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Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini against Notre Dame

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 26, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts on the bench during the second half against the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts on the bench during the second half against the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Mar 12, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da’Monte Williams (20) defends against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ron Harper Jr. (24) in the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

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.

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