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

4. Stay out of foul trouble

In Illinois’ previous two losses, they found themselves in some foul trouble.  The Illini will need to be extra cautious in this one, as both of these games were on the road, causing them to get some unfavorable calls.

In their December 12 loss at Missouri, the Tigers were granted 31 free-throw attempts, as the Orange and Blue picked up 25 fouls on the night.  Six of the nine Illini players who participated in the contest picked up four fouls.

Illini big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili picked up two fouls within his first minute of action, forcing Brad Underwood to sit him for the remaining 14 minutes of the first half.  This would force Kofi Cockburn to play nearly the entire first half, leaving the Illini with very little options at the No. 5 position.

In their recent loss Sunday, the Orange and Blue were called for 26 fouls compared to Rutgers’ 17 fouls.  The Scarlet Knights were granted 36 free-throw attempts, where they picked up 25 of their 91 total points on the day.

Three Illini players – guards Andre Curbelo, Da’Monte Williams, and Trent Frazier – all fouled out of the contest, which hurt Illinois’ chances of completing a miracle last-minute comeback.  Guards Adam Miller and Ayo Dosunmu also found themselves in foul trouble with four fouls apiece.

Fortunately, this Penn State team has not drawn many fouls this season.  The Nittany Lions have only attempted a total of 75 free-throws on the year, which ranks No. 274 in the nation.

If the Illini are able to feed the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, get improvement from their freshmen, bounce back defensively, and stay out of foul trouble, there is no reason the Orange and Blue can’t walk out of State College with the roadkill to improve to 2-1 in conference play.