Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to take down Ohio State

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Mar 12, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Geo Baker (0) dribbles the ball against Illinois Fighting Illini guard Adam Miller (44) in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

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.

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