Illinois Basketball: 3 ways the Illini can take down Michigan State

3. Make Feliz a bigger part of the offense

I would argue one of the most important players on the Illinois basketball team right now is Andres Feliz. His production coming off the bench has been huge for this program.

But this hasn’t always been the case. In the first game against Michigan State, Feliz only saw 17 minutes of action but wasn’t in foul trouble. He was held ineffective in this game with 2 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.  He was also 1-of-5 from the field.

Since falling to the Spartans back in early January, Illinois has changed their minutes balance. Feliz has become a much bigger part of this team. In two out of the last three games, he has been the leading scorer for the Illini. He has also hit the double-digit scoring mark in five out of the last six contests.

Feliz was a starter this season but was relegated to the bench. I think there was an adjustment period in there that consisted of the first Michigan State game. But, since that moment, Feliz has started to step up. He has embraced his spark plug role and is doing wonders for this team.

Illinois needs to get Feliz involved as early as possible. He is a bulldog who can get Michigan State’s big men in foul trouble. Look for him to make a huge impact in this game.