Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over St. Francis (PA)

4. Wow, we are good at shooting

Throughout much of the season, Illinois has proved how good they can be shooting the ball. But I am still surprised we are this good at putting the ball through the hoop.

Against St. Francis (PA), the Illini scored 106 points, which is an impressive total no matter who you are playing. We went 38-of-58 from the floor, which is 65.5%. The three-point shooting is what piqued my interest the most, though. Illinois hit 18-of-34 from the three-point arc, which is a crazy 52.9%.

It wasn’t just a couple of players who were hitting shots either. Eight different Illinois players made a three-pointer on Saturday, and five of those players made multiple three-pointers. 11 total Illinois players would end up scoring a point against St. Francis (PA). This display of scoring is something that is rarely seen in Champaign.

I don’t think the St. Francis (PA) game has registered yet, but Illinois was already one of the best offensive teams in the country entering Saturday. We averaged 78 points per game, which ranked No. 41 in the nation. We were also hitting 37.2% of our three-pointers, which ranked No. 45 in the country. Both of those numbers are going to be improving as well.

Illinois has once again proved they are one of the most prolific offensive teams in the country. St. Francis (PA) had zero answers for the Orange and Blue on Saturday. This great momentum is something I look forward to using the rest of the nonconference and, hopefully, the rest of the 2021-22 campaign.