Illinois basketball is just coming off a two-game West Coast road trip that saw back-to-back good wins.
The Illini managed to knock off then-No. 9 Oregon in incredibly impressive fashion. We clipped the Ducks by 32 points, which put the college basketball world on notice.
Brad Underwood got his team ready for Washington just a few days later, as this could have been a letdown game. That too was a victory.
Now the Illini are back home at the State Farm Center. We play Penn State on Wednesday, and while that doesn’t sound like a tough game, the Nittany Lions are always a thorn in our side.
Penn State has won the last four matchups, and they are 10-4 in the last 14 against Illinois. The Nittany Lions are such a difficult team for Underwood to deal with, which is puzzling. We need to come away with a win on Wednesday, though.
Here are three keys for the Illinois basketball team to beat Penn State
1. Win the Tomislav Ivisic vs Yanic Konan Niederhauser battle
The Illinois basketball team has one of the best big men in program history. Tomislav Ivisic has a rare combination of size, athletic ability, and great shooting range.
On Wednesday, Ivisic is going to have one of his toughest matchups of the season thus far. He is going up against Penn State’s Yanic Konan Neiderhauser. The Nittany Lions’ big man checks in at 7-foot, 250 pounds, and could give Ivisic some problems.
So, I think one of the keys to beating Penn State is going to be who wins the Ivisic vs. Niederhauser battle.
I think Ivisic has the leg up in this battle, has he is a more versatile player. Ivisic should be able to pull Niederhauser out to the perimeter with his three-point shooting threat and great screening ability. Ivisic is a nice pick-and-roll player who can really cause problems for the Penn State defense.
The biggest issue I could see Ivisic having with Niederhauser is in the rebounding department. Niederhauser is pulling down 6.9 rebounds per game this season. He has a great physical presence in the paint, and Ivisic can get bullied at times.
This is going to be a battle to keep an eye on. Both programs having good big men, so I will be curious to see which one emerges as the top dog on Wednesday night.