Nebraska is not an easy team anymore, as the Illinois basketball team is facing a tough challenge on Saturday afternoon.
Brad Underwood has done a great job getting this team to gel. The Illini looked good the past couple of games, and even in the second half of the UConn contest, we played some decent basketball.
This is now the third ranked opponent in the last four games, and the Cornhuskers are looking to make it back-to-back wins over the Orange and Blue. But how can Illinois prevent that from happening? That is a great question, and here are other questions that I will have answered throughout the game.
Here are three key questions for the Illinois basketball team vs Nebraska
1. Can Keaton Wagler continue his incredible play?
I recently saw a top 10 impactful freshman list floating around social media. It had an Illinois player on it, but that player wasn’t Keaton Wagler.
I would argue that Wagler has been a top-five most impactful freshman in college basketball this season. He has been incredible, and my hope is that it won’t slow down this Saturday against Nebraska.
Going into the Ohio State contest, I thought there was a chance that Wagler was going to have a big game. He stands a 6-foot-6 and plays the No. 2 guard spot. That is automatically going to be a mismatch against most teams.
We are likely looking at that again against the Cornhuskers. Wagler will probably be going up against Jamarques Lawrence, a 6-foot-3 guard. I expect Wagler to be able to shoot over Lawrence and get to the rim and be able to finish.
Another thing to keep an eye on is rebounding. Wagler hustles to the ball. You will see multiple impressive rebounds throughout the game, and with Lawrence not being a great rebounder, I think Wagler could shock some people and maybe even hit double-digit rebounds on Saturday.
2. Who is going to slow down Rienk Mast?
Nebraska has been a powerhouse this season, led by Rienk Mast. Has he been around since the turn of the decade? Yes, but that just means he is extremely smart and experienced.
Mast is tearing it up for the 10-0 Cornhuskers. He is averaging 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. The scary part is, Mast is 6-foot-10, taking 4.8 three-pointers per game, and hitting them at a clip of 41.7%.
A big man who can shoot from the perimeter? That looks familiar. Illinois also has that artillery, but can we actually slow Mast down?
My guess is that Illinois will throw Tomislav Ivisic at Berke Buyuktuncel, as he is more of a traditional big man. David Mirkovic is more athletic and nimble than Ivisic, so he will probably start on Mast.
Don’t be shocked if Mirkovic struggles on Mast, that Underwood pulls him, or at least switches someone else on the talented shooting big man. Ivisic will probably get his shot at Mast throughout the game. Illinois can also bring his brother, Zvonimir Ivisic, off the bench. He stands at 7-foot-2. Both Ivisic brothers have the best defensive rating by EvanMiya.com, too.
Illinois has the size to be able to shut down Mast around the bucket, but are we athletic enough to keep up with him on the perimeter? That is what this will all hinge on.
3. Does Illinois win from the three-point arc?
Every season, there are always numbers that correlate directly to whether or not Illinois wins a game, or at least we have more success when those numbers go our way.
I believe that number is the three-point percentage this season. Illinois has been shooting pretty well from the perimeter, hitting 33.9% from deep this season. When you look at three-point shooting, it has literally been the difference in some big games for the Illini.
When Illinois has a better three-point shooting percentage than our opponent, we are 6-0. When we don’t, we are 2-2.
Against Ohio State, Illinois won the game by eight points. We shot 40.7% compared to Ohio State’s 32.1%. The Illini made 11 three-pointers to nine for the Buckeyes. That is six more points from three-pointers.
Illinois beat Tennessee by 13 points. We won the three-point shooting percentage 39.3% to 30%, and the Illini made five more three-pointers, which is 15 points.
UConn beat us in New York a couple of weeks back. The Huskies shot 35.7% compared to Illinois’ 20.7%. They made four more three-pointers, which is 12 points in a 13-point loss for Illinois.
Three-pointers are big with any program, but they are literally a make-or-break for the Illini. Can we win the three-point battle on Saturday? That will probably determine if we win or lose the game.