Illinois Basketball: 4 keys for the Illini to beat the Drexel Dragons

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Mar 12, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) reacts to dunking the ball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Let Kofi Cockburn dominate

Drexel has a team that can score the ball well. They have a ton of guards on the team who can put the ball in the hoop. But one thing they can’t do well is rebound the ball.

The best rebounder on the Dragons is James Butler. He is a 6-foot-8 forward who is averaging 9.2 rebounds per game this season. That is a good number. Butler has helped Drexel average 33.9 rebounds per game this season, which ranks No. 225 as well.

A big reason for their low rebounding number is due to the fact Drexel plays slow, so there are fewer possessions per game which means fewer rebounding opportunities. The Dragons only allow 29.3 rebounds per game to their opponents, which ranks No. 6 in the nation. That is an incredible number that they should be proud of.

But the best team Drexel played this season was Pittsburgh who finished 10-12 overall. The Dragons lost by nine points in that game. So, one thing they haven’t run into this season is a big man of Kofi Cockburn’s caliber.

Kofi is a 7-foot giant who is an M&M away from 300-pounds. The big man averaged 9.6 rebounds per game and that was through the gauntlet of the Big Ten and a tough non-conference schedule. That is a real 9.6 rebounds per game.

In the game against Drexel on Friday, Illinois just needs to let Kofi eat. Let him go to work on the block. Give him some solid entry passes so he can dominate. The Illini have a player Drexel hasn’t even come close to seeing this season. Let Kofi tear them apart.

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