Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat the Chicago State Cougars

4. Slow down Chicago State’s bench

As previously mentioned, Illinois’ bench was sensational in their first game against North Carolina A&T. Th depth was impressive and was a big reason why the score was so lopsided. But Illinois isn’t the only team with a good bench.

Chicago State, who got beat down by Ohio 84-61, managed to show that their bench might be better than their starting five. The Cougars only produced 31 out of their 61 points from their starting rotation. That means their bench scored the other 30 points against Ohio.

The bench for Chicago State had two different players hit the double-digit scoring mark. Big man Lou Demuth ended the game with 12 points and 6 rebounds. I am going to be interested to see if he gets the start against the Illini. Demuth is 7-foot, 235-pounds, so he might have a chance to matchup against Kofi Cockburn.

Jordan Polynice is the other solid bench player for Chicago State. He finished the Ohio game with 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field, all of which were two-point shots. Polynice is a quick guard who could be tough to handle at times.

I would keep an eye out for the Cougar’s bench on Thursday. If Illinois can hold their second rotation in check, then I think this ends up being the blowout most people expect.