Team GPA: 3.1
In a showcase between two of the Big Ten's best offenses, the Illini had the last laugh.
No. 18 Purdue (21-10, 13-7 Big Ten) fell to Illinois (20-11, 12-8) in its final game of the regular season, 88-80 , as the victim of a last-minute, step-back 3 from Illini star Kasper Jakucionas. It was part of a 13-1 Illini run in the final two minutes, as stars Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith couldn't maintain their scoring rates from earlier in the half.
Player stats below, with ratings to follow:
Braden Smith: A
Smith came painfully close to Purdue's first triple double since the 1970s, needing a rebound for much of the second half to do it. But Purdue could have used a made jumper from the guard far more than another board.
Smith had no problem sinking his mid-range shots in the first half, but showed some gun-shyness in the second. He couldn't find an elusive bucket down the stretch to keep pace with Illinois' run.
Fletcher Loyer: B+
Uber-high involvement on offense, which didn't always mean shot attempts. His off-ball movement forces defenses to bend.
Trey Kaufman-Renn: A
Another prodigious scoring night, with several buckets of the "How did that go in?" variety. Kaufman-Renn's seven rebounds were in line with what the Boilers need.
His scoring hit a bit of a rut for much of the second half, but the junior's nasty footwork dislodged Illini bigs down the stretch to keep Purdue neck and neck with the Illini and, eventually, force double teams.
 C.J. Cox: B+
His non-scoring contributions were substantial: X rebounds and even a forceful block to save a layup in the late second half.
Caleb Furst: D+
Illinois' balanced scoring attack and five-out offensive style made it difficult for Furst to keep up on defense, and the Illini took full advantage with a garden variety of cuts to the rim. Even when Furst or others were able to rotate, Illinois had an inside-outside game to play. The home team took 30 3s in the game.
On offense, 0 points and three rebounds isn't cutting it.
Myles Colvin: C+
Spent time guarding 15-point, do-everything forward Jasper Jakucionas in the second half. A no rebound night hurt his contributions.
Camden Heide: B-
The incisive cuts that turned Furst into a traffic cone also caught Heide by surprise. The forward had his moments, like on a transition, high-flying layup to stem some Illini momentum in the second half, but faded mostly into the background in this one with four fouls.
Gicarri Harris: B
Scored 8 points, including two 3s. That makes two of his highest three scoring efforts on the season in the last two games.
Since Harris found his outside shot in January, he's fit in more naturally as an offensive role player, supplementing the defensive contributions he's made all season.
Raleigh Burgess: D
Burgess committed two turnovers in five minutes; he's not polished enough at this juncture for a larger role.
How I do these
This exercise aims to answer a question that goes something like, "How well did a player take advantage of the opportunities they were given?"
During the game, I focus most of my attention on watching defensive reps, box-outs, offensive movement/involvement, and non-assist passing. I'll add all the off-ball value to these grades that my eyes can catch.
Late game heroics earn bonus points, and the opposite is true for important errors. Oh, and this isn't a science. Have some fun telling me how wrong I am once in a while.
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