5. The Illini fended off great Ohio State three-point shooting
It is so tough when the opposing team shoots well from three-point range. It is hard to beat any program when they are hot.
Ohio State came out firing against the Illini on Sunday. In the first half alone, the Buckeyes hit 6-of-11 from three-point range and weren’t cooling down. They didn’t cool down much in the second half either, as Ohio State made 5-of-12 from three-point range.
When an opponent shoots 47.8% from three-point range as a team, that is so tough to beat. Illinois managed to do that on Sunday, though. This was the worst three-point shooting percentage the Illini have allowed this season, but somehow, we fought through the hot shooting by the Buckeyes.
This was a gritty win for the Illini. We usually lose these types of games. I have to give a lot of credit to our paint presence. While Ohio State was hitting from outside, they struggled to get anything going around the hoop.
The Buckeyes ended up with a better three-point shooting percentage than they did a two-point shooting percentage. Ohio State only shot 16-of-50, 32%, from two-point range.
Having Tomislav Ivisic back helped so much. There were multiple times Ohio State drove to the basket only to realize that a 7-foot-1 monster was waiting. I also appreciated the defensive effort by Morez Johnson Jr. When he wasn’t rebounding and blocking shots, he caused Ohio State to change their shot just by making an effort.
Illinois could have folded in the game against Ohio State. We could have called it quits after the Buckeyes were suffocating us. But we didn’t. This team fought and worked through issues to come away with a huge win over the Buckeyes on Sunday.