Illinois Basketball Takes Win Streak To Rec Hall

The previous week has been good to Illinois basketball. Purdue lost, Wisconsin lost multiple games, but most importantly Illinois won twice. The Illini now sit alone in second, just a game behind Purdue. While the Illini have a home game against the Boilermakers remaining, regular season titles are won over 20 games. The latest of that 20 is Penn State, currently sitting at 11th in the Big Ten.

1. Man Down

The Nittany Lions will be without their leading scorer Kanye Clary. Clary was dismissed from the program earlier this week after having his playing time dwindle in recent games. Obviously, this is a huge advantage for the Illini. Clary scored close to 17 points per game this year for Penn State, and in the last three games when he averaged just 19 minutes per game the Nittany Lions went 1-2. However, there is something about playing a team you literally cannot prepare for. In order to keep pace in a title race, opportunities like this need to be capitalized on.

2. Weight Class

This will be Illinois basketball’s second road game in a row after defeating Maryland on the weekend. In that game the Illini shot just 5-20 from three, their second least made threes in a game this year. That Maryland game was very physical, so Illinois can’t rely on jump shooting in this one either. Fortunately, Penn State is one of the worst teams in the country at allowing offensive rebounds. They play to force turnovers defensively, which they do. However, they have to play smaller to play faster, leaving them vulnerable on the glass.

3. Bandbox

Unlike the usual sleepy trip to the Bryce Jordan Center in Happy Valley, Illinois basketball will face Penn State in the ‘Rec Hall’. The home of the Nittany Lions’ prestigious women’s volleyball team seats about 6,500 people, making it a tight environment. With Penn State’s scrappy pressuring style, it will provide a unique challenge. Making sure they take care of the ball, and even just get shots up. As mentioned, the Nittany Lions struggle to rebound. Illinois handled a similarly rowdy bandbox at Rutgers by taking care of the ball and pounding the glass.