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

3. Will Illinois continue great 3-point defense

There are a few things that have kept Illinois in games this season when we are struggling from the field. I mentioned the trio of freshmen off the bench. They have saved us multiple times this season. But I also believe our great defense is another thing that has kept us in games.

Illinois is great when it comes to allowing points to the opposing team this season. We are only giving up 62.4 points per game, which ranks No. 42 out of 363 DI programs. That is a number I love to see, and I think a big reason the Illini aren’t giving up points is the fact we can guard on the perimeter.

For the season, the Illini are only allowing opponents to shoot 30.4% from three-point range, which ranks No. 75 in the nation. Specifically, over the last five games, Illinois’ three-point defense has been cranked up a notch.

In this stretch of five games, Illinois has allowed three-point shooting percentages of 31.8%, 39.1%, 29.4%, 27.9%, and 29.4%. Besides the outlier of Maryland going off in the first half, the Illini perimeter defense has been nearly flawless.

On Saturday, the Illini are going to have a tough test against Penn State, though. I want to see if our perimeter defense can hold tough. The Nittany Lions are shooting 39.3% from three-point range this season, which ranks No. 22 in the country. That is right there with Virginia, who we lost to earlier this season.

Illinois has a tough test against Penn State. This isn’t your grandpa’s Penn State ball club. They are good at shooting and will shoot us right out of the gym if we aren’t careful.