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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Penn State

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 3, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) stares at the ball as he defends during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Trent Frazier (1) stares at the ball as he defends during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 23, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) shoots a free throw against the Kansas State Wildcats during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Free throw shooting saved Illinois

There are so many things Illinois does well on the basketball court. They can light it up from three-point range. They have a big man who can dominate on the inside. But one thing they are bad at is free throw shooting.

Coming into the game against Penn State on Thursday night, Illinois was one of the worst teams in the nation in free throw shooting. We were converting 70.2% of our free throws this season, and that ranked No. 223 out of 358 teams in college basketball.

Out of the 29 games Illinois has played this season, we have shot sub-70% from the charity stripe in 16 of those contests. In four of those games, the Illini failed to hit 60% from the free throw line.

It was a different story on Thursday night, though. Illinois didn’t play a good game by any means. Penn State hung with the Illini through the entire game, and we could have easily dropped this one if it wasn’t for our free throw shooting.

Illinois was able to convert 15-of-17 from the charity stripe, which comes out to 88.2%. That is the second-best free throw percentage the Illini have had this season. If we aren’t hitting free throws against Penn State, I would venture to say we come out with a loss.

Free throw shooting is going to be crucial in the NCAA tournament. If we can continue hitting shots from the charity stripe, then we have a shot to make a run.

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