Three In The Key: What to Look For in Illini’s Season Opener vs. Nicholls State

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- As Illinois opens its 115th season of men’s basketball tonight with a 7 p.m. tip against Nicholls State, we’ll begin our first game preview of a 2019-20 campaign bursting with excitement and postseason expectations.

Before every game of the 2019-20 season, we’ll take a look at three things you’ll want to watch for after tip.

Game 1: Nicholls State at Illinois

Date/Time/Place: Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019: 7 p.m. CST, State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.

Capacity: 16,618

Records: Nicholls State 0-0; 14-17, 7-11 in Southland Conference in 2018-19. Illinois 0-0; 12-21, 7-13 in Big Ten Conference in 2018-19.

Line: Illinois by 22.5

Series notes: First meeting

TV: BTN-Plus (subscription)

Radio (Illinois): Brian Barnhart (PBP), Doug Altenberger (analyst) and Steve Kelly (Pre/HT/Post)» The broadcast can be heard live on TuneIn online radio, Sirius/XM 982 and at FightingIllini.com.

1) How many minutes does Kofi Cockburn play?

In his media availability Monday afternoon, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood was critical of himself for playing his star freshman center too many minutes altogether and in stretches for an extended amount of time in the 83-50 exhibition win over Division II Lewis. Underwood knows he needs to be careful with extending the 290-pound freshman too much in this first month while also giving Giorgi Bezhanishvilli a chance at the center spot too during games. Against a Nicholls State team without much size, which is projected to finish near the bottom of the Southland Conference, and considering the Arizona trip the Illini are leaving for tomorrow afternoon, it might be a night where Cockburn does more watching than exerting himself.

2) Who starts among the Andres Feliz, Da’Monte Williams and Alan Griffith combo?

Anybody who follows a Brad Underwood team will know that he doesn’t value the starting lineup as much as other high profile Power 5 Conference coaches. However, it might be interesting to note how Feliz is used in the early season games. The senior from the Dominican Republic can be an effective leader at the point for a second-team unit but that also doesn’t mean he can’t be an effective wing player in the first unit despite his 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame. Williams gives the Illini a defensive presence at the wing to help ride out any early shooting slumps (like the Illini experienced in the exhibition game last Friday night) and Alan Griffin gives the team toughness, some possible scoring punch and size at 6-foot-5 on the wing.

3) What to expect from Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk?

The 6-foot-8 freshman from Belgium had just completed his fourth practice with the Illini team before Tuesday night’s exhibition game. Bosmans-Verdonk sat the entire first half of action and then was inserted into the game after halftime, and prompted pulled after 15 seconds of not understanding what Illinois was running offensively. When he was re-inserted into the game, Bosmans -Verdonk was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field (all 3-point shots) and 2-of-2 from the line for 11 points in eight minutes of action. It’ll be interesting how quickly Underwood turns to the freshman in this game to see if he’s ready to be counted on for possibly key minutes in the Illini’s upcoming two-game road trip against Grand Canyon (Nov. 8) and No. 21 Arizona (Nov. 10).

Prediction: Last season according to Ken Pomeroy’s analytical statistics, Nicholls State was one of the worst defensive teams in Division I basketball under first-year head coach Austin Claunch. If Illinois can figure out a way to get the tempo going fast early, this could be a nice tuneup blowout win for the Illini and its 23rd season-opening win at the State Farm Center.

Illinois 88, Nicholls State 62