Sunday is arguably the biggest game of the season for the Illinois basketball team.
Not only is it the annual Braggin’ Rights contest where Missouri meets us in St. Louis, but it is a massive contest for the future of the program. The Illini can’t drop another game.
If Illinois falls to the Tigers, we move to 7-4 on the season. That is an ugly record that is hard to come back from, especially with a tough Big Ten season ahead.
Winning this game, at this point, is almost a must. But there are some big questions I have heading into the tough contest.
Here are five key questions for the Illinois basketball team against Missouri
1. Can Illinois cool down Missouri’s three-point shooting?
Illinois is heading into a Braggin’ Rights game on Sunday against a talented Missouri squad. This isn't the same Tigers team from years past.
Missouri reloaded in the transfer portal, and one of their great strengths now is the three-point shot. They are extremely efficient, and this could be a point of opportunity for the Tigers on Sunday.
This season, Missouri is hitting their three-point shots at a clip of 37.8%. That is good enough to rank No. 50 in the country.
The scary part about the Tigers’ three-point shooting is the fact numerous players can knock them down. Missouri doesn’t just rely on one player to hit the shots. Seven Missouri players have taken at least 20 three-point attempts on the season.
One of the leaders for Missouri, Caleb Grill, has been out a month after a scary injury. He was one of their best three-point shooters. Still, the Tigers can throw some solid shooters at us.
Illinois does have a great three-point shooting defense, though. We are only allowing teams to shoot 26.4% from three-point range. This hasn’t been an issue this season. Although, when we do allow teams to shoot over 30% from three-point range, Illinois is 1-2 this season with the only win coming against Eastern Illinois.