CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois men's basketball team rocketed to the top of the offensive efficiency rankings during the 2023-24 season.
Peaked at No. 1 heading into the Elite Eight. Dropped back to No. 3 by the time Connecticut had run roughshod through that matchup and then Alabama and Purdue in succession to win a second straight national title with the best offense in the country.
Booty ball with Marcus Domask worked. So did Terrence Shannon Jr. abusing defenders in transition and off the bounce in the half court. Add in just enough three-pointers and the Illinois offense was something to be reckoned with last season.
The Illinois defense? Well, it was less effective and efficient. The Illini ranked 80th in KenPom and 91st in Torvik in adjusted defensive efficiency by the end of the 2023-24 season.
Nothing their offense couldn't typically overcome — save for that UConn game at the end of March — but rim protection and forcing turnovers were far from strengths.
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That's where Illinois' focus has been since workouts resumed this month ahead of the Nov. 4 season opener against Eastern Illinois at State Farm Center. The summer was spent on offense. Pace and space were the major points of emphasis. Now, with the entire team together for the first time, defense has taken center stage ahead of a Sept. 30 start date for the 2024-25 season.
"We've got to develop some chemistry on the defensive side," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "We've got youth. A lot of youth that hasn't been asked a lot of on the defensive side. ... We're different. I think we're improved. I thought that was one of the things last year that we struggled with at times."
Underwood is optimistic about what his new-look Illinois team could be defensively. He touted Kylan Boswell and Ty Rodgers as tough on-ball defenders. Rim protection could improve with bouncy 6-foot-10 forward Carey Booth and 7-1 center Tomislav Ivisic now on the roster. Ben Humrichous, at 6-9, also gives the Illini a size boost.
"Getting better rim protection is something I'm excited about," Underwood said. "We'll change a few things schematically that I think will help change some rim protection coverages. Then, again, it's positional size. You're going to shoot over a contested hand with size and length."
How the Illinois defense will come together, of course, is a work in progress much like everything else about this team. Rodgers and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn are the only returning scholarship players from last year's Big Ten tournament champions and Elite Eight qualifiers.
Five transfers and five freshmen represent nearly wholesale roster turnover. Underwood sees the defensive potential, including what could be a strong rebounding team. Freshman forward Morez Johnson Jr. regularly led the team in that regard this summer.
But potential is all it is right now.
"This is a team that's got to sit down and guard the basketball," Underwood said. "We've got to get everybody in that mindset. These freshmen have to do that without fouling. They've got to grow in that area.
"It's a little early. I don't think we have the grit yet. I don't think we have the toughness yet. I don't think we have the understanding of what it takes to win a possession. Not win a game, but win a possession. Get a stop when you have to do that. We've got to grow into that. Every team does, but I sure like the pieces."