Illinois Basketball: 5 keys for the Illini to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks

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Mar 9, 2023; Chicago, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Matthew Mayer (24) looks to pass the ball against Penn State Nittany Lions guard Andrew Funk (10) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Matthew Mayer wakes up

There have been times this season when I have watched Matthew Mayer play the game of basketball and thought he was an NBA talent.

The ability of Mayer to create his own shot is fantastic. He has a nice step-back three-pointer, and this enables him to create space. He also has the height at 6-foot-9 to shoot over defenders even when they are in his face.

But when Mayer is off his game, it is an ugly scene. Illinois, as a team, struggles when Mayer isn’t clicking. He is chucking the ball up and it doesn’t go in the hoop. He can turn the ball over at times at a high rate. I also believe some of his bad shots are at bad times in games, which ends up hurting momentum.

Mayer can go out there and have a 24-point performance against Michigan in double-overtime. He was 4-of-11 from three-point range and was one of the main reasons Illinois won the game. But, since that win, Mayer has been pretty terrible.

Against Purdue, Mayer would go for 16 points but was just 1-of-10 from three-point range. He followed that stinker up with a seven-point performance on 3-of-11 from the field and 0-of-5 from three-point range against Penn State.

Illinois has zero chance in the NCAA tournament if Mayer doesn’t wake up. This kid can play the game well. If he starts getting it together, then the Illini have a chance to make a deep run. If not, then Arkansas might be the last game of the season.

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