2. Will the Illinois backcourt shake off the rust?
If you told me that in the first game of the season against the No. 19 team in the country, Illinois’ star backcourt would go 1-of-6 from three-point range, I would say we would have lost the game.
The Illini won the contest, though. Illinois’ backcourt of Makira Cook and Genesis Bryant did shoot 16.7% from three-point range, but the Illini talent won over the day.
One of the key questions against Marquette is will the Illinois backcourt shake off the rust and start knocking down their shots?
In game one this season, the Golden Eagles allowed their opponent to shoot 41.7% from three-point range. This is a stark contrast from last season when Marquette allowed opponents to shoot 32.3% from distance. Illinois also struggled against the Golden Eagles, shooting just 20% in the loss to them last season as well.
Bryant was 2-of-7 from three-point range against Marquette in 2023-24. The interesting part about this contest is that Cook missed the game. Now that she is back, the court will be spread a little more. Let’s see if these two can break out of the funk and start knocking down some shots.