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

3. Do the Illini prevent Rutgers’ free throws

I believe Illinois is a pretty well-rounded team. We have some flaws, but overall, this team has a chance to do some special things down the stretch.

But one area that continues to bite the Illini is opponents shooting free throws. Illinois, on occasion, can send their opponents to the foul line at an extremely high rate.

Against Rutgers, I want to see if Illinois can keep the Scarlet Knights off the free throw line. If we can do that, we can win the game relatively easily.

Rutgers doesn’t exactly shoot a ton of free throws in each game. They are averaging just 17.8 free throw attempts per contest, which ranks No. 185 in the country. But I am more worried about Illinois sending them to the charity stripe more than Rutgers fighting to get there.

While Illinois only allows 17.3 free throws per game, we have allowed opponents to shoot some big numbers this season. In the last game against Iowa, the Illini allowed the Hawkeyes to shoot 30 free throws. We only lost the game by two points.

In the loss to Northwestern back in early January, the Wildcats shot 40 free throws in the 13-point win over the Illini. In the nine-point loss to Virginia earlier this season, Illinois allowed 32 free throws.

When Illinois allows opponents to shoot 20 or more free throws, we are 2-3 against power-five programs this season. The Illini have to avoid fouling as much as we have in the past. If we can keep Rutgers under 20 free throws, then this should be a solid victory.