Chicago basketball report: Bulls offense is at a standstill — and the college guard averaging 25.9 points per game

The Chicago Bulls are in a record-setting skid, but the Illinois women’s and men’s teams are having a youth movement as Big Ten Conference play begins.

Every Tuesday, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local college basketball teams. Want more? Sign up for our Tribune sports newsletter.

Is Nikola Vučević hitting a slump?

The Bulls offense sputtered to a complete standstill on Sunday as the team scored a season-low 91 points in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.

It’s been a long time coming for the Bulls, who lack a severe combination of creativity and efficiency on the attacking end of the court. And Nikola Vučević is one of the key pieces that isn’t clicking as the center averages his lowest volume of scoring in nearly a decade.

After the best shooting season of his 15-year career, Vučević has tumbled back to earth in recent weeks. He’s still shooting the ball at a 38% clip from behind the arc, but his rim finishing and midrange shot have both taken a sizable step backward. Despite injuries across the roster, Vučević is also taking fewer shots (13.2) than ever for the Bulls. The center is currently averaging 15.9 points per game, a 2.6 decrease from last year.

More noticeable — and concerning — is the big man’s drop-off on the glass. Vučević is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game, which marks his first time logging fewer than 10 per game since the 2017-18 season.

Pair of Illinois freshmen make marks

Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler came up big to help fuel the No. 13 Illini’s 75-62 win over No. 20 Tennessee in Nashville on Saturday, totaling 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

But it was a freshman on the Illinois women’s team that earned a weekly award for her play.

Cearah Parchment, a 6-foot-3 forward from Canada, was named Big Ten freshman of the week after averaging 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in Illinois’ 2-0 week against Bellarmine and Indiana.

She had 15 points, 13 rebounds and two assists in Illinois’ 78-57 win over Indiana, the Illini’s first win in a Big Ten opener since the 2016-17 season. It was her fourth double-double of the season for the Illini (8-1, 1-0).

Illinois coach Shauna Green said at her postgame news conference she was proud of the way Parchment adjusted defensively early in the game.

“She just continues to learn,” Green said. “She’s guarded some bigger bigs. She’s guarded some mobile bigs. Every game is going to be a first for her, but I do think she’s able to learn really quickly and adapt really quickly. … If she keeps doing that, she’s going to continue to grow.”

Parchment is the second Illinois woman to win the award this season after guard Destiny Jackson won it on Nov. 24. On the men’s side, Illini forward David Mirković has won it twice, though Wagler was the one to make an impact Saturday as Illinois (7-2) improved to 2-2 against ranked teams this season.

“The environment doesn’t bother him, maybe a little bit of the physicality,” coach Brad Underwood said of Wagler. “It’s just a matter of him getting comfortable. … We needed him to be more aggressive and more assertive, but the most impressive thing is no turnovers. And that’s almost every single day. He just takes care of the ball, and he’s a very, very mature decision-maker, and that’s usually not the case for a freshman.”

The Bulls are still chasing the Butler high

More than eight years have passed since Jimmy Butler last donned a Bulls uniform. Yet the franchise is still attempting to reclaim the winning success they achieved with the six-time All-Star.

The Bulls won 276 games over six seasons with Butler on the roster. They have won 275 since he was traded to Minnesota in 2017, a fact that remained true Sunday when Butler returned to the United Center to hand the Bulls their seventh consecutive loss in a recent winless skid.

“That’s a hell of a stat,” Butler said with a laugh after the Bulls’ loss.

Number of the week: 25.9

Points per game from No. 19 Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, ranked third in the nation.

Hidalgo was named the ACC player of the week for the third time this season after averaging 22.5 points, 5.5 assists, five rebounds and 3.5 steals in two games last week. Notre Dame went 1-1 with a loss to No. 17 Mississippi and a win over Florida State.

Week ahead: Bulls

Friday: at Hornets, 6 p.m., CHSN

Sunday: vs. Pelicans, 6 p.m., CHSN

After a brutal November packed with back-to-back games, the Bulls enjoy a relatively quiet period of scheduling in mid-December. This is primarily due to the NBA Cup, which creates a logjam of games in November and January to accommodate a lighter schedule for the elimination stages of the tournament. The Bulls will play only six games over the next 14 days, offering a crucial stretch for injured players to return to the court.

Week ahead: Best college basketball games

Tuesday: Illinois at Ohio State, 6:30 p.m., Peacock

Wednesday: Illinois women at Missouri, 6 p.m., SEC Network

Saturday: No. 23 Nebraska at Illinois, 3 p.m. Peacock

After closing out its slate of four games against ranked nonconference teams 2-2, the Illinois men open up Big Ten play at Ohio State and against Nebraska at home.

The Illini women have their Braggin’ Rights game against Missouri on tap.

What we’re reading this morningQuotes of the week

“I think the group gets along very well. They all like each other — but until they love each other enough to block out, dive on the floor and do that not for themselves but for the guy next to them, this will continue.” — Billy Donovan after Sunday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors, the seventh straight for the Bulls

“I don’t get into all that. We got a job to do. It’s simple: go out there and do your job, whether you like me or not.” — Jevon Carter after Bulls practice Monday at the Advocate Center

Chicago basketball report: Bulls offense is at a standstill — and the college guard averaging 25.9 points per game

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