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Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini against Minnesota

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 26, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da'Monte Williams (20) reacts off the bench during the second half against the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da'Monte Williams (20) reacts off the bench during the second half against the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Illinois center Kofi Cockburn (21) is introduced before a NCAA Big Ten Conference men’s basketball game against Iowa, Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.211206 Ill Iowa Mbb 031 Jpg /

3. How big can Illinois get the rebounding margin?

Rebounding is a specialty for the Orange and Blue, and the biggest reason for the great rebounding ability is Kofi Cockburn.

Kofi is averaging 12.1 rebounds per game, which leads the Illinois basketball program and is No. 3 in the country next to Oscar Tshiebwe and Fardaws Aimaq. Kofi’s great rebounding ability has enabled Illinois to average 43.1 rebounds per contest, which ranks No. 4 in the country.

This season, Illinois has only lost the rebounding battle on two separate occasions. They were outrebounded by Arizona 39-36. Cincinnati also won their rebounding battle against the Illini 36-33. Those two games are two of the three losses Illinois has this season.

On Tuesday night, the Illini will be going up against a solid Minnesota unit, but they do have some flaws. One of the biggest flaws for the Golden Gophers is rebounding. They only average 33.5 rebounds per game, which ranks No. 248 in the nation.

So, it really isn’t a matter of if Illinois wins the rebounding battle. This is a case about how big can the Illini make the rebounding margin. The Illini are 6-1 this season when winning the rebounding battle by double-digits. I think we can do that again against Minnesota.

I will be keeping an eye on how wide Illinois can make the rebounding margin. This will be important if we want to win the game.

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