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

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jayden Epps (3) shoots the ball over Penn State Nittany Lions guard Seth Lundy (1) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Jayden Epps (3) shoots the ball over Penn State Nittany Lions guard Seth Lundy (1) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
Jan 4, 2023; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Ty Berry (3) and Illinois Fighting Illini forward Matthew Mayer (24) battle for the ball during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Will Illinois hold Nebraska to under 60 points

This season has been about the ups and downs. Illinois had a lot of ups early on with some big ranked wins, but we have seen a lot of downs in recent weeks with a lack of offense and the defense slumping.

But, over the past three games, the Illini have started to get back to playing some solid defense. We only gave up 52 points to Bethune-Cookman. Illinois followed that up with a loss to Northwestern, but the Wildcats scored 73 points. This past Saturday, the Illini managed to only surrender 69 points to Wisconsin.

So, over the past three contests, Illinois is giving up 64.7 points per game. That is a great improvement from the prior four games in which the Illini were giving up 74.8 points per game.

I am going to be keeping an eye on the Illini defense against Nebraska on Tuesday night. Illinois should be able to shut down the Cornhuskers, but I don’t want just to shut them down. I want to hold Nebraska to under 60 points.

Nebraska isn’t a high-powered offense by any means. They are only averaging 68.1 points per game, and they are a putrid team from the field. The Cornhuskers are hitting just 29.5% of their three-point attempts this season, which is good enough for No. 325 out of 363 DI programs.

On top of the bad shooting, Nebraska has been held to under 60 points in regulation in three out of the last six contests. I truly believe Illinois can keep the Cornhuskers to a low number on Tuesday night. This is a chance to continue climbing in the Big Ten in a big way.

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