the basketball.
That doesn't look to be the case. We started two freshmen, played other freshmen, and numerous players were new to the team. Still, Illinois only had 15 turnovers in the game.
I was expecting nearly 20 turnovers, if not more. Additionally, the Illini shot well from three-point range. This wasn't just chucking the ball up and hoping it goes in. Hitting 42.4% without one of our leading three-point shooters from last season is encouraging.
Illinois had some great numbers. We fiddled with the lineup, and the result was still a win over Cincinnati. That only bodes well for what is to come.
Today's best reads
- Brad Underwood's plan for David Mirkovic will only help Illinois basketball down the road
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- Illinois basketball is just starting the David Mirkovic accolade tour
- Filtering the Illinois basketball truths and lies from the exhibition win over Cincinnati
- 3 Illinois basketball preseason All-Big Ten snubs who could crash the party
This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as 3 biggest surprises in the Illinois basketball win over Cincinnati.