Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini loss to Maryland

4. Curbelo needs to temper down his shooting

I think one of the most exciting players to come through the Illinois basketball program in my lifetime is Andre Curbelo. The kid is electric and is going to be one of the best players to ever put on an Illini jersey.

There are so many things Curbelo does incredibly well, but there is one thing he needs to stop doing from outside of 15 feet. That is shooting the ball.

I believe the three-point arc needs to be off-limits for Curbelo when the game is close. If we are blowing out the other team, by all means, fire away. But when the game is close, Curbelo doesn’t need to be shooting three-point shots. He isn’t good at that right now.

The scoring ability for Curbelo is solid, but his game is more of a create around the hoop style. He shouldn’t be pulling up from beyond 15 feet. Get to the hoop and create. This enables him to get an easy layup, although nothing looks easy for him. When Curbelo gets to the hoop, he can also dish it off too. There was one no-look pass to Kofi Cockburn on Sunday night that blew my mind.

Curbelo ended the game against the Terrapins with 8 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. That is a solid stat line. But he was only 4-of-12 from the field and 0-of-2 from three-point range. That is way too many shots for the talented freshman. When Curbelo is shooting more than Kofi, then you know the balance is off with the program.

Let’s keep Curbelo focused on opening up the Illini offense. He has the ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. That should be his primary role on this team right now.