3 key questions for the Illinois basketball team against Arkansas

3. Which program wins the three-point matchup?

For Illinois fans, this is not a great matchup. It would be great if our strength paired up with Arkansas weakness, but that isn’t the case at all.

This season, Illinois has been a crazy three-point shooting program. I thought the 2023-24 campaign was eye-popping when we took 23.9 three-point attempts per game. This year’s team says, “Hold my beer.”

The Illini have been jacking up three-pointers at an insane rate this season. We are attempting 34.3 three-point attempts thus far, which ranks No. 1 in the country. That is right. We are taking the most three-pointers per game compared to any other program.

Normally, when you take the most three-point attempts, you want the three-point percentage to be up there at least in the top 100 nationally. That isn’t the case, though. Illinois is shooting 33% from three-point range, which is mid-pack and ranks No. 182 in the nation.

Illinois seems to be all about the 3-and-D style of play this season. The bad thing for the Orange and Blue on Thursday is the fact we are going up against one of the best three-point defenses in the nation.

Arkansas comes into the game only allowing their opponents to shoot 26.8% from three-point range. That is good enough to rank No. 28 in the country.

At the end of the day, I think it will be the three-point matchup that determines the game. If Illinois can get free on some shots and create space, then I think we can have a big day. If not, Arkansas has a good chance to shut us down.