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Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini against Michigan

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 18, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) dunks the ball during the first half against the Saint Francis Red Flash at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) dunks the ball during the first half against the Saint Francis Red Flash at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 06: Alfonso Plummer #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket against against the Maryland Terrapins at State Farm Center on January 6, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 06: Alfonso Plummer #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini drives to the basket against against the Maryland Terrapins at State Farm Center on January 6, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

3. Will the three-point shooters show up?

Illinois has been one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country this season. We have been hitting shots from deep at a clip that I have never seen before.

After the drubbing of Minnesota back on January 4, Illinois sat at No. 9 in the nation in three-point shooting. We were hitting 39.9% of our three-pointers in each game. But, since that game against the Golden Gophers, the Illini have gone a bit cold from deep.

While we have won the past two games, the Illini three-point shooting hasn’t looked great. Against Maryland, Illinois was just 8-of-30 from three-point range, which is 26.7%. We followed that struggle up with a 7-of-19 performance against Nebraska, which is a below-average 36.8%.

Coming into the Michigan game, Illinois’ three-point shooting has dropped down to 38.7% but we still rank No. 14 in the country. While that is a great number, I am going to be watching to see if we can get out of this funk and start hitting three-pointers like we were earlier this season.

The main culprit of the rough three-point stretch is Alfonso Plummer. He cooled down from deep, failing to hit 40% each of his past three games. He is only 8-of-26 in his last two contests as well. If he can get back in his groove, then the three-point woes will be corrected.

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