3. Illinois needs to win the turnover battle
Much like in football, the more turnovers in the game, the more likely your team is to lose that contest. Illinois hasn’t been bad in the turnover department this season.
Right now, the Illini are about middle of the pack when it comes to turnovers. We average 12.0 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 170 in the country. It is also about 1.4 turnovers per game more than the Elite 8 team last season.
To get a road win in the Big Ten, Illinois has to be disciplined. We can’t just cough up the ball. So, the final key to securing the victory is winning the turnover battle against Indiana.
While Illinois isn’t great in the turnover department, the Hoosiers are actually worse. They average 12.4 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 209 in the nation.
Illinois’ guards should be able to feast on Indiana’s guards. Myles Rice and Trey Galloway both average over 2.0 turnovers per game. With Kylan Boswell’s tough defense and quick hands, I expect these two to struggle with turning the ball over.
I will be curious to see what Tomislav Ivisic and Morez Johnson Jr. can do against the Indiana big men too. Oumar Ballo averages 2.0 turnovers per game, so he is susceptible to coughing the ball up. I could see the Illini big men forcing a few turnovers in the paint.
The Illini turnovers are all case-by-case too. When we have 13 turnovers with Kasparas Jakucionis on the floor, it is okay because he is giving us 6-10 assists per game. When we have 13 turnovers without him, then Illinois is struggling due to the lack of distribution. Winning the turnover battle against the Hoosiers is going to be crucial.