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Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini victory over Minnesota

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 20, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) in action while Minnesota Golden Gophers center Liam Robbins (0) and forward Brandon Johnson (23) defend in the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) in action while Minnesota Golden Gophers center Liam Robbins (0) and forward Brandon Johnson (23) defend in the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 20, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) dribbles the ball in the first half during a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) dribbles the ball in the first half during a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Berding-USA TODAY Sports /

4. The turnover battle was won

In just about every “keys to beating” article, I type out that Illinois needs to win the turnover battle. This seems like an obvious one every game, but it is honestly one of the weakest areas for the program.

Coming into the game on Saturday against Minnesota, Illinois was one of the worst teams in the country in the turnover department. The Illini were averaging 13.6 turnovers per game, which ranked No. 194 in the nation.

Illinois was also going up against a Gophers program that was a complete contrast of the Illini. Minnesota was only averaging 10.7 turnovers per game, which ranked No. 14 in the country. This should have been a lopsided turnover margin in favor of the Gophers.

On Saturday, though, Illinois took control of the game, and they were in control of the ball. It was an impressive game from the jump, as the Illini were not only hitting shots, but they were also taking care of the ball for the first time in a while.

Illinois would finish the game against Minnesota with just 10 turnovers. That is almost half the number of turnovers as the Gophers, who would finish with a total of 18 turnovers. That is a turnover margin of +8 for the Illini.

Next. Illini schedule updated for the final two weeks. dark

If we can continue having this type of turnover margin the rest of the season, then I believe we are going to win the national title. This team just needed to take care of the ball, and they did that on Saturday.

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