2. Will the Illini play defense?
For the vast majority of the season, the Illinois basketball team has played nearly flawless defense. The Illini defense has done a great job keeping us in games.
Through six contests this season, Illinois is giving up just 64.5 points per game, which ranks No. 84 in the nation. That is a solid number and one I fully expect to stay roughly the same the entire year.
But, this past Friday against UT Rio Grande Valley, the Illini gave up 85 points. Yes, that is right, against a third-level Texas team, we gave up 85 points. That is not good. We can’t be giving up that many points against bad teams.
I realize that Illinois was missing some key defensive players in the last game. Trent Frazier was missing, and he is one of our best defensive players. So, there is a reason the Illini defense didn’t look great on Friday.
Illinois will also be going up against a bad Notre Dame offense on Monday. The Fighting Irish are only scoring 66 points per game this season, which ranks No. 233 in the nation. That is a bad number and one the Illini should be able to capitalize on.
Against Notre Dame, regardless of who is on the court for Illinois, I will be keeping an eye on our defense. I don’t want to see us giving up 85 points in a game. The Illini defense is better than that.