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Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat Indiana

By Collin Allen

CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 27: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts during the game against the Ohio Bobcats at State Farm Center on November 27, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - NOVEMBER 27: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts during the game against the Ohio Bobcats at State Farm Center on November 27, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Illinois basketball
Nov 25, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jacob Grandison (3) hits a three point shot during the second half against the North Carolina A&T Aggies at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Continue to get multiple guys involved

One thing that each of the Illini’s last three games have in common is that the Orange and Blue got plenty of production from multiple players in each of the contests.

Illinois has gotten double-digit scoring from at least three of its players in their last three games.  This includes the December 20 loss at Rutgers where the Illini got five players to score at least 11 points in the contest.

In the Illini’s recent win on Wednesday at Penn State, three players scored in the double-digits.  Ayo Dosunmu led all players with 30 points on the night.  Kofi Cockburn scored 23 points, shooting 11-of-13 from the field.  Freshman guard Andre Curbelo also contributed by scoring 15 points while coming off the bench.

The Orange and Blue may have also found another weapon in the Wednesday win.  Junior transfer wing Jacob Grandison finished the night with 7 points and 7 rebounds during an increased number of minutes.

Grandison shot a perfect 3-of-3 from the field on the night.  Prior to Wednesday’s game, the junior was only averaging 2.4 points in just seven minutes of play per game.

If Illinois can continue to get multiple players involved, not many teams will be able to stop them, including the Hoosiers on Saturday.

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