Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat Indiana
By Collin Allen
The Illinois basketball team will be playing at home for the first time since December 15 as they host the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.
The Fighting Illini will host the Hoosiers just three days after a road win at Penn State. Here are four keys for the Illini to pick up their second-straight win.
1. Create scoring opportunities for Da’Monte Williams
Illinois senior guard Da’Monte Williams is quietly having a spectacular season — especially as a shooter. Williams is shooting 66.7-percent from the field on the season. This includes 70-percent from beyond the arc, which ranks No. 5 in the entire nation.
Williams has had three games where he has shot perfect from the floor. He scored five points, shooting 2-of-2 from the floor, in the November 26 contest versus Chicago State.
The senior guard also shot perfectly in the roadkill in Durham, North Carolina versus Duke. Williams scored 10 points against the Blue Devils by shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field on the night. Two of those shots came from three-point land.
Williams’ most notable shooting performance so far on the season came in the loss versus Rutgers. He shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the field with all four of those shots coming from beyond the arc. Williams scored 12 points in the Illini loss.
If Illinois is able to get Williams a few catch-and-shoot opportunities, they should be able to get some easy points, as the senior guard usually excels when given a clean look from beyond the arc.