The Illinois men’s basketball team started the season racing out to a 12-0 record and a No. 10 national ranking, catching the college basketball scene by surprise. The Illini performed exceptionally in more than a few facets of the game, but one category in particular served as its calling card — 3-point shooting.
Led by a trio of senior sharpshooters in Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Tyler Griffey, the Illini dazzled from beyond the arc at the Maui Invitational and a decisive victory at Gonzaga on Dec. 8. Yet after that Gonzaga game, Illinois (14-4, 1-3 Big Ten) developed a cold-shooting syndrome that evolved into a slump and has since grown into a miserable stretch of offensive production.
Illinois shot 40.8 percent from 3-point territory as a team up until the Norfolk State game on Dec. 11. In ensuing games, that average has plummeted to 34.5 percent. Perhaps an even more troubling statistic lies in Illinois’ dogged attempt to shoot itself out of that slump by attempting an average of 23 3-point field goals a game in the past eight games.
Predictably, almost every high-volume 3-point shooter on Illinois has dropped their 3-point percentage by nearly 5 percent, with the one outlier being sophomore guard Tracy Abrams, who has raised his average from 28 percent to 29.
After another dreadful shooting display against Wisconsin on Saturday — Illinois went 2-for-14 from 3-point range this time — Wisconsin guard Traevon Jackson reflected after the game on his own performance, an efficient 14 points, that could have doubled as advice for Illinois.
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“A college guard, you’re supposed to be able to hurt teams inside and out,” Jackson said. “If you’re not, then you’re going to be a (Boston Celtics guard Rajon) Rondo.”
A Groce history
John Groce has been a head coach for only five years but has experienced one Sweet 16 and two NCAA tournament apperances during his brief head coaching career. If Illini fans are wondering how Groce’s teams at Ohio fared at the 18-game mark of the season, they might be shocked at the answer.
Groce’s first three seasons at Ohio started off 9-9, 10-8 and 8-10. His final year at Ohio started 14-4, the same record as this year’s Illini team.
For those Illini fans who are hoping for a shred of solace, that Ohio team went 15-4 the rest of the way with a berth in the Sweet 16.
Thomas can be reached at [email protected] and @ThomasBruch.
