Illinois Basketball: 3 weaknesses for the Illini against North Carolina A&T
3. Shot blocking
Illinois has one of the best big men in the country in Kofi Cockburn. The seven-foot sensation broke onto the scene as a freshman last year and decided to return for one more run at a national title.
One would think Illinois would be a top team in the nation when it comes to the blocks per game category. I mean, Kofi is a monster and is a dangerous threat inside the paint. While that statement is true about Kofi, the Illini actually weren’t a good shot-blocking team.
Kofi was great defensively in the paint, blocking 1.4 shots per game. He easily led the Illini in blocks, with No. 2 on the team being Giorgi Bezhanishvili with 0.4 blocks per game. That proves that, beyond Kofi, there really isn’t another shot blocker on this Illinois basketball team.
The numbers from 2019-20 show that to be a fact as well. Illinois only averaged 2.8 blocks per game, which ranked No. 208 in the nation. Being a below-average team in this defensive category probably has some people surprised.
Oddly enough, North Carolina A&T is better at blocking shots than the Illini. They averaged 3.6 blocks per game in 2019-20, which ranked No. 103 in the nation.
A couple of things stick out to me about these numbers. The first thing is the question of will the Aggies be able to handle Kofi in the paint? Last season, North Carolina A&T struggled against Kofi as he went for 26 points and 9 rebounds while also adding in two blocks.
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Another thing that sticks out is how much Illinois will be improved this year. Illinois didn’t have much last season in the way of an athletic big to help with the blocks. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk emerge as a top-two blocker on the Illinois basketball team. I look for him to add a defensive presence that we haven’t seen alongside Kofi.