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Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini vs Iowa

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 27, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Mar 3, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard/forward Jacob Grandison (3) loses control of the ball in front of Penn State Nittany Lions forward Seth Lundy (1) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

It saddens me to say this, but the last regular season game for the Illinois basketball team is on Sunday.

The Illini welcome in the Iowa Hawkeyes for what is a huge game for the Big Ten. Seeding for the conference tournament won’t be determined until after the game. On Sunday, there is a chance for Illinois to win the Big Ten regular season and get a No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. There is also a chance we drop to the No. 3 seed.

Illinois has to beat Iowa. That is the most important thing at this point. There are some questions I need answered in the game, though.

Here are four big questions for the Illinois basketball team vs Iowa.

1. Can Grandison have another big game against Iowa?

For much of 2022, Jacob Grandison has been in a shooting slump. He wasn’t hitting his normal open shots from the field, and this is one of the reasons Illinois struggled to win games.

There was a four-game stretch in February where Grandison averaged five points per game and was 4-of-17 from three-point range. That is how bad things got for the talented senior.

But Grandison broke out of that slump with two big games. He dropped 24 points on Michigan State in a tough road win. He then put up 14 points in a close loss to Ohio State. But those were two of his highest-scoring games this season, and it was nice to see Grandison playing well.

Grandison has kind of dropped off the past two games, though. He scored three points on 1-of-4 shooting against Michigan, and he scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting against Penn State. The scoring isn’t there the past two games, but I think it is due to him not taking as many shots.

On Sunday, a big question I have is will Grandison have another big game against Iowa? In the first game against the Hawkeyes, he put up 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field. That was one of his best games this season. But Grandison was also taking shots. You have to be taking shots to be able to make them.

I want to see Grandison’s confidence increase. This kid has a really good shot, and he needs to be shooting. Illinois is going to need him against Iowa.

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