Previewing Indiana at Illinois men’s basketball: 5 things to know about the Illini

Illinois boasts the nation’s best offense and is looking to get healthy ahead of the matchup to boost its defense.

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Indiana men’s basketball is set to hit the road to take on Illinois in Champaign on Sunday in one of the Hoosiers’ biggest matchups of the conference season.

Boasting one of the most efficient offenses in the history of men’s college basketball by KenPom’s metrics, the Fighting Illini are led by true freshman star guard Keaton Wagler, who made a name for himself with a 46-point performance at Purdue this season.

There’s plenty to talk about in getting to know Illinois, here’s five things worth knowing

ahead of the matchup:

Five Illini average double figures, led by Keaton Wagler’s 18.5 points per game. He’s followed by Kylan Boswell with 14.3, Andrej Stojakovic with 13.7, David Mirkovic with 12.6 and Tomislav Ivisic with 1o.4. Any of the above are capable of going off and leading Illinois in scoring for a win.
Kylan Boswell may be returning from injury for Illinois, according to reporting from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The Illini are the tallest team in the country, ranking first in average height per KenPom’s metrics. It makes for a difficult matchup defensively as Illinois uses all that height and length to force opposing offenses away from the rim and stifle ballhandlers along the perimeter.
Illinois doesn’t really force opposing turnovers, ranking right around the bottom of the country in opposing turnover% and steal%. That doesn’t keep the defense from being effective, the Illini are great protecting the rim and don’t send opponents to the line often with a foul-free defensive approach.
The Illini rank 8th nationally in 3PA/FGA, just above the Hoosiers at 7th. Illinois takes, and makes, plenty of shots from 3-point range, converting on 36.1% of its attempts. Combine that with their height across the roster and it makes for a really difficult offense to contain.