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Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Drexel

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 19, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) brings the ball up against Drexel Dragons guard Camren Wynter (11) during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) brings the ball up against Drexel Dragons guard Camren Wynter (11) during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 19, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Adam Miller (44) dribbles the ball against the Drexel Dragons during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Adam Miller (44) dribbles the ball against the Drexel Dragons during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Efficiency prevailed

In the keys to beating Drexel article from Friday, I wanted Illinois to be efficient against Drexel. This was a smart Drexel team that could control the ball, so efficiency was going to be extremely important. The Illini wasn’t just an efficient team on Friday, they were the most efficient they have been all season.

Coming into the game against the Dragons, the Illini had a previous season-low of eight turnovers. That happened twice, once against Iowa and once against Maryland. Illinois kicked it into another gear against Drexel, though. They only had five turnovers against the Dragons, which is the new season-low for the Illini.

The efficiency didn’t stop there for the Orange and Blue. Illinois didn’t get into foul trouble. In fact, they only had 11 fouls in the entire game. This would be the third-lowest total number of fouls for the Illini this season.

Illinois’ ability to distribute the ball while not turning the ball over was at a season-high as well. The Illini had 19 assists for the game, and when you couple that with the five total turnovers, that comes out to an astonishing 3.8 assist-to-turnover ratio. This is a new season-high for the Illini, as their previous best ATR was 3.0 against Minnesota.

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A team that can score and play great defense is extremely dangerous. But a team that can do those two things, plus they can be extremely efficient, is a team that can win the national title. Five more wins baby.

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