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Illinois Basketball: 3 strengths for the Illini against North Carolina A&T

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Trent Frazier #1 and Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrate during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Trent Frazier #1 and Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrate during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 05: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini brings the ball up the court in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena on March 05, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 05: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini brings the ball up the court in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena on March 05, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

2. Careful with the ball

Under the tutelage of Brad Underwood, the Illinois basketball team has developed into a team that is careful with the ball. They are winning at a high clip because they aren’t giving away the ball too often.

The biggest culprit of turning the ball over in 2019-20 was Ayo Dosunmu, but that makes sense. Ayo had the ball the most out of any Illini player, so his 2.7 turnovers per game are completely understandable.

As a team, Illinois was a solid bunch when it came to turnovers last season. They only averaged 12 turnovers per game, which ranked No. 80 in the nation. One of the best games that year for the Illini was actually against North Carolina A&T.

In the game against the Aggies, Illinois only turned the ball over nine times compared to the Aggies who had 18 turnovers. Overall, North Carolina A&T is actually the polar opposite of the Illini when it comes to turnovers. They averaged 15.5 turnovers per game last season, which ranked No. 330 out of 353 teams in the country.

Despite North Carolina A&T’s ability to steal the ball – averaging 7.8 steals per game in 2019-20 – the Illini should have a leg up with how careful they are with the ball. The lack of turnovers means fewer chances for the Aggies to score the ball. This should bode well for the Orange and Blue.

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