5 keys for Illinois basketball to beat the Tennessee Volunteers

5. Big rebound game from Tomislav Ivisic

When I say a big rebound game from Tomislav Ivisic, I don’t mean literal rebounds. He is a solid rebounder, and I don’t have problems with his rebounding ability. What I mean is, I want Ivisic to rebound from a poor performance.

Illinois has two players who are supremely talented on the roster. Kasparas Jakucionis is an obvious choice here. He has lifted Illinois to great heights with his incredible play. His ability to create and shoot from three-point range is mind-blowing.

The other supremely talented player is Ivisic. At 7-foot-1, I have never seen an Illinois basketball player do what he can do on the court. He is a presence inside with great touch on his little hook shot. He can also rebound the ball well.

When you think you have Ivisic covered in the paint, he can stretch the floor and knock down three-pointers with ease. The game comes so easy to him, and he is a special talent.

Sometimes, like every great player, you are going to lay an egg. Ivisic had been playing so well this season up until the Wisconsin contest. Against the Badgers, he kind of looked human.

Ivisic only had nine points, 11 rebounds, and one block against Wisconsin. He also only hit 1-of-5 from three-point range. This was only the fourth time Ivisic failed to hit a double-double this season.

If Illinois wants any chance to win against Tennessee, we need Ivisic to have a nice rebound performance. Ivisic needs to hit the open three-point attempts that he couldn’t get to go in against Wisconsin. He is going to have to fight through two big men with the Tennessee program, so it will be a tough matchup for Ivisic.

A good game from Ivisic will help the Illini tremendously. Give me something like 15 points and 11 rebounds, and I think this is our game to be had.