Illinois Basketball: 5 big questions for the Illini against Florida Atlantic

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PISCATAWAY, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 2: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts during the fist half of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike’s Arena on December 2, 2023 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Illinois defeated Rutgers 76-58. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Coming off a thumping of Rutgers, things don’t get easier for the Illinois basketball team.

The Illini head to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday for the Jimmy V Classic. We take on a tough top-25 Florida Atlantic program that is playing some great basketball.

This is going to be a fun game to watch, and hopefully, Illinois will come out on top. But the Owls have a great program once again. With Florida Atlantic having such a talented team, that leaves me with multiple questions for the upcoming game.

Here are five big questions for the Illinois basketball team against Florida Atlantic

1. Can Illinois get the turnovers under control?

I think it is fair to say that Rutgers might not finish the 2023-24 campaign well. They were trounced by the Illini despite our massive amount of turnovers.

Illinois is one of the worst teams in the country when it comes to turnovers. We are averaging 13.1 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 224 out of 362 DI programs. But against the Scarlet Knights, the Illini coughed up the ball 17 times.

The 17 turnovers against Rutgers were the second-most Illinois has had this season. So, on Tuesday, can Illinois take care of the ball? Can we get the turnovers under control?

Florida Atlantic is about average when it comes to forcing turnovers, as the Owls force 12.4 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 180 in the country.

The great thing for Illinois is that I don’t think turnovers are a big issue this season. We have had bad games when it comes to turnovers, but there isn’t a serious trend. Illinois has only had three games this season with 15 or more turnovers. But, with that being said, two out of the past three games have consisted of a 21-turnover and 17-turnover night.

I believe Illinois has the most turnovers when we speed up the game. While the offense is more conducive to scoring points in transition, this also happens to be the time when we throw the ball away or make mental errors.

Thankfully, Florida Atlantic isn’t great at forcing turnovers. If Illinois can keep the turnovers under 16 against the Owls, then I think we have a good chance at coming out of Madison Square Garden with the victory.

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