The Illinois Fighting Illini, on a hot streak with their three-point shooting, face a stern test against the Washington Huskies, known for their tenacious perimeter defense. Can Illinois maintain their recent shooting accuracy against UW's stifling defense?
Washington – like Illinois – makes a point of chasing opponents off the three-point line and minimizing damage from behind the arc. The Huskies' three-point percentage allowed (29.6) ranks a respectable 51st among 355 Division I teams, and their diligent patrolling of the perimeter was their primary leverage in a 75-69 upset of Maryland in their most recent outing. The Illini are coming off a smoldering 16-for-29 (55.2 percent) showing in their own upset win, on the road against No.
9 Oregon – but they are by no means out of the skewed-shooting woods. It took a home matchup against winless Chicago State for Illinois to turn around a nine-game stretch of 30.4 percent shooting on threes, so UW should make for a worthy stress test to confirm whether the Illini's newfound marksmanship is real and potentially lasting.Illinois' scoring average this season (88.2 points per game) is the highest in 60 years, second in program history only behind the 1964-65 squad's 92.2 ppg. Eat your heart out, Flyin' Illini. Washington's senior forward Great Osobor is a 6-foot-8, 250-pound load, and he has a unique skill set: He spends little time on the perimeter, but he's a long- and strong-armed, old-school double-double threat who also leads the Huskies in assists (3.6 per game) and steals (2.1 per game).The Illini aren't about to change their ways now, so expect them to launch often from deep. The quality of those shots and how they arrive at them, however, will be key against Washington. Patience, sharp ball fakes and easy ball movement – all of which they showed in their blitzkrieg of Oregon – will be the key. Now that the lid has come off for forward Ben Humrichous, it would be nice to see the basket stay open for freshman Will Riley, who is shooting 16.1 percent on threes in his past seven games – but who showed signs of a thaw against Chicago State and Oregon (a combined 3-for-8 from long range
College Basketball Illinois Fighting Illini Washington Huskies Three-Point Shooting Defense
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