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Illinois Basketball: 5 areas of improvement for the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 30: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini is seen before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at State Farm Center on January 30, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 30: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini is seen before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at State Farm Center on January 30, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Illinois basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ – FEBRUARY 25: Da’Monte Williams /

1. Field Goal Percentage

Illinois scored at a fairly high clip last season putting up 75.2 points per game, which ranked No. 112 in the nation. But, the shooting efficiency was not there. You can put up a decent amount of points, but the cause is lost if you aren’t making shots at a high rate.

This past season, the Illini ended up ranking No. 196 in shooting percentage as a team. They only averaged making 43.8-percent of their shots. This was right in front of Troy and right behind Loyola Marymount.

The most efficient player for the Illini who averaged at least 10 minutes per game was Greg Eboigbodin at 55.1-percent. This would make sense considering he plays around the hoop. He should have one of the highest shooting percentages. Leron Black was second on the team. He finished the season shooting 54.7-percent. He impressed me because of his development. Black was knocking down shots from all over the court last season.

Mark Alstork was at the bottom of the list when it comes to players who played at least 10 MPG. He only shot 33.5-percent from the field. The lowest rated returning player was Da’Monte Williams. He shot 33.7-percent from the field last season. His volume wasn’t there, so if he missed one or two shots a game, that would really plummet his average. I look for him to take a huge step this season.

Overall, I would like to see better shooting out of the bunch. Trent Frazier is a special player, but he only shot 40.5-percent from the field. I can see that number improving this season with less pressure on him to score all the time. He has some help in the backcourt as well.

I think Illinois improves their shooting percentage this season. They need to if they want to compete in the Big Ten. The core of this team will be another year older and they all can shoot the ball. I would be worried if I was going up against them.

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