Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini against Missouri

4. Can the defense step up again?

Illinois’ defense has not been great this season. They are giving up a lot of points, but due to the offensive output, the program continues to win games.

The most recent game against St. Francis (PA) was encouraging, though. Illinois looked great defensively, only allowing 48 points to a solid scoring team. Coming into that game on Saturday, the Red Flash were averaging 76 points per game, which ranked No. 63 in the nation. So, holding them to 29 points less than their season average is a good feat.

Illinois was weak on the defensive side of the court last season against Missouri, though. The Tigers racked up 81 points on the Illini and managed to shoot 47.2% from the field. Giving up 81 points to any team is not a good number, especially a team like Missouri.

As many of you know, Illinois has dropped three-straight games against the Tigers. A big reason for this losing streak is the fact the Illini have given up an average of 74.3 points per game in the last three matchups. It is hard to beat a team when we are giving up that many points.

On Wednesday, I want this to be a blowout victory in favor of Illinois. We have the offensive firepower, as mentioned in an earlier slide. But we are also going to need the defense to step up their game. I am going to be watching to see if we can play another great defensive game and shut down the Tigers for the first time since 2017.