Illinois Basketball: Three Focuses for the Illini Against Michigan 2.0
The Illinois basketball season has a chance to go in two different directions after the game against Michigan.
This game is played in Ann Arbor and will be a big one on Saturday. If the Illini win it would boost them to 13-7 and they would still have a legit shot at the postseason.
But, if Illinois falls to Michigan then they go to 12-8 and their hopes of dancing shrink even smaller.
Nonetheless, this game is extremely important and I want the Illini to focus on these three things.
Focus No. 1 should be to slow the ball down. I know that this team “wants to run” and I have heard that from many fans as well.
The fact is this team isn’t good enough at shooting to run. I feel like everyone has the Golden State Warriors in mind, but they can shoot.
Illinois needs to slow the ball down and give the Wolverines fewer possessions on offense. This will keep the score lower and give us a chance to win.
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The second focus goes hand-in-hand with focus No. 1. When they do slow the ball down, run some dang plays.
It seems like game in and game out when Illinois gets in their half-court set they just pound the rock for half the play clock with one person.
That person then passes to someone who then does the same before chucking up a desperation shot.
When they get into their half-court set, they need to start running Jalen Coleman-Lands off ball screens and get him moving. He is a weapon that isn’t being used right.
I would also like to see some more pick-and-rolls with Maverick Morgan and Leron Black. When they come up to set a screen for whoever is handling the ball, they need to then roll to the basket for easy points.
The last focus for the Illini is to just keep the game close so there is a chance at the end.
I have seen too many games this season where Illinois didn’t have a chance at half-time let alone at the end of the game. This team has too much talent to be blown out by 16-plus points in four games.
Next: 3 Observations From the Purdue Loss
If the Illini can do the first two focuses, then the third focus will come into play. This is a big game for the program and a win would go a long way in getting this team to the postseason.