Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini loss to Arizona

2. We can’t lose the rebounding battle

Illinois and Arizona are two of the best rebounding teams in the nation. The Wildcats average 44.4 rebounds per game, which is the best in the nation, and the Illini are averaging 43.4 rebounds per game, which ranks No. 4 in the country.

Naturally, Saturday night’s game was going to be a big rebounding matchup. To win games, Illinois needs to be the best rebounding team on the court. That is their recipe for success.

Against the Wildcats, Illinois was not the best rebounding team, though. While it wasn’t a big margin, the Illini still lost the rebounding battle to Arizona 43-42. One or two rebounds more could have made the difference in this game.

I have zero complaints on the Kofi Cockburn front when it comes to rebounding. He finished with 13 rebounds for the game, which is about his average this season. But there were a couple of other players I needed to see more rebounds out of against Arizona.

Coleman Hawkins, a 6-foot-10 forward with a 7-foot wingspan, only had two rebounds the entire night. Da’Monte Williams, a good rebounding guard, played 29 minutes and only had five rebounds. On the bench, Omar Payne only had one rebound in the eight minutes of action.

Illinois could have won this game if they would have won the rebounding battle. Much like the result on Saturday night, the Illini fell just short of Arizona in the rebounding department.