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

By Rees Woodcock

Jan 10, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood argues a call in the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2023; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood argues a call in the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 14: Coleman Hawkins #33 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shoots a free throw in the game against the Monmouth Hawks at State Farm Center on November 14, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 14: Coleman Hawkins #33 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shoots a free throw in the game against the Monmouth Hawks at State Farm Center on November 14, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

2. Does the Illini free throw shooting improve

Usually, I love when Illinois is resetting history. When something big happens for the first time in over a decade, it is something to celebrate. Against Indiana, the Illini managed to accomplish something for the first time since 2012.

Illinois was a measly 9-of-23 from the free throw line against the Hoosiers. That comes out to 39.1%. The last time the program shot worse than that was during the 2012-13 campaign. That is how bad Illinois’ shooting from the charity stripe was against Indiana.

After that game, the Illini are now hitting their free throws at a clip of 65.3%, which ranks No. 329 out of 363 DI basketball teams. We are almost dead last.

I will be keeping an eye on the Illini free throw shooting against Ohio State. If we want to win games moving forward and get into the NCAA tournament, the free throw shooting has to improve.

Illinois is going to need to convert on the free throws they get against Ohio State because there probably won’t be many. The Buckeyes are only allowing their opponents to shoot 16.3 free throws per game, which ranks No. 107 in the country.

As a team, I would hope there would be a sense of embarrassment about how we are shooting free throws. We need to take more pride in our game. Converting at the charity stripe should be a part of the basics for any college player. Hopefully, we get back to the basics against the Buckeyes.

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