What is the deal with Illinois basketball?
I haven't paid any attention to their team all year because 1. they weren't very good 2. they hadn't beaten anybody good until Minnesota on 2/12 and 3. they weren't on our schedule until late. They seem to have a lot of low-scoring games. If they were good at scoring I would have expected them to do more of it. So are they actually good at defense or do they just slow down the game? They have held their last four opponents under 50. They had a track meet (by Illinois standards) against Iowa where they lost 81-74, but besides that they haven't scored more than 63 in a game since January 4.
They have good length and their freshman, who are playing more now, are quick. Offensively they are a mess. Beilein will adjust do some different things on offense,maybe different personnel running the screens, to free up mismatches elsewhere on the court. He and his staff are so good at this.
These adjustments, taking care of the ball, high player IQ and unselfishness, and making FTs are why we are going to win a title outright!
I hope we hang the banner before the Indiana game right under Crean's nose!