Illinois basketball: 3 things the Illini need to do well against Northwestern

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 11: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) shoots the ball over Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ron Harper Jr. (24) during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 11, 2020, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. Shoot at a high rate

Illinois has their hot and cold games shooting throughout the season. They will need to have a good shooting performance against Northwestern if they want to come out with a win.

Illinois ranks at No. 87 in the nation in scoring offense while shooting 46-percent from the field and 30-percent from the three-point range. Their three-point shooting ranks No. 306 in the nation.

Those aren’t very good shooting splits, but Illinois has taken less three-pointers than most teams ranked higher. The Illini have also benefited from Kofi Cockburn’s presence down in the post, so they don’t have to shoot as many long range shots.

Illinois recently struggled shooting against Rutgers as they only shot 28-percent from the field and 14-percent from the three-point arc. They also struggled shooting against Michigan State. The Illini were 3-of-28 from the three-point range in that game. It is no secret Illinois has started off slow in games due to their shooting struggles.

Illinois shooting will be something to watch against Northwestern. Shooting struggles won’t be an every-game thing, as they shot well against Purdue, but shooting will still be a key to the game if the Orange and Blue want to have a chance at winning.

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