The Illinois basketball team takes on the Austin Peay Governors on Wednesday night.
This is a big game for the Illini, not because Austin Peay is a juggernaut, but because Illinois is on a three-game losing streak and needs to get another win. If the team ever needed a cupcake game to really get their confidence back, this would be it.
Austin Peay enters the game against Illinois with a 4-4 record. Two of those four wins are against non-DI programs and the other two are against Miami (OH) and Alabama A& M. They have been pounded by Virginia by 44 points and Vanderbilt by 19 points. This Governors’ program is not very good right now.
Austin Peay has three players averaging over 10 points per game. Dayton Gumm leads the way at 13.6 PPG, followed by Terry Taylor with 12.6 PPG and Averyl Ugba with 11.6 PPG. There isn’t a lot of firepower there for this team who is No. 294 in the nation in scoring, averaging only 66.3 PPG. Illinois’ defense has improved throughout the year, so don’t be surprised if Austin Peay scores below 60 points tonight in a blowout.
The Governors aren’t horrific on defense, though. They average giving up 72.5 PPG which ranks No. 161 in the nation. But, you also have to look at the competition as well. They are playing really weak teams at times and this skews the stats. If you look at the two power-five conference teams they have played, Austin Peay is giving up 83 PPG in those two contests.
Conveniently, Illinois is also averaging 83.8 PPG this season which ranks No. 29 in the nation. Granted, the Illini have played weak competition at times, too. But, in the three power-five conference opponents, Illinois is still averaging 77.3 PPG. There isn’t much of a dip there.
Austin Peay is really weak in the rebounding department as well. They average 31 rebounds per game right now and that is No. 318 in the nation. This is a great opportunity to Michael Finke to get back into a groove and start digging himself out of the hole. He hasn’t had a great year so far, but going up against a team like Austin Peay could get his confidence up. I would also like to see him take more shots this game too. There should be a wide enough margin for him to start jacking up three-pointers so he can see a few go in the hoop.
I am also excited to see more guard development for the Illini as well. Mark Smith needs to get back on track and this is a perfect opportunity for him to see some shots go in and for him to focus on being more disciplined. Illinois is going to need him come Big Ten season.
Look for Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams both to continue progressing against Austin Peay as well. Frazier has been fun to watch over the last few games, and I wouldn’t doubt if he sees starts sometime down the road. Williams could be the big impact player on Wednesday night. He does everything on the court and will be a headache for the Governors.
Next: 4 takeaways from the loss to Maryland
Illinois should have an easy win here. They need to attack the boards with Finke, and the guards need to continue doing what they do. This should be a blowout early on and the Illini will cruise to a victory.