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Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 2, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Armaan Franklin (L) passes the ball while defended by Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) during the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Armaan Franklin (L) passes the ball while defended by Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) during the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Nov 27, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da’Monte Williams (20) throws the ball to bounce off of Ohio Bobcats forward Ben Vander Plas (5) during the first half at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

Despite having a game postponed this week, the Illinois basketball program still managed to get a game with Nebraska scheduled for Friday.

I give the Cornhuskers credit for deciding to play a game that was originally postponed back on January 13. I feel like they could have easily put this game off and just called it a season, but they didn’t do that. Let’s see if Michigan does the same…

Anyway, Illinois didn’t have a massive layoff and now plays the Cornhuskers on Friday. This should be a tune-up game for the Illini, but you can’t sleep on any Big Ten program.

Here are four keys for the Illini to beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

1. Do your thing on defense

It is pretty evident that Illinois is a solid defensive program. Nebraska, on the other hand, is one of the worst teams in the nation offensively. This is a recipe for an ugly game.

All Illinois needs to do is keep playing the same defense they have displayed this season. The Illini are giving up 68.8 points per game, which ranks No. 119 in the nation. They are even better when it comes to stopping opponents from hitting their shots. Illinois’ opponents are only hitting shots at a clip of 40.9-percent, which ranks No. 52 in the nation.

With the suffocating guards Illinois brings to the table – mainly looking at Da’Monte Williams and Trent Frazier – this should be a rough night for the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska is shooting just 39.6-percent from the field this season, which ranks No. 319 in the nation. Their three-point shooting ranking is slightly better, but they are only hitting their deep shots at a clip of 30.4-percent, which ranks No. 296 in the nation.

An A- defense is going up against an F offense. It would absolutely shock me to see Nebraska hit the 60-point mark against Illinois. If the Illini can keep strong on defense and play like they have been the entire season, then they should hold the Cornhuskers to between 45-55 points in a win.

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