Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat Penn State

Dec 20, 2020; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood (standing) reacts during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first half at Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC). Mandatory Credit: Catalina Fragoso-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2020; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood (standing) reacts during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first half at Rutgers Athletic Center (RAC). Mandatory Credit: Catalina Fragoso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 2, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Adam Miller (44) shoots the ball against the Baylor Bears in the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 2, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Adam Miller (44) shoots the ball against the Baylor Bears in the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Get improvement from the freshmen

The Fighting Illini were able to get scoring production from many of its players in their loss versus Rutgers on Sunday, but not much of that scoring came from the Illini freshmen.

Starting freshman guard Adam Miller finished the day with a goose egg, scoring 0 points while shooting 0-of-3 from the field.  The freshman guard would also tally-up four fouls in Sunday’s contest.

The struggles have been a trend for the young guard lately, as Miller has scored in the double-digits in only one of the Illini’s last five games.  He has shot for a combined total of 26.7-percent from the field in the five contests.

Illinois will need a big day from Miller, as they are 0-3 when he scores less than nine points in a game.

Freshman point guard Andre Curbelo also struggled in the Illini’s loss Sunday.  Curbelo only scored four points and fouled out of the game in his 17 minutes of play.

The young point guard usually produces a lot for the Illini coming off the bench, as he is averaging 9.9 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Orange and Blue.  Curbelo is also shooting an impressive 58.8-percent from the field on the year.

If the Illini want to come away with the roadkill, they will need Miller and Curbelo to bounce back and play to their potential versus the Nittany Lions.