The Illinois basketball team is facing a three-game losing streak if they fall to the Maryland Terrapins today.
This would not be good for a potential NCAA tournament berth in the future. In addition to the postseason being in jeopardy, the Illini would also be starting 0-2 in Big Ten play. Starting winless after two games against conference competition would not be good for the program. That is why Illinois needs to win this game and here is how to do that.
I said it before the Northwestern game and I will say it again. Illinois needs to make teams play to their game plan. They can’t acquiesce to whatever the opposing team is doing. There were times during the last two games where Illinois wasn’t aggressive. Their offense is based on aggression and if that disappears, so does the scoring.
Some of that aggression is brought upon by true freshman Mark Smith. Smith needs to be a bigger part of this game after only playing eight total minutes in the game against the Wildcats. His driving ability and confidence is something that this team needs regardless of what he gives on the defensive end of the court.
There are some fans who think Illinois needs to go away from Michael Finke. I disagree completely with that statement and, in fact, I think they should go to him more early on in the game. Finke’s problem, I believe, is a confidence issue. He has the ability to drain three-pointer after three-pointer but he isn’t right now. Illinois needs to run some plays for him early on in the game to get him to see the ball going in the hoop. This will benefit the team toward the end of the game when Finke has his confidence back and Illinois needs a huge bucket.
Aaron Jordan also needs to see the ball more as well. He is way too good of a shooter to only be shooting three total shots like he did in the Northwestern game. He should see a minutes increase as well. This guy has been the most valuable player on the Illini team this season.
Now let’s focus on Maryland. This isn’t a deep team and that is where the Illini need to attack. Illinois has some depth, so they need to continually keep fresh legs on the floor to take advantage of the Terrapins’ dead legs.
Anthony Cowan is the best player for Maryland right now. He should be the player the Illini guards focus on coming into the game on Sunday night.
Cowan is averaging 15.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season. He is a really good player who can shoot the ball from anywhere on the court. The Illini defense has been decent this season, so I fully expect Cowan to not have a good game.
Next: 4 things the Illini need to change
Honestly, the things Illinois needs to do to get the win on Sunday against Maryland has to do with themselves. They need to play their style of basketball. They need to be aggressive and get everyone involved early. Illinois has a chance to be special this year and things could turn around against the Terrapins.