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Beat writer Joe Vozzelli’s storylines for today’s 6 p.m. game at State Farm Center: No. 19 Florida State at Illinois.
Taking ‘pride’ on defensive end
What Illinois does in Shauna Green’s system defensively is all about one simple concept: Keep the ball in front of you. But where that gets complicated is breaking some of the defensive habits new players — freshmen and transfers — have coming in. Jasmine Brown-Hagger is among the key newcomers the Illini added in the offseason, and the Mississippi State transfer and sophomore guard said she’s taken to Green’s defensive principles for one specific reason: The pride that comes with guarding a player one-on-one.
“Most teams you kind of have cheat ways to guard the ball, you’re switching, but here, it’s kind of just pride,” Brown-Hagger said. “Keep the ball out the paint. I feel like being more intentional, watching film, learning the angles, the cut, all of that stuff, has really helped me improve my defense and I still slack, mess up sometimes, but it’s a learning game.”
Fundamentals of boxing out
That Florida State produced the program’s single-game record of 119 points in its season-opening win on Monday was aided by getting to the free-throw line 31 times. The Seminoles also out-rebounded North Florida 60-31. That makes guarding without fouling significant, especially with Illinois a bit undersized after the season-ending injury to 6-foot-7 center Lety Vasconcelos.
“We have to be really, really fundamental in our box outs,” Green said of going up against 6-2 Seminoles forward Makalya Timpson, who had a career-high 22 rebounds on Monday. “She’s going to out-jump all of us, and that’s OK. We’re not going to out-jump anyone, and we haven’t for two years, and I’m totally fine that, but we can be more disciplined. We can be more fundamental, and that’s why we have been a high-level defensive rebounding team dating back to my days at Dayton.”
Not playing the numbers game
Green doesn’t have a specific number in mind when it comes to the three-point attempts she’d like to see her team take per game. It’s not something the Illini coach talks with her players about. But Illinois did take nearly 31/2 fewer three-pointers per game last season compared to year one with Green as coach. That was coupled with a dip in production, with the Illini making 5.3 three-pointers per game last winter compared to 7.2 made three-pointers in her first season.
“If it’s an open, rhythm shot out of offense, then I want them to take that,” Green said. “But it’s not like something where I’m going to say, ‘You’ve got to jack threes, just to get to certain numbers, because we’re going to play the numbers game.’ … I think this team, we have a lot of good shooters. We probably have more shooters than we had last year, so hopefully that number will go up.”
No. 19 Florida State 76, Illinois 71
The 80-53 exhibition win against Lewis last Friday night raised at least a few red flags for the Illini. Like how did a Division II opponent actually remain competitive with Illinois in the rebounding battle? Also, why did the starters not named Kendall Bostic and Adalia McKenzie look so ineffective at times? That can’t be repeated Thursday night in the season opener — with chances high Makira Cook and Genesis Bryant play much better after combining to shoot 3 of 11 in the team’s lone exhibition — if Illinois wants any chance at a defining early-season win against the Seminoles.
Illinois (0-0)
Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Makira Cook Sr. 5-6 16.4 Cincinnati
G Genesis Bryant Sr. 5-6 14.2 Jonesboro, Ga.
G Adalia McKenzie Sr. 5-10 11.0 Brooklyn Park, Minn.
F Brynn Shoup-Hill Sr. 6-3 3.0 Goshen, Ind.
F Kendall Bostic Sr. 6-2 12.1 Kokomo, Ind.
➜ FYI: Bostic attempted 22 three-point shots last season — and finished 9 of 22 from beyond the arc — after going a combined 0 of 25 on her three-point attempts her first two seasons in Champaign. The fifth-year senior had two made three-pointers (on as many attempts) in the Illini’s 80-53 exhibition victory against Lewis, part of an efficient night from the floor for the 6-2 forward as Bostic scored 22 points on 7 of 9 shooting.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Gretchen Dolan So. 5-11 4.8 Buffalo, N.Y.
F Berry Wallace Fr. 6-1 17.1 Pickerington, Ohio
G Jasmine Brown-Hagger So. 5-9 2.1 Shorewood
➜ Note: Scoring averages from 2023-24 season (wherever it was played)
Florida State (1-0)
Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G O’Mariah Gordon Sr. 5-4 15.0 Sarasota, Fla.
G Ta’Niya Latson Jr. 5-8 27.0 Miami
G Carla Viegas So. 5-9 5.0 Malaga, Spain
F Makayla Timpson Sr. 6-2 17.0 Edison, Ga.
F Malea Williams Gr. 6-4 5.0 Georgetown, Ky.
➜ FYI: Similar to Illinois, the Seminoles have returned most of their scoring from last season with 75 percent of that scoring production back after Florida State went 23-11 last winter and lost to Alabama in the first round of the NCAA tournament. That returners Latson and Timpson were both on the Naismith Player of the Year Watch List made the Seminoles one of just 13 schools in Division I with multiple players on the preseason list.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Sydney Bowles Jr. 6-0 18.0 Lithonia, Ga.
G Raiane Dias Dos Santos R-So. 5-9 8.0 Sao Paulo, Brazil
F Avery Treadwell So. 6-0 14.0 Knoxville, Tenn.
➜ Note: Scoring averages from Florida State’s season-opening 119-49 win against North Florida on Monday.
Details
➜ Site: State Farm Center (15,544); Champaign.
➜ Streaming: BTN Plus
➜ Radio: Mike Koon will have the call on WDWS 1400-AM and 93.9-FM.
➜ Series: Florida State leads 2-0.
➜ Last meeting: Florida State won 67-58 against Illinois on Dec. 2, 2021, in Champaign.
➜ FYI: Florida State will be the 12th AP Top 25 team Illinois has played during coach Shauna Green‘s tenure in Champaign, with the Illini 2-9 in those previous games entering Thursday night. The two ranked wins for Illinois with Green as coach include the 90-86 New Year’s Day home victory against then-No. 12 Iowa in 2023 and an 86-66 win against then-No. 14 Indiana — also at State Farm Center — in 2024.