As a casual fan, it’s easy to write off the early season games as boring or not worth watching due to the talent disparity in the matchups and generally sloppier play compared to regular season action. However, these are valuable opportunities for fans to see the overall talent of the team, play style of this revamped Illini squad, and the player rotation being developed that will likely carry into and through the regular season.
While there has been some of the usual early season sloppiness and miscommunication issues as the players get used to playing with one another, there have been plenty of positive signs with their transition offense and strong defense that should be hallmarks of the team this year.