Illinois Basketball: 3 things to watch for in the Illini game against Monmouth

3. Can Illinois start shooting better from three-point range

Brad Underwood has formed the Illinois basketball program into a three-point shooting team. But that doesn’t mean we are good at shooting three-pointers.

Illinois doesn’t have too many flaws with the team as of right now. We are dominating on the glass, we run the floor well, and our defense is suffocating. But the only issue I have with the Illini is the inability to make three-pointers on a consistent basis.

This is why I will be watching to see if the Illini can start hitting their shots from beyond the three-point arc against Monmouth.

Through two games this season, the Illini are hitting just 32.1% of their three-pointers. That isn’t a good number, as we rank No. 188 in the nation in shooting from distance.

Who is the biggest culprit of the bad three-point shooting by the Illini? RJ Melendez is currently taking the most three-pointers with the worst three-point shooting percentage. He has taken the second-most three-pointers on the team and is only hitting them at a clip of 12.5%.

Terrence Shannon Jr. isn’t far behind Melendez, though. He has taken the same number of three-point shots but is only converting them at 25% this season.

The worst part about Illinois’ three-point shooting isn’t the fact we rank No. 188 in the nation in three-point percentage. It is the fact that Illinois takes 26.5 three-pointers per game, which ranks No. 65 in the country.

When you are a team that is in the top 70 nationally in three-point attempts but is sub-150 in three-point percentage, that is never a good combination. I need to see that improve greatly on Monday night.