The Big Ten Tournament is in full swing, and the Illinois basketball team knows our first opponent.
Ohio State and Iowa faced off on Wednesday night to see which program had the privilege of playing the Illini. The result was the Hawkeyes narrowly taking down the Buckeyes. Now, Illinois will try to continue the hot streak we are on against Iowa at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Iowa was a big game for the Illini. We needed a win in the worst way, and Illinois took down the Hawkeyes by 20 points. This was a momentum changer for the program, and I am hoping a win over Iowa is a springboard to a run in the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes won’t be an easy win, though.
Here are three keys for the Illinois basketball team to beat the Iowa Hawkeyes
1. Keep Payton Sandfort in check
The Iowa Hawkeyes aren’t coming at teams with a ton of known names, but the best player on the court for the program is easily, Payton Sandfort.
This season, Sandfort is leading all active Iowa scorers with 16.3 points per game. He can also shoot from all levels on the court, which makes him a dangerous threat at 6-foot-8.
So, on Thursday evening, Illinois is going to need to keep Sandfort in check. That isn’t an easy task, but we have managed to do so this season.
In the last game against Iowa, the Illini emerged victorious by 20 points. Sandfort was held to just seven points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range. Illinois was able to shut him down completely.
I attribute Illinois’ solid size and defensive energy for that great showing against the Hawkeyes. Illinois was able to throw multiple big men at Sandfort, and we had some help off the bench as well.
On Thursday, Illinois is getting back another 6-foot-9 monster in Morez Johnson Jr. He didn’t play in the game a couple of weeks ago, so having him on the court should help the Illini even more.
Keep Sandfort in check, and I think Illinois can win this game with ease. If we let him get going early, this could end up being a close game throughout.
2. Illinois has to lock down the perimeter
If you are an Illinois fan, you have seen opponents have random players go off for big games. The result of these games is usually a loss, as the opposing player drops like 35 points out of nowhere.
That is something we have to avoid with Iowa. The Hawkeyes aren’t a good team, but they have enough talent that they can get hot and ruin our hopes of advancing to the next round.
At the end of the day, Illinois has to lock down the perimeter. We can’t let Iowa get going from deep or this could be a long game for the Orange and Blue.
This kind of touches on the last mention of Payton Sandfort. He is a good three-point shooter and leads Iowa in makes this season. As a team, the Hawkeyes are pretty impressive from deep too.
This season, Iowa is taking 25.6 three-point attempts per contest. That number ranks No. 66 in the nation. The Hawkeyes have been making those three-pointers too, as they convert at a clip of 37.6%, which ranks No. 25 in the country.
Four out of the top five active scorers for Iowa shoot 38.3% or better from three-point range. The only player to shoot worse is Sandfort, who makes them at a rate of 32.6%.
If Iowa makes their three-pointers anywhere near their season average, then it could be a long game for the Illini. But in the first contest, Illinois held the Hawkeyes to 33.3% from three-point range. The perimeter defense was great, and we need that performance against on Thursday.
3. Let the Illini big men eat
The Big Ten has had some bad injuries to key players this season. Illinois had had quite a few, but other programs have been dealt gut punches due to injuries.
A team like Northwestern lost a great player in Brooks Barnhizer. Iowa was a victim to the injury bug too, as big man Owen Freeman only played in 19 games for the Hawkeyes this season.
Missing your star 6-foot-10 forward who led the program in scoring was a huge blow for Iowa. But what it means for Illinois is that they don’t have the size to keep up with our big men.
Iowa does their best to have some type of paint presence, but I think the game on Thursday is a chance for the combination of Tomislav Ivisic and Morez Johnson Jr. to feast. These two could have huge games.
Johnson missed the last game, so he didn’t have any numbers. Ivisic had a huge game, though. He put up 22 points, five assists, four rebounds, and one block while going 9-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-5 from three-point range. That is just with one big man too.
Can you imagine what Illinois will look like with two forces in the paint? Ivisic will then have more room to roam out on the perimeter while Johnson cleans up the glass and gives extra opportunities to the Illini. I fully expect these two to dominate Iowa in every facet of the game.