Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini against Michigan State

3. Will Curbelo be that 4th man?

Based on the vibes I am getting from the weekend, I don’t think Kofi Cockburn is going to play against No. 14 Michigan State. That leaves Illinois with a lot of production to replace.

Against Maryland, Illinois couldn’t replace that production. Alfonso Plummer did his thing with 18 points on 5-of-11 from three-point range. Trent Frazier had another good game of 14 points on 5-of-10 from the field. Jacob Grandison also had his usual performance of 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

The thing about Kofi is he would have been a scoring option that also had points in the double digits. Illinois missed his production, especially on the offensive end of the court.

So, on Tuesday against Michigan State, I am going to be watching to see if Andre Curbelo can be that fourth scorer. Can he be the player who replaces the scoring production left by Kofi?

Curbelo was not good against the Terrapins. He played 14 minutes and could only muster up four points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal. He also managed to have three turnovers and four fouls.

This was not a good performance by Curbelo, but I know the kid has it in him to put up some big numbers. Just look at the previous game against Purdue. Curbelo finished with 20 points in 26 minutes. That is what Illinois is going to need against the Spartans.

I know Curbelo can put up big numbers, but can he do it against Michigan State in a big moment? That is something to keep an eye on this Tuesday.