Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Indiana Basketball: 3 things IU needs to do to beat Illinois

By Dylan Broady

BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 07: Thomas Bryant #31 of the Indiana Hoosiers knocks the ball away from Mike Thorne Jr. #33 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half of the game at Assembly Hall on January 7, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 07: Thomas Bryant #31 of the Indiana Hoosiers knocks the ball away from Mike Thorne Jr. #33 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half of the game at Assembly Hall on January 7, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Indiana Basketball program will continue their 2018-19 journey against unranked Illinois. Why this could be a trap game for our Hoosiers.

The Indiana Basketball program will host the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 3rd. While on paper this looks like an easy win, here are a few reasons Indiana should keep their foot on the pedal against a tough Illinois squad.

Guard, Trent Frazier

This talented basketball player has proven all season long that he is the leader of the Illinois ball club. He is averaging a team best 16 points per game this season. He has scored in double digits six times already in his 2018-19 campaign. IU can’t afford to look him over, as we need to win as many Big Ten games as possible.

Frazier hung 25 points on ETSU and 28 on the University of Missouri. This young man can ball at any moment. We know that IU has a pretty decent defense. We allow roughly 65 points per game to opposing offenses. Frazier can and will exploit those opportunities on January 3rd.

Indiana vs Illinois rivalry 

The Indiana Hoosiers and Fighting Illini have a  illustrious, fierce basketball rivalry. Not only do we share a border, but we have also had some really big losses to this program over the years. Our Hoosiers lead the all-time series 91-87. That doesn’t get us off the hook though. We are currently riding a one game series winning streak. This Illinois team could upset us in our own house if we are not careful. We need to come prepared for a dog fight.

Conclusion 

As long as we handle our business and keep Frazier from getting on a hot streak we can pull out this victory. It won’t be easy. This team has always played us tough. Historically this game will add another chapter in a long, fun rivalry. We think IU will take care of business at home and win.

Prediction: IU 76 UI 67

Home/Indiana Basketball