3. Does Illinois overwhelm Missouri with three-pointers?
Something I have witnessed this season is the complete dominance by the Illinois basketball team from the three-point arc. We are hitting the deep shots with relative ease, and it has helped us win some games.
Illinois is one of the most prolific three-point shooting teams in college basketball. We are averaging 26.5 three-point shots per game, which ranks No. 44 in the nation. The best part about taking that many three-point shots is the fact we are hitting them at a clip of 39%, which ranks No. 16 in the country.
The Illini didn’t have this three-point shooting power last season, though. Against Missouri, Illinois was only 3-of-13 from three-point range, which is 23.1%. That shouldn’t happen again.
In six of the past seven games, Illinois has hit at least 11 three-point shots in each contest. The only time they didn’t was against UT Rio Grande Valley when they only hit eight three-point shots.
So, on Wednesday night, I will be watching to see if Illinois can continue hitting their three-pointers at a high clip. We failed to convert from distance the last time around, but we have more firepower now. Alfonso Plummer is leading the charge in the three-point department.
I also believe Jacob Grandison is a vital part of the three-point brigade. He has hit 50% of his three-pointers this season. Trent Frazier is also coming on strong from behind the three-point arc.
Illinois has the talent to shoot Missouri right out of the building. This is something to keep an eye on against the Tigers.