Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Rutgers

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 05: Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Brad Underwood reacts to a play during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 5, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Illinois buckled down on free throw shooting

One thing that can always kill teams, especially when it comes to winning games, is free throw shooting. This has been an Illinois bugaboo for as long as I can remember.

This season, in particular, has been terrible for the Illini when it comes to free throw shooting. It all came to a head a few games ago when, despite Illinois getting a victory, the Illini went 9-of-23 from the charity stripe, which is 39.1-percent. That was such an awful display of free throw shooting.

Overall, Illinois is shooting pretty bad from the free throw line this season. They are hitting their free throws at a rate of 68.8-percent, which ranks No. 227 in the nation. That is not good at all. But, the last few games, which includes Rutgers, have been better.

Illinois went 18-of-22 from the charity stripe in a victory over Michigan State. That computes to 81.8-percent, which is a massive upgrade. The Illini came back down to earth on Saturday against Rutgers, but they still improved on their season average. They ended up going 19-of-26 from the free throw line, which is 73.1-percent.

Ever since that horrific game against Nebraska, Illinois has been shooting free throws much better. They know that this is an area that will help them win games in the future. I am happy to see this team progress in this department.

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