Illinois vs. Sam Houston: 6 p.m. CT
State Farm Center,
Streaming on B1G+.
Panathinaikos had Kendrick Nunn scoring 23 in the fourth quarter!! Real Madrid had one possession left, down two. The guy who got Madrid to overtime? Andrés Feliz, right to the rim.
Feliz scored 27 on Nov. 4, his best EuroLeague scoring night in a Madrid jersey. Madrid lost 115–112 in overtime, but go watch that last possession in regulation. If you remember Feliz at Illinois, the way he got those two points won’t surprise you.
Andrés Feliz has the ball in Madrid
In his last season at Illinois, the 6-foot-2 Feliz was second on the team in rebounding at five a game. He also put up 11 points and started the last seven games. The first number is the one I’d use to explain Feliz to somebody who never watched him. A guard who rebounds like that is going to find a way into a game even when nobody calls a play for him.
Madrid is asking him to do more with the ball right now. Facundo Campazzo and Théo Maledon missed both the Panathinaikos game and Thursday’s game against Red Star. In the first one, Madrid needed Feliz to create something against a defense that knew the last shot was coming. Against Red Star, he scored 11 and Madrid didn’t need any late heroics. It put up 38 in the first quarter and won 105–84.
The next EuroLeague game is Wednesday at Beşiktaş. What I’m watching there is who gets the ball when Madrid needs to get into its offense, especially if either of those guards is back. A 27-point game gets your attention. What Feliz gets asked to do with a full backcourt tells us more about where this is headed.
Keaton Wagler’s minutes are worth watching
If you’re still up after the Illinois game, the Clippers host Oklahoma City at 9:30 p.m. CT. I’m watching when Keaton Wagler gets his first run, and whether he’s still out there if it’s close in the fourth.
Wagler came off the bench for about 16 minutes against Miami, 18 against New Orleans and 23 against Phoenix. The two most recent games looked nothing alike. He had 15 points on five shots against the Pelicans, but picked up five fouls. He got up 12 shots and scored 11 in the 23-point loss to Phoenix. More minutes and more shots, sure. Doing it when the outcome is still up for grabs is the part I want to see next.
Darius Garland and Kris Dunn started both games. Kobe Sanders is another guy handling the ball off the bench: seven assists in 26 minutes against Phoenix. Max Strus and Gradey Dick are in that mix when the Clippers want shooting. Wagler played a little more than either of those two in Phoenix, but he didn’t play in overtime against Miami. I wouldn’t say he’s passed anybody yet. What I like is that he’s had four assists in each of the last two games, even when the shots weren’t falling in Phoenix.
This Day in Illini History
Seventeen years ago today, Brandon Paul took a record away from Deon Thomas, and he did it in the very first game of his college career.
Paul scored 22 in Illinois’ 96–69 win over SIU Edwardsville on Nov. 13, 2009, one better than Thomas’ freshman-debut mark. He had 11 of Illinois’ first 21 points, hit four of six threes and added four rebounds and four assists. Not a bad introduction.
Check out that smile from Brandon at the beginning of this video!
Paul and D.J. Richardson both started that night. Illinois hadn’t started multiple true freshmen in an opener since Dee Brown, Deron Williams and James Augustine in 2002. Richardson scored 14 of his own, and Mike Davis had 10 points and 10 boards. Eleven years later, Adam Miller took the debut record with 28 against North Carolina A&T.