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Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat Nebraska

By Rees Woodcock

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 23: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts to a call in the second half of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on February 23, 2021 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 23: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts to a call in the second half of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on February 23, 2021 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Illinois basketball
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 /

3. Fundamentally sound rebounding

Illinois has a lot of talent who can show great flash. But one problem I have with this program is they lack some of the basic fundamentals of the game of basketball.

The Illini turn the ball over at a high clip, which gets them in trouble against opposing teams. That is an issue that needs to be corrected. But another issue that has reared its ugly head as of late is rebounding.

Yes, Illinois has Kofi Cockburn who is averaging over 10 rebounds per game. He is a 7-foot, nearly 300-pound, big man. He should be able to fall into 10 rebounds each game. The problem I have is with the fundamentals of rebounding.

Against Michigan State, the Illini did a lot of staring at the ball when a shot would go up. They stood around and when the ball came off the rim, Illinois players were out of position to get a rebound. The Spartans, on the other hand, were getting in position for the rebound instead of watching the ball. This enabled them to block out effectively and pull down the board.

In the first game against Nebraska, something similar happened to Illinois. The Illini actually lost the rebounding battle against the Cornhuskers 40-39. This came as a surprise, but it shouldn’t happen again. I would imagine Brad Underwood has been harping on the rebounding element of the game for the Illini.

What I am looking for against Nebraska in game two is for there to be a stronger effort on the glass. I want to see Illinois players find a man and block them out. This is how we are going to put the Cornhuskers away early.

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