
Every game is a big one, so when the Illinois basketball team takes on Penn State Tuesday night, it will be a battle.
The Illini can’t afford to lose many games the rest of the way out. We need to knock off teams we are favored against. Illinois is a 3.5-point favorite on the road against Penn State. This should be a victory.
There are a few things I am going to keep an eye on that could lead us to a win. These are important if we want to continue pushing for the double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
Here are three things to watch for in the Illinois basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
1. Can Illinois cool off Penn State’s 3-point shooting
There are plenty of good teams in the Big Ten. Some of these programs can shoot lights out from three-point range. The team that takes the cake when it comes to shooting from distance is Penn State.
The Nittany Lions are taking 28 three-pointers per game and hitting them at a clip of 38.7%, which ranks No. 8 and No. 10 in the country, respectively.
Penn State’s tremendous three-point shooting ability is dangerous. That is why I am going to be watching on Tuesday night to see if Illinois can cool the Nittany Lions down or if they will continue making their three-pointers at a high rate.
Illinois has already experienced the great Penn State shooting this season. In the 15-point win over the Illini earlier this year, Penn State went 12-of-24 from three-point range. That was five more made three-pointers than Illinois, which is the 15-point difference right there.
Over the last 12 games, Illinois has held opponents to 30.8% shooting from three-point range. If we can manage to hold Penn State to 40% or worse, then I think we come away with an easy victory. This is a task that is manageable as well.
Penn State has only shot 40% or better from three-point range in two out of their last seven contests. I want Illinois to make that two out of their last eight on Tuesday night.