When was Will Riley his best for Illinois? | Sporty

Will Riley’s One And-Done season in Champaign saw him overcome the difficulties of mid-year to finish as one of the best players in Illinois. The writer Beat Scott Richey highlights his five best games in an illini uniform:

Illinois 112, Eastern Illinois 67

Riley really knew how to make a statement in his first game with the Illini. The 6 -foot 8 inch wing barely missed to establish a program record for the start of the first year, with its 31 points out of 10 of 13 shots in total and 5 out of 6 from the beach of three points. Seven rebounds and three assists were just a bonus.

Illinois 95, Minnesota 74

The victory of the road against the gophers came with Riley flirting with a triple-double with 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. As much as the ball was in his hands, the fact that Riley finished the game with zero turnover would have been his most impressive statistic.

Illinois 86, Xavier 73

March Madness was clearly not too big for Riley, who took control in the second half of the first round victory. He scored 18 of his 22 points in this period, pulling 7 out of 8 on the field and making his three three points. A performance that probably locked the status of the NBA recovery choice in the first round.

Illinois 106, Iowa 94

Indianapolis served as a backdrop for another demonstration of Riley’s ability to combine a high -level score and facilitation. He scored 21 effective points in the second round victory against the Hawkeyes and added five reversals as a tertiary playmaker behind Kylan Boswell and Tomislav Ivisic.

Michigan State 80, Illinois 78

Riley kept the Illini in the match with 16 points in the first half and finished with 19 points, six rebounds and two assists. Although it came in a loss of road, this kind of performance was crucial for the first year of Riley season. It served from his share of Big Ten and took him out of a difficult section of a month and a half truncia.