On the tail of an 86-68 beating from No. 22 Michigan State (15-3, 5-2), Illinois (13-5, 3-4) sets its sights on long-time rival Northwestern (7-10, 0-6). Both teams enter this matchup on a skid, but only one can walk away with its luck turned around.
Northwestern had to postpone its California games against No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC, resulting in one less game played than Illinois heading in. Of the games it has played, foul trouble and the inability to maintain leads late in the game have stifled opportunities to succeed in this cutthroat conference.
As for the Illini, they are hopeful that the recent tough loss revealed some areas of improvement to prevent those mistakes from happening again.
“When you lose a game, it’s only a loss if you don’t learn from it,” said senior guard Adalia McKenzie.
After their loss, the Illini must improve in defending the arc, matching or controlling the other team’s pace and handling the ball better.
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Too many fouls cost Northwestern
Northwestern has had a rough season for the most part. The Wildcats have come close to victories, but late-game mistakes cost them some wins, most recently against No. 23 Minnesota (17-2, 5-2). The Wildcats led most of the game and extended their lead to 16 two minutes into the fourth quarter.
But the Golden Gophers refused to give up before the final whistle and came back from a 74-58 deficit to tie the game with two minutes to go. From there, Minnesota finished the game from the free throw line, winning 87-82.
The game highlighted a glaring issue for Northwestern: free-throw shooting. Northwestern is third to last in the Big Ten regarding free-throw shooting conversion, while Illinois leads the conference at a 79% clip. Additionally, the Wildcats rank No. 5 in the Big Ten in team fouls, committing 17.3 on average.
The Illini have many consistent free-throw shooters, including fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant and fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic. Both were perfect from the stripe against the Spartans and have converted over 80% of the time.
Bryant has also been perfect from the line in four of her last five games. Given the Wildcats’ tendency to foul, it is likely that Bryant will have many opportunities at the charity stripe.
Shooting inconsistencies on both sides
Another concern for Northwestern and Illinois has been poor shooting, especially beyond the arc. The Illini had their first game with no three-pointers converted against the Spartans. The Wildcats fared much better in their last matchup from three, making seven of their 15 attempts.
This game will rely on strong offensive efforts and winning on the boards to increase possessions. Last time out, Bostic secured her 11th double-double of the season. However, she will face the Wildcats’ double-double machine: graduate student forward Taylor Williams.
Williams has seven double-doubles this season. Standing at the same height as Bostic, 6-foot-2, the rebounding battle will come down to skill, not height. In this case, the Wildcat averages fewer points and fewer rebounds than the Illini forward, possibly leaving her outmatched.
Longstanding rivalry
Northwestern holds a 43-37 record against Illinois. But the Illini have won the past four meetings between the two, twice at home and twice away. Away games have been hit or miss for the Illini, but this is another opportunity to improve their road record.
Victory against a rival would also give the Illini some needed momentum. Illinois must take care of business against two upcoming opponents who have also not managed a conference win yet: rival Purdue (7-11, 0-7) and Rutgers (8-11, 0-8).
Where to watch
The Big Ten Network will stream this in-state matchup on Thursday at 7 p.m.
