Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Ohio State

3. Big improvement on three-point defense

Illinois had already played Ohio State once this season. That first game didn’t go well for the Illini, as they fell to the Buckeyes by a score of 87-81. In that first contest, Ohio State was on fire too.

Hitting 53.7-percent of their shots, the Buckeyes couldn’t be stopped back in mid-January. But what was even more impressive about their game then was their three-point shooting. Ohio State hit 52.4-percent of their three-point shots, going 11-of-21 from deep.

On Saturday night, I was a little worried Ohio State could do that again. If that happened, there would have been no chance to win the game. Thankfully, Illinois’ defense was on point.

Ohio State wasn’t nearly as good as they were in the first game against the Illini. The Buckeyes were only 9-of-29 from the three-point arc, which comes out to 31-percent. So, they took eight more three-point attempts and made two fewer shots. That is what I like to see.

The Illini defense had a lot to do with the bad Ohio State shooting. Illinois’ guards would cover the Ohio State player closely out on the arc. They knew how good the Buckeyes were at three-point shooting. Illinois wasn’t lazy around screens. They also kept a hand up when closing out.

This type of perimeter defense wins championships. If we can get this in every game, we will go far in the NCAA tournament.