Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat Rutgers
By Collin Allen
2. Win the battle in the paint
The battle in the paint will certainly be an entertaining one, given that it will consist of two teams who rank within the top ten in the country in defensive rebounding. The Illini rank No. 6 in the nation with 33.4 defensive rebounds per game, while Rutgers ranks No. 10 with 32.2 defensive rebounds per contest.
One of the main reasons the Illini were so dominant in their recent commanding victory versus Minnesota was because of their dominance in the paint.
Sophomore big man Kofi Cockburn played a massive role in this dominance, racking up 33 points of which almost all coming in the paint. The big man also hauled in 13 boards and totaled 2 blocks on the night, recording his fourth double-double on the year.
Cockburn will have his hands full on Sunday, as he will be battling against two talented Scarlet Knights big men, freshman Cliff Omoruyi and junior Myles Johnson. Omoruyi has the starting nod for Rutgers at the No. 5. He is currently averaging 6.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest.
Though Johnson comes off the bench for the Scarlet Knights, the junior center gets the majority of the minutes and produces more between the two Rutgers big men. Johnson is averaging a team-high of nine rebounds per game, which ranks No. 60 in the country out of all college players. Johnson is also averaging 8.6 points per contest and shooting 66.7-percent from the field.