3. Break a tough Washington three-point defense
While Washington is trash from the three-point arc, they are completely different when it comes to three-point shooting defense.
The Huskies can guard the three-point arc well. They have the athletes to close out, and an underrated part of the Washington program is their length.
So, one of the keys for Illinois to beat Washington is going to be to break a tough Washington three-point defense.
It will be fascinating to see if the Illini can play their game against Washington. The Huskies are only allowing opponents to shoot 28.5% from three-point range, which ranks No. 19 in the nation.
On the flip side, Illinois is shooting well from distance. We are knocking down three-point shots at a clip of 34.9%. This is good enough to rank No. 104 in the country.
Washington’s ability to close out is phenomenal, and they do well working through screens and not around them. I think the Huskies’ length could also be interesting to watch. Tyler Harris is 6-foot-8 and could give our shooters problems. Washington also has multiple 6-foot-5 guards who can guard well.
Illinois is going to jack up three-point shots regardless of what Washington throws at us. Let’s see if we can take down one of the best three-point defenses in the country