3. Perimeter defense is extremely important
In the first game of the Big Ten Tournament, Illinois took on a Rutgers program that was bad at shooting the three-point shot. They forced the Scarlet Knights to shoot threes, and it resulted in them converting at a clip below 20-percent.
Illinois matched up against a tough three-point team in Iowa on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes convert their three-pointers at a clip of 38.6-percent, which ranks No. 13 in the nation. Illinois’ tough perimeter defense held Iowa to 33.3-percent shooting from the three-point arc in the victory.
Now the Illini are going up against another tough three-point shooting team in Ohio State. The Buckeyes are hitting their three-pointers at a clip of 36.7-percent, which ranks No. 50 in the nation. In the loss earlier this season to Ohio State, the Buckeyes shot an incredible 52.4-percent from three-point range and won the game 87-81.
In the final game of the regular season, Illinois’ perimeter defense was greatly improved. They held Ohio State to just 31-percent shooting from distance. A massive drop in three-point efficiency meant the Illini won the game 73-68.
So, one of the main focuses on defense for Illinois needs to be perimeter defense. If Ohio State gets hot from three-point territory, then it will be extremely tough to beat them. But if we can hold them to somewhere below 35-percent, then this should be a win for the Orange and Blue.