Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat Wisconsin
4. We have to find scoring to make up for Ayo
It looks like Ayo Dosunmu is out against Wisconsin on Saturday. That is a big blow to the Illini lineup considering he is averaging 21 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game this season.
Ayo’s ability to fill up the stat sheet has been amazing, and he put up big numbers against the Badgers the first time around too. Back on February 6, Ayo put up 21 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals. He hit 6-of-11 from the field and was 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
The 21 points Ayo scored for the Illini that night consisted of 28-percent of the total scoring for the team in the game. That is a lot of point production Illinois is going to have to replace this time around. In fact, only Ayo and Kofi Cockburn scored more than nine points in that first game.
Who will step up to replace Ayo’s great numbers?
On Thursday, Illinois took down Nebraska without Ayo. One of the big contributors on the scoring front was Adam Miller. We finally got to see the young star shine. He had 18 points against Nebraska. I believe he can make up for most of the points lost from Ayo being out.
Really, as far as points go, it is going to be a team effort too. I think Miller can drop 18 on any given night. That would be 12 more points than he had in the first Wisconsin battle. Trent Frazier only had eight points the first time around. I am thinking we can get him into double-digits. Jacob Grandison has also been sensational lately, and he only had five points in the first game. Let’s get him into double-digits scoring on Saturday.
Illinois should be okay on the scoring front. I think Andre Curbelo will help make up for the 12 assists Ayo had on February 6. Curbelo only had one assist in that first game, but without Ayo on Thursday, he managed to almost hit a triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Look for Curbelo to help fill a massive void in all of the other statistical categories left by Ayo.
Next. 4 observations from the Illini victory over Nebraska. dark
In the Nebraska win, we saw every Illinois basketball player getting involved. This time right now will only help the program moving forward. This team is becoming stronger.