Illini Coach Brad Underwood Singles Out Dain Dainja, Ty Rodgers In Win Against Ohio State
It would have been easy for Illinois Fighting Illini coach Brad Underwood to single out the usual suspects in Tuesday's 87-65 victory against Ohio State.
Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask each scored 23 points but Underwood thought the play of role players Dain Dainja and Ty Rodgers was equally important.
Rodgers had 13 points and 10 points and Dainja finished with seven points, five rebounds and one block off the bench.
"Road wins are really hard to get and I'm excited about this one," Underwood said. "Dain Dainja, Ty Rodgers both were huge. We've been on Coleman's [Hawkins] back for a long time. Dain hasn't gotten a ton of minutes with the way we've been playing. For him to answer the call to be ready speaks volume to who he is as a person."
The No. 14 Illini improved to 16-5 and 7-3 in the Big Ten behind a balanced team effort. It was the second double-double of Rodgers' career.
"Ty Rodgers, I thought was dominant," Underwood said. "I thought Ty dominated the game. Everybody keeps putting five men on him and we just keep laughing because he's our best post player."
Added Rodgers: “I feel like it’s been a lot easier and more comfortable for me just being able to rep it out in practice,” Rodgers said. “Really just having confidence and still being aggressive and having my same ability to do what I do.”
Underwood kept the unsung hero theme going when discussing Shannon's performance. He was 7 of 17 from the field but Underwood was more impressed with the defensive effort.
Shannon held Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton to seven points on 3 of 11 shooting . Thornton entered averaging 15.7 points.
"I thought the job he did on Bruce was huge," Underwood said. "I think Bruce is one of the top point guards in college basketball and obviously in this league."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illini Now. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com