Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over Saint Peter’s

3. One of the most efficient games for the Illini

The killer for any team, especially Illinois, is turnovers. If we win the turnover battle, usually that spells good news. But I don’t just want to win the turnover battle with the opponent. I want to win the turnover battle with ourselves.

I really like to focus on the assist-to-turnover ratio in games. When Illinois has more assists than turnovers, the team sees a lot more success.

In the Shauna Green era of Illinois basketball, the team is just 6-6 when we have more turnovers than assists. That actually isn’t as bad as I thought it would have been, but it is still .500 basketball, which isn’t good enough to get into the NCAA tournament.

On the opposite side of the numbers, when Illinois has more assists than turnovers, the program is a whopping 18-5 overall. Clearly, these numbers matter on the court.

In the Saint Peter’s game, the Illini had one of the most efficient games I have ever seen play. We trounced the Peacocks, and a lot of that had to do with the fact Illinois only had eight turnovers for the game compared to 24 assists.

A big reason why this assist-to-turnover ratio was so high is that Illinois has unselfish players. I love what Genesis Bryant brings to the Illini. When we need her to score 30+ points she can do it. But against Saint Peter’s, she was a facilitator. She led the team with six assists. Her ability to shapeshift into whatever we need is impressive.

I would also like to give Green a shoutout. She has the Illinois offense looking great. Her players are constantly moving and setting screens. They know where they need to be at all times as well. When you watch Illinois, you can tell this is a well-coached program.