Illinois Basketball: 5 eye-popping stats for the Illini this season
![Jan 21, 2022; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da'Monte Williams (20) shoots over ]Maryland Terrapins guard Eric Ayala (5) during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fb6cd262ffe7138352d0112152a396b84c791a9b29580c6732ec72505a08c0534.jpg "Jan 21, 2022; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da'Monte Williams (20) shoots over ]Maryland Terrapins guard Eric Ayala (5) during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports")
This is probably the best job Brad Underwood has done with the Illinois basketball program.
It has been extremely rare to see a fully healthy Illini squad this season. Even with all of the injuries, suspensions, and health and safety protocols, Illinois still has a 15-5 record overall and leads the Big Ten with an 8-2 conference record.
A big reason for Illinois’ success is due to some eye-popping stats. We have been able to win games because we do certain things well.
Here are five eye-popping stats for the Illinois basketball team this season.
1. Dominating the glass
This season has had its ups and downs, but one of the consistent things for the Illinois basketball program has been the rebounding ability.
Illinois is being led by Kofi Cockburn on the glass. There are two eye-popping stats when it comes to rebounding the basketball. The first of the stats have to do with Kofi.
As it stands right now, Kofi is one of the best rebounders in the country. He is pulling down 11.6 rebounds per game this season, which ranks No. 4 in the nation. Just let that sink in for a moment. There are 358 DI basketball teams and each team has five starters. That is 1,790 players and Kofi ranks No. 4 in rebounds out of that many starters.
This great rebounding ability, mixed in with great team effort on the glass, enables the Illini to be one of the best teams in rebounds this season.
Illinois is rebounding the ball at a rate of 41.1 rebounds per game. That is good enough for the team to be ranked No. 7 in the country in rebounds.
Rebounds are a huge reason why Illinois is a top 25 program this season. We can rebound the ball well, which gives the team more chances to score. These two numbers are eye-popping to me.