Illinois Basketball: Illini looking to break the drought against Missouri

On Wednesday, the Illinois Basketball team will look to do something it hasn’t been able to do in four years.

Beat the Missouri Tigers.

The Illini have a golden opportunity to snap its three-year Braggin’ Rights losing skid, as they are seemingly catching the Tigers at the perfect time. Missouri currently ranks No. 177 out of 358 NCAA DI teams in the College Basketball Power Index (BPI).

What does the Illinois basketball team need to keep doing well in order to ensure a victory over the Missouri Tigers?

Continue attacking the boards

Something the Orange and Blue have been doing much better than the Tigers so far this season is hauling in rebounds.  The Illini rank No. 4 in the nation in rebounding, averaging 43.5 rebounds per game, while Missouri ranks No. 103  in rebounding with 38.1 RPG.

Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn plays a vital role in this feat, grabbing 12 boards per contest, which ranks No. 3 out of all DI players.

Kofi has been especially dominant in this category lately, grabbing a combined total of 57 rebounds in the Illini’s last four games – 13 vs. Rutgers, 15 vs. Iowa, 18 vs. Arizona, and 11 vs. St. Francis (PA).

Da’Monte Williams has been contributing greatly to the rebounding cabinet as well, averaging 5.8 rebounds per game.

Keep firing from three-point land

In addition to dominating opponents in rebounding, the Illini have been dominant from beyond the three-point arc as well.

Illinois, who just broke the school record for most three-pointers made in a game with 18, has hit 39% of its three-point attempts so far this season, ranking among the nation’s top 19 teams.

The Illini currently have four players who are hitting at least 40% of their three-pointers this season with freshman wing RJ Melendez leading the team at 67%.

Jacob Grandison sits just behind Melendez at 50% while Luke Goode (44%) and Alfonso Plummer (43%) follow.

Let Plummer cook

The senior transfer from Utah has been electric for the Illini so far this season. Prior to getting limited minutes in Saturday’s blowout win over St. Francis (PA), where he scored 19 points, Plummer scored at least 20 points in six consecutive games, including a 30-point outing vs. UT Rio Grande Valley. Plummer also put up a notable 25-point performance against No. 11 Arizona.

The senior guard sits just behind Cockburn in scoring, averaging 16.9 points per game on 48.3% shooting. In addition, Plummer has yet to miss a free-throw this season, leading the nation in free-throw percentage.

The Prediction

Illinois will end the three-year skid and bring the Braggin’ Rights trophy back home to Champaign where it belongs.

With a massive advantage in the paint, recent success from beyond the three-point arc, and a deep bench consisting of veteran upperclassmen and talented freshmen, the Orange and Blue will have no problem getting a much-anticipated blowout win over the Tigers, dominating every facet of the game.

Illinois 78, Missouri, 59