Illinois (20-5, 10-4) has hit its stride recently. The team has facilitated more cohesive games, and players have shined in new ways.

Senior guard Adalia McKenzie hit just under 20 points in her two most recent games, and sophomore guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger has been knocking down a couple of three-pointers of her own. Before their intimidating West Coast trip, the Illini will take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers (17-8, 8-6) for their penultimate home game. 

Nebraska holds edge, Illinois has momentum

Nebraska is another team that has struggled in the 2024-25 season but has out-battled Illinois many times in the past. The Cornhuskers hold a 20-6 edge and are 9-3 when hosted by the Illini. The Huskers have also just secured their first win of the month, unexpectedly toppling the No. 17 Terrapins (19-6, 9-5) in a 91-71 victory. 

On the other hand, Illinois is up on a seven-game streak and is not aiming to let it go easily. It battled back from a deficit against Penn State (10-15, 1-13) on Thursday and has been focusing on some new team skills. 

The Illini were just barely able to squeak by the Terrapins, so a definitive slapping from the underdogs changes the narrative coming in. The Huskers buried the game in the third quarter, scoring double the amount of points as the Terrapins.

But momentum is a powerful thing, and the Illini have been capitalizing off their positive outcomes. If they can do it again, they have the potential to run away with this game.

However, don’t count out the strength of a team trying to prove itself, which can push players in new ways to bring out their best. These two attitudes will meet on Sunday, and only time will tell which will win. 

Second-half sparks

For both teams, high-performing second halves cemented their last wins. 

The Illini and the Cornhuskers tend to lose when they fail to get an early edge. However, both have shown their late-game capabilities to overcome deficits. Illinois played on the back foot until the end of the third quarter in its game against Maryland, ultimately securing the win by a single free throw.

Nebraska tends to save its best scoring for after halftime. Having more subs than the hosts could work in the Huskers’ favor to get some fresh legs out against a stretched Illini.

Illinois game plan: Cut off the paint, win on the glass

Fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic holds a lot of the responsibility for controlling both the paint and the glass. She is far and away the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 11.1 per game.

However, her smaller stature can lead to an imbalance at the boards against much taller challengers. She is usually agile enough to angle herself into better positions, but in the Penn State matchup, she had her lowest collection in eight games. Even with senior forward Brynn Shoup-Hill in the mix, the Illini couldn’t obtain possessions. 

Nebraska’s senior center Alexis Markowski has dominated all season, scoring double-digits in all but four games. She has nine double-doubles and will be the Cornhuskers’ response to Bostic. 

Additionally, her team has a slightly better rebounding average than the Illini and managed to out-rebound the Terrapins, the No. 3 rebounders in the conference. Markowski, who averages only 7.7 rebounds, grabbed 11 off the glass against Maryland, helping her team to control the boards decisively. Repeating this performance against Bostic will be more challenging, especially if McKenzie shows out at the boards again. 

Finally, while the Illinois defense has been more cohesive lately, they have struggled in locking down the paint. Especially in the last game, Illinois allowed Penn State to convert 34 points from the paint. Nebraska will be coming into this game looking to maximize that. Descending on the ball while not getting out of formation will be critical to preventing a loss for the Illini.

Streaming

The Big Ten Network will stream this matchup on Sunday at 4 p.m. from the State Farm Center.

[email protected]