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Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat Northwestern

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 23, 2020; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) blocks Penn State Nittany Lions guard Izaiah Brockington (12) during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. Illinois defeated Penn State 98-81. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2020; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) blocks Penn State Nittany Lions guard Izaiah Brockington (12) during the second half at Bryce Jordan Center. Illinois defeated Penn State 98-81. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
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) /

Illinois basketball is looking to extend their three-game winning streak on Thursday night against a tough Northwestern bunch.

The Wildcats are a good team looking to get back on track after two straight losses. Any road game in the Big Ten is tough, so the Illini are going to have all they can handle in Evanston. But there are some certain things Illinois can do to come out victorious.

Here are four keys for the Illini to beat Northwestern.

1. Dominate the rebounding margin

It is weird how similar most of the numbers are between Illinois and Northwestern, but the rebounding numbers are an outlier among them all.

Led by Kofi Cockburn, the Illini have been one of the best rebounding teams in the nation this season. Coming into the game against the Wildcats, Illinois averages 42 rebounds per game, which ranks No. 17 in the nation. They also aren’t allowing the opposing teams to get boards. The Illini are giving up 28.6 rebounds per game this season, which ranks No. 9 in the nation.

Illinois doesn’t just need to win the rebounding margin on Thursday night, they need to dominate it. There is a very good chance this could happen as well.

Northwestern averages losing the rebounding battle in each game this season. They are only pulling down 35.1 rebounds per game compared to giving up 35.6 rebounds per game. This bodes well for the Illini. If we could keep the averages the same, this could end up being a good night for the Orange and Blue.

What I am looking for is a +10 rebounding margin for the Illini. If we could pull down roughly 40 rebounds while only holding Northwester to around 30 rebounds on the night, this will be a win.

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