5 big questions for the Illinois basketball team against Nebraska

4. Does Illinois outrebound a tough, and similar, rebounding Nebraska team?

The Illinois basketball team is very unique. We are one of the best rebounding teams in the country, and we don’t have a traditional big man averaging over 10 rebounds per contest.

Our No. 5 is 6-foot-10 Coleman Hawkins, and he is second on the team in rebounds with 6.3 rebounds per game. Illinois has six players averaging at least 4.0 rebounds per contest, and four of those six players measure 6-foot-7 or shorter.

Illinois is going up against a similar team in Nebraska on Sunday. So, I am going to be keeping an eye on if Illinois can outrebound the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The Illini continue to be one of the best rebounding teams in the country. We are pulling down 42.9 rebounds per game, which ranks No. 4 in the country. But we are going up against a solid rebounding team in Nebraska on Sunday.

As a team, the Cornhuskers average 38.0 rebounds per game, which ranks No. 64 in the country. Much like Illinois, Nebraska doesn’t have great size in the paint. Leading rebounder Rienk Mast averages 8.4 rebounds per game and stands at 6-foot-10. Hawkins should match up well with him.

Juwan Garry is the second-leading rebounder for the Cornhuskers at 5.7 rebounds per game, and he is just 6-foot-8. Nebraska then has a bunch of guards who rebound well. These two teams are very similar in the way they play, so the rebounding battle is going to be fun to watch on Sunday.