Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini against Indiana

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 2, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks with Kofi Cockburn (21) after WednesdayÕs win over the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks with Kofi Cockburn (21) after WednesdayÕs win over the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
Illinois basketball
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 25: Trent Frazier #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini takes a shot over Max Christie #5 of the Michigan State Spartans during the second half at State Farm Center on January 25, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Illinois basketball has a huge tilt on Saturday as the Orange and Blue travel to the fake Assembly Hall to take on the Indiana Hoosiers.

I don’t have to tell you, but I am going to anyways. This is a huge game. Do you realize, if the Illini win this game, we will probably be ranked inside the top 10 nationally? We just beat No. 11 Wisconsin and this win over the Hoosiers would launch us up the rankings. That would also make for a top 10 matchup on Tuesday against No. 4 Purdue. We have to get past the Hoosiers first, though.

Here are four big questions for the Illinois basketball team against Indiana.

1. Can our guards shoot better?

Illinois has been playing some pretty good basketball this season, but there is one worry that has popped up over the past month.

The guards for the Illini have not been shooting the ball well, and it is something that needs to be fixed quickly. Thankfully, Kofi Cockburn has been dominant in the paint, so the bad shooting has been covered up for the most part.

Bad shooting by the Illini guards reared its ugly head against Wisconsin on Wednesday night. Despite beating the Badgers by 13 points, three of the four starting guards for Illinois couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat.

Trent Frazier, Da’Monte Williams, and Alfonso Plummer were a combined 7-of-22 from the field and 3-of-14 from three-point range. They ended the night with a combined 20 points as well. That is not a lot of production coming from three starters.

Kofi ended up having a big game against Wisconsin to save our butts, but the bad shooting by our starting guards needs to change. I know they are good at shooting, which makes this even more frustrating. On Saturday, this will be one of the big questions. Can our guards shoot better? That is something to watch.

Home/Illinois Basketball