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Illinois Basketball: The good, the bad, and the expectations for Andre Curbelo

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 16, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) celebrates after his team scores against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) celebrates after his team scores against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 21, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jacob Grandison (3) and guard Andre Curbelo (5) and guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) walk off the court after their loss to the Loyola Ramblers in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Loyola Ramblers won 71-58. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Bad

It is hard to say there is anything bad about Andre Curbelo’s game, but there are a couple of things that need to be tightened up moving forward.

The first thing that comes to mind is three-point shooting. While I don’t believe Curbelo is bad at shooting the three-point shot, I want him to be more of a willing shooter. He was just 5-of-31 from three-point range last season, but the most three-point shots he took in a game were two.

I believe whatever Curbelo sets his mind to, he can accomplish. Three-point shooting is something he can improve on this season. Let’s see Curbelo take two or three three-pointers in each game. He can be more of a dynamic scorer, and this will help the Illini.

Another aspect of Curbelo’s game that could use tightening up is sloppy play. Last season, Curbelo was second on the team with 2.6 turnovers per game. That number wouldn’t be a big deal, but he was also just No. 6 on the team in minutes per game. Curbelo’s minutes are going to increase greatly this year, but can his turnovers stay about the same? That is what I want to keep an eye on.

The final thing I want to see an uptick in this season is Curbelo converting more at the free throw line. He hit 72.8% of his free throws last season, but with more minutes will come more attempts at the charity stripe. I need that number to be around 75-78%.

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