Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Drexel

Illinois basketball tipped off their national title run on Friday, and they came out looking like they were on a mission.

After a slightly slow start to the game, the Illini took it to Drexel. Wave after wave of great guard play and Kofi Cockburn happened. One thing led to another and the Dragons were down by 18 points at halftime. That 18-point lead would expand in the second half, and Illinois would come away with the win, 78-49.

Here are four observations from the Illini win over Drexel.

1. The defense was suffocating

Wow, that was a great way to start off the NCAA tournament. Illinois came out of the gates a little slow but got their feet underneath them quickly. One thing that was amazing all game long was defense.

For the first few minutes, Illinois’ shooting was a little sluggish. They were clearly just a little cold after a few days off, but the defense helped set the tone of the game. Drexel couldn’t get anything going, and despite the Illini going through a couple of droughts, they were able to keep their distance from the Dragons.

Illinois wasn’t matched up against a No. 16 seed that couldn’t shoot the ball. In fact, Drexel entered the game shooting 47.7-percent from the field, which ranked No. 21 in the nation. That means they are a really good shooting team. That didn’t matter to the Illini.

The Dragons couldn’t get anything going all night. They ended the game shooting 19-of-62 from the field, which is a poor 30.6-percent. Drexel’s starters were even worse than that. They shot 15-of-52 from the field, which is 28.8-percent.

This wasn’t a bad Drexel team by any means. They can shoot the ball and put up points. But this is also, arguably, the best Illinois defense I have seen in my lifetime. They swarm to the ball. They guard tight but not too tight. They closeout with their hands up. The defense is the reason I believe we can win it all.