The Illinois basketball team has a chance to get in the driver’s seat for a prime NCAA tournament spot.
On Sunday, the Illini will take on No. 5 Nebraska in Lincoln. This is a massive game that will launch one of the two teams to a potential No. 1 seed in March.
Nebraska has been a Cinderella story this season, while Illinois is led by one of the best players in the country, who just happens to be a true freshman. The Cornhuskers got the best of us in the first round, but there are some things Illinois can do to even the score.
Here are three keys for Illinois basketball to exact revenge on Nebraska
1. Illinois needs to take care of business on the 3-point arc
It might come as a surprise to most, but Illinois actually has a great three-point shooting defense.
As of right now, the Illini only allow opponents to shoot 31.4% from three-point range, which ranks No. 60 in the country. On that night back on December 13, Illinois played some of the worst three-point defense imaginable.
Nebraska shot 46.2% in that game, going 12-of-26 from three-point range. This is the worst three-point shooting percentage Illinois has given up this season. Three Cornhuskers shot at least 50% in that game as well.
What gives Illinois problems is that Pryce Sandfort is 6-foot-7. He is out there playing on the wing, and the Illini will have Andrej Stojakovic guarding him.
Stojakovic has been horrific defensively this season. He has a hard time keeping up with offensive players, and his inability to closeout on the three-point arc hinders the Illini. Stojakovic ranks No. 11 out of the 13 players who have logged minutes for Illinois this season in defensive box plus-minus.
I think Illinois needs to switch things up. Let’s try Keaton Wagler on Sandfort to start the game. They are about the same height, and Wagler is a much better defender. That would probably help slow the Nebraska sharpshooter down a bit.
2. Tomislav Ivisic needs to get out of his funk
Illinois has a big man who has a ton of ability in Tomislav Ivisic. He has played some good basketball at times this season, but the big man is currently in a funk and didn’t help the program in the last Nebraska contest.
In the first matchup, Ivisic only finished with three points, five rebounds, and two assists in 29 minutes of action. He was just 1-of-3 from the field, too.
Ivisic hasn’t hit double-digit points in his last three contests, but is still averaging over 27 minutes per game. In the grand scheme of things, Illinois needs him to snap out of it and get going, but specifically on Sunday, we are going to need Ivisic against one of the best teams in the country in Nebraska.
The thing that is troubling is that Ivisic is so much bigger than anything Nebraska throws at Illinois. He is a 7-foot-1, and their biggest player is 6-foot-10. We should be able to bang around in the paint and get easy buckets throughout the game.
Getting Ivisic going early is probably a good idea in this situation. Wagler needs to find him in the post and let him eat. That would help get him confidence and would set the tone for the Illini for the rest of the game.
3. Use the dribble to attack the Nebraska defense
Illinois has the ability to get going downhill. While the three-point arc has been our best friend at times, I think the Illini thrive when we are attacking the hoop.
In the last game against Nebraska, 50% of Illinois’ shots were from three-point range. That is right at our season average, but I think that could use a little adjustment on Sunday.
Let’s attack Nebraska in the paint more often. Don’t get into a shooting battle with them, or the score could end up being the same as we saw in December.
Wagler is great at creating space and getting around his defender. Getting him to the hoop and at least getting fouled would be greatly beneficial to Illinois.
I haven’t really cared for how Stojakovic has played lately, but getting him into the paint and to the bucket would help his confidence, too. He has been a little disappointing lately, but the talent is there, and he can really cause some chaos when he drives to the hoop.
Doing these little things to change the game from the last time we played Nebraska should help us secure the win. Illinois was right there the last time, and maybe if we can cool the Cornhuskers down, this time around could be a top-five road win.