Illinois Basketball: 4 big questions for the Illini vs Indiana

4. Can Illinois stay hot from three-point range?

It was amazing how well Illinois basketball started the season shooting the ball. They were hot from three-point range and were known as one of the best teams in the nation shooting from deep.

On January 1, Illinois had a three-point shooting percentage of 39.7%, which ranked No. 9 in the nation. But, sadly, that great shooting percentage did not hold true. It has been a steady decline in three-point shooting since then.

By February 1, the Illini had dropped their three-point shooting down to 36.9%, which was good enough for No. 33 in the nation. As of today, Illinois is hitting 36.7% from three-point range, and that ranks No. 40 in the country.

In the middle of the decline in three-point shooting, Illinois did have a few good games from deep. One of those games came against Indiana. The Illini ended up hitting 10-of-23 from three-point range in that game. The shooting from the three-point arc is a huge reason we won the game.

The final big question I have for the Illini is can we stay hot from three-point range?

Illinois was overwhelming in the second half against Indiana back in early February. The three-point shooting was too much for the Hoosiers. I want to see that again on Friday.

I think the Illini are due for a big three-point shooting game as well. In the last two contests, Illinois has shot 36.4% and 32.1% from three-point range. That means a breakout game is about to come. Hopefully, it will be against the Hoosiers.