Illinois Basketball: 3 ways the Illini can beat the Purdue Boilermakers

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 18: Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) shoots a free throw during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 18, 2020, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

No. 1 Kofi and Ayo need to get going early

Illinois struggled in the first half against Northwestern. A lot of Illinois players struggled to get going, but Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmu probably hurt Illinois the most. Both of these players need to get going early against Purdue.

Kofi and Ayo combined for one point through almost 15 minutes of the first half. The Illini had a hard time scoring at times against Northwestern as they struggled to get the ball inside to Kofi.

Illinois’ struggles feeding Kofi the ball had more to do with Northwestern running zone. If that happens against Purdue, then Ayo will have to look to score the ball more.

Both Kofi and Ayo started to get going in the second half against the Wildcats. Illinois had a mid-second half surge which was aided by the dynamic duo. The Orange and Blue had a much easier time putting the ball in the bucket and moving the ball around, which helped with scoring too.

In the first match-up between Illinois and Purdue, neither team really got into a rhythm but Purdue couldn’t buy a bucket. The success of this program really depends on Kofi and Ayo. If we can get them going, then the rematch against the Boilermakers should fall in our favor.

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