5 huge questions for the Illinois basketball team against Wisconsin

5. Who wins the free throw battle on Saturday?

At times, the Illinois offense can go into a mini drought. This doesn’t happen a lot and when it does, it tends to be short-lived.

A great way for the Illini to get out of droughts is by being aggressive. We take the ball to the hoop, and this ends up either getting points via a bucket or we get to the free throw line.

The free throw line has been friendly to the Illini this season. So, I am going to be watching to see who wins the free throw battle on Saturday. Can Illinois come out on top when it comes to free throw shooting?

Illinois is definitely the more aggressive team when it comes to getting to the charity stripe. We take the ball to the hoop and draw contact. This is one of the best parts of Terrence Shannon Jr.’s game.

This season, Illinois is averaging 22.9 free throw attempts per game, which ranks No. 34 in the country. Wisconsin does get to the free throw line as well. They are attempting 19.8 free throws per game, which ranks No. 147 in the nation.

Both teams hit their free throws at a high clip too. Wisconsin is at 76.4%, No. 35 in the nation, and Illinois checks in at 74.1%, No. 93 in the country.

In the last Wisconsin game, they only attempted three free throws, though. This game was at Indiana, so there was probably a bit of home cookin’, but that is something to keep an eye on. Three free throws is an awfully low number, considering the game before, Wisconsin shot 31 free throws at home.

I fully expect Wisconsin to get some Big Ten calls today. This is a road Big Ten game, so it will be a struggle for Illinois. If we can keep the free throw battle close on Saturday, I think the Illini can come away with the victory.