Can the Gophers steal a win at Illinois on Saturday?
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Champaign
11:00 AM
BTN
Illinois
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Record: 10-7 (3-3)
KenPom Rank: 86
Illinois Fighting Illini
Record: 14-3 (5-1)
KenPom Rank: 5
The Big Ten is very good, especially at the top, and Illinois is one of those teams that is in the mix for winning the league and going into the NCAA Tournament with a very good seed. They are riding a 6-game winning streak and they have a couple of home games before they head to Purdue next week. Can the Gophers catch them napping and steal another road win?
KEYS TO A GOPHER WIN
Rebounding matters – The Illini are maybe the best rebounding team in the Big Ten. OK, Michigan State is the best rebounding team in the Big Ten, but Illinois is a close second. The Gophers started out rebounding very well but then Robert Vaihola was lost to injury and they have been a decent rebounding team since. They will need to end possessions with a rebound on Saturday.
Can we still get points in the paint? – Illinois is also one of the tallest teams in D1 and I am interested to see if the Gophers can still score a number of baskets in the paint. Typically, our paint points are from backcuts and assists on the layup, but there will always be a big coming to help.
We might need some help – Getting to the free-throw line is usually key for Minnesota and it will be again in this matchup. Illinois is #1 in the country at NOT putting teams on the line, but it is a number that pops out if you look at their losses. Can the Gophers still get to the line? More importantly, can they convert those attempts into points?
PREDICTION
I don’t like this matchup at all for Minnesota. This should be a slower-paced game with few turnovers, but when it comes to executing an offense in the half-court, I expect that Illinois will have a distinct advantage. Scoring is going to be challenging for the Gophers.
Minnesota – 66
Illinois – 79
Category: General Sports
