Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: Illini Non-Conference Predictions

By Rees Woodcock

Oct 13, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach John Groce speaks with the media during Big Ten media day at the Marriott Washington Wardman Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 13, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach John Groce speaks with the media during Big Ten media day at the Marriott Washington Wardman Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
Mar 11, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Malcolm Hill (21) makes a pass against Purdue Boilermakers guard Dakota Mathias (31) and forward Vince Edwards (12) during the Big Ten Conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Malcolm Hill (21) makes a pass against Purdue Boilermakers guard Dakota Mathias (31) and forward Vince Edwards (12) during the Big Ten Conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

McKendree (W 92-66)

McKendree is the next team on the slate for the Illini.  This should be another easy win considering the team was 13-14 last season in Division II.

The main player the Illini have to watch out for is senior forward David Franklin.

Franklin is 6-foot-5, 215-pounds, from O’Fallon, Illinois.  He led the team last season in scoring with 21.7 points per game.  He also shot 30-percent from three-point range and 51-percent inside the arc.

McKendree is also returning most of their scoring from last season as well.

As long as Illinois continues to play crisp basketball this game shouldn’t be a problem.  McKendree isn’t deep and they are a league below the Illini.

I see Illinois coming out with a win, 92-66.

Detroit (W 78-66)

This is where Illinois enters their tougher competition.  The first game is against Detroit.

Detroit was another team that didn’t do so hot last season.   They finished with a 16-15 overall record and were only 4-10 on the road.  This game is played at Illinois.

This shouldn’t be a difficult game for the Illini, though.

The Titans lost their top two leading scorers last season that averaged 18.4 and 14.3 points per game.  This is a huge hole they will be missing.

Detroit’s next leading scorer is Chris Jenkins.  He averaged 12 PPG and shot an amazing 43-percent from behind the three-point line.

The Titans did add two new big men this season that are 6-foot-11 and 7-foot tall.  This could cause problems for Illinois if they both play at the same time.

But, I think Illinois shouldn’t have a problem beating Detroit.  They have the better shooters and more athletic players.

I see the Illini winning 78-66.

Home/Illinois Basketball