The women's Illinois basketball team has been on a roll to start 2025, winning five of their first six games to begin the season.
Shauna Green's bunch has won all of their games by 10+ points, with their only defeat coming against Oregon State by a score of 64-59. Thankfully, the Illini came out swinging after their loss to the Beavers, winning three straight heading into today's game against the Dolphins.
The navy and orange will be looking to make it four in a row this afternoon at the State Farm Center. But what should we, as fans, be looking out for in their seventh game of the season?
Here are three key questions for the Illinois basketball team against Le Moyne
1. How elite will Illinois' offense be in Champaign?
This is going to be a one-sided affair, and a game that may be hard to watch by the second quarter. Illinois is facing a Le Moyne squad that's been getting its clock cleaned so far this season, posting a dismal scoring margin of -19.2 on the year.
Sure, the Illini haven't been a 'powerhouse' themselves, ranking 68th in the country with a +16.8 scoring margin of their own. But against a team that's struggling to score points, with a leading scorer in Eli Clark who's only scoring 11 points per game? It's hard not to say that this is going to be a rout.
2. Will Berry Wallace set a new scoring record for herself?
This team has been on a tear this season, led by sophomore phenom Berry Wallace at forward. Wallace, a five-star recruit out of high school, has been putting on a clinic as the Illini's top option, averaging 20.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during this very young season.
The Dolphins have yet to allow an opposing player to score more than 26 points this season, which makes me wonder if Wallace can change that this afternoon before the lead becomes too large.
3. Can they set a tone for the season before conference play begins?
As of writing this, the Illini are ranked 38th in the country when it comes to strength of schedule. They haven't really hit the tough part of their year, with their hardest opponents being Florida State and Oregon State.
But with a tune-up game like this, the Illini have a chance to grab their fourth win in a row as they try to build some momentum before they play the Hoosiers on December 6. This will be what some call a "vibes game," with the team trying to get in the right headspace before getting to the nitty-gritty part of their schedule.