Illinois basketball starts their journey to win another Big Ten Tournament title on Friday against the Indiana Hoosiers.
This is a huge game for multiple reasons. The Illini need to come out and look good for seeding purposes in the NCAA tournament. It would be nice to beat Indiana in the Hoosier State for a second time this season. And I want to win back-to-back Big Ten Tournaments. That has never happened in the history of Illinois basketball.
We will have to get past Indiana on Friday, though. That is step one in the quest to win it all.
Here are four big questions for the Illinois basketball team vs Indiana.
1. Can Trent Frazier have another big game?
The regular season has ended, and Trent Frazier was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team by both the coaches and media.
This is a great honor and well earned. Frazier has been big for the Illini this season on both ends of the court. One of his biggest games this season actually came against the only game Illinois played against Indiana.
Down by two points at halftime, Illinois needed a shot in the arm. That is when Frazier stepped up in a big way. He finished the game with 23 points, four assists, two rebounds, one block, and one steal while hitting 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range.
We couldn’t lose to the Hoosiers, so Frazier put the team on his back and led us to victory. So, on Friday, a big question is can Frazier have another big game?
Illinois is probably going to need Frazier’s presence on the offensive end of the court against Indiana on Friday. I am hoping his final game of the season against Iowa was just a bad game. He went 1-of-9 from the field and missed all five three-point shots. Frazier would finish the game with two points, five assists, two rebounds, and one steal in that contest.
Frazier is a huge part of the Illini. We need him to play well so we can win back-to-back Big Ten Tournament titles.