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*CBB(1u): Penn State +3 vs Illinois–6 PM CT
I am simply not a believer in Illinois, especially in sleepy road games. Despite shooting 31.5% from deep, Illinois hacks up the 31st most 3’s per game in the country. Brad Underwood has done a poor job of playing to his offenses’ strengths, and the fact he hasn’t adapted this deep into the season is mind-boggling.
Illinois is very good on the other end of the floor, but this Penn State offense is no joke. The Nittany Lions have shot nearly 39% from 3 this season and take care of the basketball at the 3rd best rate in the country. This is a team that DOES play to their strengths, ranking 8th in 3pt attempts per game. Micah Shrewsberry knows his team can’t match up with Illinois’ physicality on the inside, but he has the pure shotmakers to combat that.
There are 3 intangibles I like about this matchup. First, we’ve seen Penn State take advantage of this matchup before; they beat the Illini by 15 in Champagne earlier in the season. Secondly, Penn State has stepped up well in these home spots all year, already notching wins over Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa on their home floor. Lastly, Penn State is the most experienced team in the country, while Illinois is one of the youngest teams in the Big10.
