3. Is this a shooting slump?
Illinois basketball has been one of the best teams in the country this season when it comes to three-point shooting. The great three-point shooting is why this program continues to win games.
In nine of the 14 games this season, Illinois has shot over 40% from three-point range. They are also hitting their deep shots at a clip of 38.8% on the year. That great three-point shooting lands the Orange and Blue at No. 17 nationally.
While those numbers are fantastic, Illinois did hit a rough patch in their last game. Despite taking down Maryland, the Terrapins held the Illini to just 26.7% from three-point range. This was the third-lowest three-point shooting total this season.
What went wrong for the Illini against Maryland? No one really shot well. The best three-point shooter we had against the Terrapins was Trent Frazier. He only made 36% of his shots, though. Jacob Grandison hit 20%, Alfonso Plummer was at 25%, Da’Monte Williams was at 25%, and Coleman Hawkins missed both of his attempts.
On Tuesday night against the Cornhuskers, I am going to be watching to see if the Maryland game was just a bad showing from three-point range. Was it just a fluke bad outing with everyone shooting poorly? Or was it the beginning of a slump? That is something I am keeping an eye on against Nebraska.