For the first time this season, Illinois basketball is looking to break out of a two-game losing streak.
The Illini have had back-to-back heartbreaking overtime losses, but these two games have been without both Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic. Both players seem to be trending toward missing at least the Indiana game, too.
This has been a fun rivalry over the years. Right now, Illinois has won the last two, so I am sure the Hoosiers don’t want that winning streak to continue.
Indiana is a tough team who have now won back-to-back games. They are playing some good basketball, but there are some important things Illinois needs to do to secure the victory.
Here are three crucial keys for Illinois basketball to win 3rd straight against Indiana
1. Illinois needs to keep the ball moving
The Illini should have easily knocked off Wisconsin. We are a better team, and Illinois had a double-digit lead in the second half.
AÂ big part of the problem was that Illinois got caught ball-watching in the second half. Keaton Wagler would just pound the rock while the other four would stand around watching him dribble. A lazy screen would get set, and a drought would ensue.
This style got Wisconsin back in the game late, and it ultimately led to a loss. Illinois is at its best when we are aggressive, and if we want to play on the perimeter, let’s move the ball around. Swing that bad boy from player to player until we find the open shot in the corner or on the wing.
I need to see better ball movement against Indiana. If that happens, then I don’t think the Hoosiers have a chance to win this game.
2. Can the Illini please get tougher on the glass
Illinois was one of the best rebounding teams in the country. We have a large team, and the two players who are injured aren’t even in the top four in rebounds for the program.
Over the last two games, which both have been losses, Illinois hasn’t been strong when it comes to rebounding the basketball. Now, I know it takes a lot of energy to crash the glass every time down the court, and we are shorthanded, but the rebounding battle has kept teams alive against us.
Illinois lost the rebounding battle 48-38 against Michigan State. This was the second-worst rebounding margin of the season. The Spartans only won by three points in overtime.
Against the Badgers, the Illini barely won the rebounding margin 38-35, but what killed us were the offensive rebounds. Wisconsin won the offensive rebounding battle 14-8. That margin needs to be closer to even.
Indiana is not a good rebounding team. They average 34.4 rebounds per game, which ranks No. 216 in the country. Let’s not just win this rebounding battle, but let’s put the Hoosiers in their place and dominate it by double-digits.
3. Indiana will torch us if Illinois doesn’t close out strong
A thing that scares me heading into the Indiana game is that Illinois is down a key defender. Boswell would be nice to have against the Hoosiers’ backcourt.
Lamar Wilkerson is the biggest worry for me right now. He is lighting the world on fire, averaging 21.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. What catches my eye is that he averages 8.7 three-pointers per game and hits them at a clip of 38.7%.
Illinois has to close out on the three-point arc with some aggression on Sunday. We can’t let someone like Wilkerson get open and start getting hot.
I think you have to get Wagler out there to guard Wilkerson. They are both 6-foot-6, so that would be a fun matchup on Sunday afternoon. Wagler would probably be the tallest guard Wilkerson has faced this season, too.
Closeout strong, and everything should fall into place for Illinois. If we can hold Wilkerson to under 35% shooting from three-point range, then I think we will be okay against Indiana.