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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team:
“Booty ball” worked its way into the Illinois basketball vernacular when Brad Underwood used it to describe what Penn State guard Jalen Pickett did to his team (again and again) last season. The Nittany Lions scoring leader simply used his physicality as a post-up weapon against other guards.
Now it’s the Illini’s turn. Marcus Domask may have a different type of physicality given it’s moren about his size advantage at 6-foot-6 operating in the mid-post against smaller guards, but he also utilizes “booty ball” with more of a skillful repertoire.
Just ask Florida Atlantic. The Owls’ smaller guards couldn’t stop him, and the way Domask operated in post-ups Tuesday at Madison Square Garden helped him put up a new career high with 33 points in the Illini victory.
“I like it when we’re finding those organically,” Underwood said. “There’s some, yeah, we want to dial up. That’s a real positive thing for the future, but we know how effective he is 15 feet in and we’ve got to keep dialing him up there. But I like the fact he’s finding them kind of organically through space.”
