The women's Illinois basketball team has now posted their third 20+ win season in the last four years after vanquishing the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The Illini entered the postseason after losing back-to-back games to the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. It was a bit of a sluggish way to end an otherwise impressive season, but they thankfully made up for it in Indianapolis against Wisconsin.
In round two, the Illini will be facing another familiar foe in No. 18 Michigan State. Earlier in the season, the Spartans snagged a win from Illinois in East Lansing by a score of 81-75. It was a completely one-sided affair, where the Kennedy Blair-led Spartans led for 95% of the entire game.
That loss on January 4 was a rough way to end Illinois' impressive 11-game winning streak. But now that we move into Thursday's clash, what are some key questions that we should be asking ourselves prior to the 5:30 p.m. CT/6:30 p.m. ET tipoff?
Here are three key questions for Illinois basketball to beat Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament
1. Can Illinois' three-point shooting make a comeback after the stinker against Wisconsin?
The Illini pulled off a double-digit win against Wisconsin thanks to incredible performances from the likes of Berry Wallace and Destiny Jackson. It is hard to nitpick something that Illinois did wrong in that contest.
However, the three-point shooting in this game was certainly a step in the wrong direction when it comes to playing in March. It was pretty dismal to say the least, with the Illini shooting only 11% from beyond the arc, going just 2-of-19.
Granted, the Illini have normally been very consistent from long range, shooting a solid 36.5% from three-point land for the season, but they can't have nights like this as they make their way through March, especially against solid teams like Michigan State.
2. Will we see the freshmen make a huge splash in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament?
When you hit the postseason in college basketball, you need all hands on deck. It doesn't matter if you are a freshman, sophomore, or even a sixth-year senior; every player in every program is expected to do their job to the best of their ability to help their team succeed.
That is exactly what freshmen Jackson and Cearah Parchment did for the Illini against the Badgers. In the first conference tournament game of their career, the two first-year phenoms recorded a combined 35 points and 12 rebounds to help lead their team to a win.
The duo will have to face a Michigan State squad that they were only able to score a combined 12 points against earlier this year. But with what these two have gone through and how much they have grown this season, I don't expect them to come close to that number again. This should certainly be a much closer affair, with Jackson and Parchment pouring it on through all 40 minutes.
3. Who will stop Michigan State phenom Grace VanSlooten from making a 'March Moment?'
Grace VanSlooten is a force to be reckoned with on Michigan State's roster. The 2024-25 All-Big Ten second team member has the ability to score at will, leading the Spartans with 15.1 points per game on 50% shooting from the field.
VanSlooten's ability to dominate the paint has been on full display all season long, especially against the Illini when she recorded 15 points and nine rebounds in only 20 minutes of work. She didn't even need a full share of the minutes, and she still almost led the team in scoring.
If the Illini want any success in this game, they are going to need to keep No. 14 in check. She is going to try to make this game about her and turn it into a slug fest in the post and on the glass, which means that our bigs will certainly need to put a body on her all night long.