No. 25 Illinois (14-3, 4-2) is preparing for another Big Ten matchup on the road to face No. 8 Michigan (14-2, 5-1). This is the first matchup for the Illini since being ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. It’s also their fourth-ranked contest in two weeks.
With such an anticipated matchup for Illinois, here’s what head coach Shauna Green had to say about Thursday’s contest.
Learning to navigate their defense
“Obviously, (one of the) top teams in the country and got a lot of really talented players,” Green said. “They want to play really, really fast, but also their defense is just really, really good. They’re going to run and jump us. They’re really solid on the half court, so just a really great team. We got to be ready to go”.
It’s no secret that the Wolverines defense is one of the best. Michigan is ranked in the top ten for a reason. The only program Michigan has allowed to score more than 70 points in regulation was No. 1 UConn. That says a lot about the strength of Michigan’s defense, even against other Power Four opponents. The Illini on the other hand, have allowed their last five opponents to score 70 or more points.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“They’re so dangerous in so many ways,” Green said. “Their defense really ignites their offense. They score a ton of points off turnovers. They’re going to score a ton of points off transition.
Green knows from watching past games Michigan has played that her team needs to be watching out for Michigan to take advantage of turnovers. She also knows just how well Michigan can score points off of those turnovers, which is troubling for Illinois..
Illinois suffered 21 turnovers in its most recent matchup against Penn State. Before playing the Lady Lions, the Illini were averaging around 12 turnovers per game. With a team such as Michigan, which forces an average of 24.69 turnovers per game, Illinois needs to be hypervigilant to stop Michigan from forcing turnovers. The more turnovers the Illini allow the Wolverines to force on them, the better chance the Wolverines have to get in the lead.
Valuing each possession
“You got to value possessions, you got to value the ball,” Green said. “I said, ‘You have to score,’ which sounds so simple and stupid, but it’s true.”
Green said it plain and simple, Illinois needs to score. Both the Illini and the Wolverines are amongst the top 30 teams in the country when it comes to their field goal percentages. With two highly accurate teams, it can be anyone’s game. The only way to win is going to be making as many shots as possible.
“Something that we’ve been talking about a lot the last few games is our discipline in our half-court offense and setting screens, using screens, getting to the rim, getting to the free-throw line,” Green said. “Those are going to be really important stuff. You know, getting some extra possessions off offensive rebounds is going to be big.”
Green knows that every possession is important, and she knows where her team can improve. Illinois needs to take each possession and be as accurate as possible. Additionally, the Illini need to be on top of getting offensive rebounds. Offensive rebounds are a great way for the Illini to keep the ball in their hands without the Wolverines getting a chance to score.
“They don’t have a lot of holes in their game,” Green said. “We got to be really, really sharp if we want to go in there on the road and be in a position to win.”
Green knows that Thursday’s contest won’t be easy. The Illini are 2-1 when it comes to ranked opponents and they lost their only ranked matchup on the road. Illinois needs to fight harder than before to get a road win against a ranked opponent.
Michigan’s breakthrough year
Green said Michigan took a “huge leap” from last season to now. She was able to compare both programs last year and shared her insight as a coach as to why she thinks Michigan is a deserving top 10 program.
“If you look at their record last year, we were similar to them last year in terms of record,” Green said. “Now they just really took a huge leap this year, and all their players got better. All their young guys, number one, stayed, which I think is pretty cool nowadays, that they all were loyal and stayed in the program, (and they) added some good pieces to the transfer portal.”
Last year, Illinois and Michigan both got eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament, and as Green noted, both teams had a similar record and were pretty on par with each other. However, the Wolverines this year are proving to be a force to be reckoned with. The maturity and growth the Wolverines had in the offseason with their freshman players might be a sign of hope for what’s to come in the future for the Illini.
The Illini will take the court next at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to take on the Wolverines at 6 p.m. CDT.
@lauram0131
