CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The UCLA Bruins are currently ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and are coming into State Farm Center on Wednesday looking for their 14th straight win. Illinois head coach Shauna Green knows that this will be a tricky matchup for the Illini, but she isn’t counting her team out just yet.
“Just play as hard as you can play,” Green said Tuesday. “Don’t be worried about making mistakes or anything and just go play basketball.”
Green also stated that the team’s second leading scorer and leader
Gretchen Dolan is likely to miss her fourth straight game with a knee injury. She did not practice on Tuesday.
The Bruins’ height also stages a problem for the Illini as they are one of the tallest teams in the country and the best rebounding team in the Big Ten.
Because of these two factors Green in considering starting another taller player to help combat this down low as opposed to shorter players Maddie Webber and Aaliyah Guyton who have started the previous three.
“I don’t know who we’re starting tomorrow,” Green said. “Its going to depend on our practice and who practices well and we’ll go from there.”
A real key to the game will be for Illinois to have a fast start to the game. The Bruins are keen on stopping team early in the game, and if the Illini want to have a chance of winning they need to set the pace on their home floor.
“We need to play Illinois basketball,” Webber said.
Illinois had an incredibly slow start against Nebraska on Saturday which ultimately caused them to lose the game. UCLA is not the type of team you can start slow against.
This is going to be an all hands on deck game from Green and her team as a win in a game like this will set them up for a strong seed in not only the Big Ten tournament, but potentially for the tournament that comes after as well.
“Whether you score or not you are going to be on the floor,” Green said. “We need someone to step up and take those minutes.”
Cearah Parchment needs to be big
Cearah Parchment has been the anchor for the Illini’s defense this season down low in the paint. She is coming off a career game against Nebraska where she scored her career-high 25 points as well as recording her sixth double-double of the season.
This led to her being named Big Ten Freshmen of the Week for the third time.
Even with all of this, Wednesday’s game against the Bruins will be her biggest task yet as she will be marking up against all-American and project top-5 WNBA pick 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts.
Other bigs such as Lety Vasconcelos and Naomi Benson are expected to see extended minutes due to not only Betts, but also the overall rebounding strength of the Bruins squad.
“[Benson’s] so mobile, she’s athletic, she rebounds at a high level, she’s not afraid to get in there and bang,” Green said. “I’m expecting a lot from her she’s going to be getting an opportunity early.”
Rebounding will be another key to victory in this game for the Illini. If they can manage to keep UCLA off the glass and contain them inside, Illinois will have a real shot to win this game and make another splash in the Big Ten.
“I don’t need scoring right now,” Green said. “Right now we need constant defense and rebounding in that position, and I would be ecstatic with that.”
Tip off for this game will be at 6 p.m. in Champaign in what will certainly be the biggest test yet for Green and her young team.
