In Reply to: UCLA at Illinois Preview posted by mh on February 10, 2025 at 13:31:10
Even though we’ve won the last seven, I wouldn’t be surprised if we dropped the next two.
As for Illinois, you nailed it with the offensive rebounds. We got away with it against Michigan State because we forced so many turnovers, but can we do that again? Probably not. Another big factor—Michigan State doesn’t rely on three-pointers, but Illinois does. If they’re hitting their shots, we’re in trouble. Their center is another concern—he’s 7'1", averaging 18 points and nearly 9 rebounds. That’s a tough matchup for Bilodeau. I expect Cronin to start him and try to disrupt things with a double team, but if Illinois handles it well, we’re back to the three-point battle. Will they hit them? That’s the question.
We could always turn to Mara—can he hold his own against their freshman center? Hard to say, but I’d like to think so.
On the bright side, as Donny Mac often says, Cronin has a knack for shutting down the opposing team’s best player. With Kobe on KJ, I like our chances. Should be a barn burner.