Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini against Minnesota

Illinois basketball is finally back in action on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

I know it has been a while, but if you don’t remember, this Illini crew is playing well. We have won seven out of the last eight games, and the only loss came against a tough Arizona squad that is one of the best teams in the country.

Minnesota is no pushover, though. This Golden Gophers team is for real.

Here are four big questions for the Illinois basketball team against Minnesota.

1. What does Illinois look like to start?

It has been a long time, but Illinois basketball has finally returned. The last time we saw the Illini in action was the Braggin’ Rights game on December 22.

Just a hair shy of two weeks later, Illinois is lacing up the sneakers to start their main Big Ten season. First up is a tough Minnesota bunch that has looked good this season. But what with the Illini look like coming off such a long drought of games?

I would imagine there is going to be some rust for Illinois. Two weeks off from organized basketball is a long time. Don’t be surprised if the first 10 minutes of the game is a little clunky. This will be the period where Illinois is just starting to get back into the groove of things.

At least Minnesota will be dealing with the same rust, though. The Golden Gophers haven’t played since December 22 as well. That means both teams have had the same time off. I think it will be a battle of who will get their legs underneath them first.

On Tuesday night, I am going to be watching for rust and how quickly that rust is shaken off. The sooner the rust comes off the better.