Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Purdue

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – DECEMBER 15: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) shoots a free throw during the college basketball game between the East Tennessee State Univeristy Buccaneers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on December 15, 2018, at State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Shooting is a major problem

The fact Illinois was in the game as long as they were against Purdue on Wednesday night was a miracle. This Illini team is, arguably, one of the worst shooting squads I have ever seen wear the uniform.

When I look, the stats really don’t prove me right as far as this Illini squad being one of the worst I have seen shooting the ball in the history of the program. During the John Groce era, those teams, statistically, were worse shooting. This current Illini team is shooting 42.8-percent for field goals, 33.8-percent from three-point range and 69.1-percent from the free throw line.

While the Groce era teams consistently were shooting in the 41-percent range from the field and sub-32-percent from three-point range, they always seemed to have one or two really good shooters. But, this Illini team feels a little different.

I think we have good shooters. I think Ayo Dosunmu, Trent Frazier, Tevian Jones and Alan Griffin are all good shooters. But, for some reason, the dynamic just isn’t working. The combination isn’t conducive to shooting the ball well or scoring at a high clip.

Illinois finished the Purdue game shooting 32.8-percent from the field and 27.6-percent from three-point range. This Illini team was in the game for much of the contest as well. Just imagine how good this team could be if we could just shoot better. Something needs to change.

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