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

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 23, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2021; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Feb 25, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) drives against Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Trey McGowens (2) during the first half at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Keep the errors at a minimum

Michigan is the best team Illinois has played this season. The reason they are so good is that they keep their errors at a minimum and this helps them control the game.

The Wolverines average 11.7 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 68 in the nation. This is an impressive stat. What is even more impressive is Michigan’s assist-to-turnover ratio. They have an ATR of 1.372, which ranks No. 19 in the nation. That means the Wolverines are distributing efficiently. This is scary.

Illinois, on the other hand, is not taking care of the ball. They allow 13.6 turnovers per game this season, which ranks No. 201 in the nation. Oddly enough, the Illini have a good ATR at 1.220, which ranks No. 52 in the nation.

The Illini can distribute the ball with the best of the best, but they need to keep their turnovers low. This is something they have failed to do this season. An example of this is in the last game against Wisconsin. The Badgers only had eight turnovers compared to Illinois who had 20 turnovers in the game.

This can’t happen against a good team like Michigan. The Wolverines will eat us alive if we turn the ball over 20 times on Tuesday night.

Illinois needs to focus a little more on taking care of the ball. Keeping the errors at a minimum is a must. I am not saying we need to win the turnover battle, but if Illinois comes out of this game with a turnover margin of -3 or better, then I think we have a legit shot to knock off the No. 2 team in the nation.

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