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Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat Michigan State

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 2, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) attempts to block a shot by Indiana Hoosiers forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (23) during the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2021; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) attempts to block a shot by Indiana Hoosiers forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (23) during the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 12, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) dribbles the ball against Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Shamiel Stevenson (4) in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 12, 2021; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) dribbles the ball against Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Shamiel Stevenson (4) in the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Let’s run Michigan State out of the gym

I believe Illinois is one of the most athletic teams in the nation. From top to bottom, this program can run with just about any team in the nation, and this is an asset for the Illini moving forward.

Come Tuesday night, I think Illinois can run Michigan State right out of the gym. The Spartans are athletic, but they aren’t a team that can keep up when the scoring gets out of hand. Michigan State only averages 70.8 points per game, which ranks No. 170 in the nation.

If we settle into half court sets, this plays right into the hands of the Spartans. That would slow down the game and keep it at a low-scoring affair. This is not something I want to see in this game. I want to see Illinois running up and down the court and putting up their average of 81.8 points per game, which ranks No. 10 in the country.

I am going to bring Kofi Cockburn up again. This is the most underrated thing about the big man’s game. Kofi can run up and down the court well, and that is impressive for a 7-foot, nearly 300-pound, center. Having someone that big who can move that well is such a tremendous asset to this program.

Illinois’ guards perform the best when they are on the run too. Ayo Dosunmu has tremendous vision and can make decisions on the fly. The same can be said for Andre Curbelo. I honestly believe when Illinois is in the half court, that is when we are at our weakest. We are a team that needs almost a sense of controlled chaos to perform well. That is what I am looking for against the Spartans.

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