5 keys for Illinois basketball to beat the Tennessee Volunteers

3. Ben Humrichous needs to wake up

Brad Underwood brings players in for specific roles. I have mentioned this numerous times. He needed a three-point shooter on the perimeter, and we went out and got Ben Humrichous.

One would think, hey this is a good addition. Humrichous shot 5.3 three-point attempts per game last season with Evansville and hit them at a clip of 41.4%. With this size at 6-foot-9, he would be such a weapon in the Illinois offense.

In the first few games, Humrichous was good. He was hitting at a high clip and helping Illinois put bad teams away early. But his impressive play has hit the brakes as of late.

Humrichous hasn’t shot over 30% from three-point range in four out of the last five games. He has shot just 9-of-34, 26.5%, in this stretch of five contests as well.

The past two games have really exposed the struggles of Humrichous. He is just 2-of-14, 14.3%, combined against Northwestern and Wisconsin. Illinois is going to have a hard time winning games with a starter throwing up those stinkers.

If Humrichous gets out of his funk, then I truly believe Illinois can win the national championship this season. We are knocking off ranked opponents with him shooting poorly. Against Tennessee, we need this kid to perform, though.

I like the plays that are being run for Humrichous. I think he does need to take a step or two in so he isn’t shooting shots from beyond NBA three-point range. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to let Humrichous play his game too. While we need him on the perimeter, let’s have him get inside and get a bucket or two. Seeing the ball go in the hoop would help build his confidence.