3 Things To Watch As Indiana Hosts Illinois

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana started to play better basketball in January as it rattled off three straight wins in Big Ten play. But much of that progress evaporated Saturday at Iowa in an 85-60 loss.

The Hoosiers turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, shot 32.4% from the field in the second half and played poor defense throughout the game. The loss dropped Indiana’s record to 13-4 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play in coach Mike Woodson’s fourth season.

Indiana will look to bounce back from that performance as it returns to the comfort of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and faces Illinois at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday on Peacock. The Illini rolled past Penn State in a 91-52 win Wednesday at home, but they were upset on their home court Saturday in an 82-72 loss to USC, which had just lost by 13 points at Indiana.

Coach Brad Underwood’s team dropped from No. 13 to No. 19 in Monday’s AP Top 25 poll and comes to Bloomington with a 12-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark in Big Ten play.

Here are three things to watch as the Hoosiers host the Illini.

1. Can Mackenzie Mgbako end his slump?

Indiana’s sophomore forward had one of his best games of the year against Penn State on Jan. 5, scoring 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting, including four 3-pointers. Then it all went downhill.

Mgbako went scoreless for the first time in his Indiana career Wednesday at home against USC. He missed all eight shots from the floor, including all five 3-point attempts. Woodson played Mgbako just 15 minutes against the Trojans, his second fewest of the season. Those struggles continued Saturday at Iowa as Mgbako finished with six points on 2-for-6 shooting, including an 0-for-3 night beyond the arc.

That’s a concerning trend when looking at Mgbako’s 17 games this season. He’s had several outstanding games, like his 25-point performance to beat Providence, his 31 points in the season opener, or his 17 points in a win over South Carolina. But too often those big games have been followed by duds. Mgbako has six games this year in which he’s shot 30.8% or worse from the field and four games with six points or fewer.

Mgbako’s season-long numbers are solid – 12.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, along with a 46.2% field goal percentage, 37.8% 3-point shooting and 84.6% free throw shooting are all improvements from his freshman season, however small – but his inconsistency has put Indiana in a tough spot in a handful of games.

Mgbako is arguably Indiana’s best 3-point shooter, with Luke Goode close behind at 37.3% and an identical 28 3-pointers made. But when his shot isn’t falling, he does not contribute enough on the defensive end or by rebounding and finding his teammates for open shots to warrant playing time.

His fewest minutes of the season have come in losses at Iowa and Nebraska, plus his scoreless effort at home against USC, when he played 44 total minutes and had eight points on 3-for-18 shooting and 12 rebounds. Indiana could really use a bounce-back game from Mgbako against the Illini.

2. Who controls the glass?

Illinois comes to Assembly Hall as one of the nation’s best rebounding teams. The Illini average 45.1 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the country. They’re especially strong on the defensive glass, averaging a nation-high 32 defensive rebounds per game, so the Hoosiers will really have to fight for second-chance points. They’ll also have to box out on defense, as Illinois ranks 26th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage.

Sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic stands at 7-foot-1 and 255 pounds and leads the Illini with 8.6 rebounds per game. He has six double-doubles and eight games with 10-plus rebounds. That creates quite the matchup against Indiana center Oumar Ballo, who’s second in the Big Ten with 9.8 rebounds per game.

But it’s not just Ivisic contributing to Illinois’ strong rebounding numbers. It’s a team-wide emphasis by Underwood, as seven players average at least 3.5 rebounds per game. The same seven players also average at least one offensive rebound per game.

Indiana has been a solid rebounding team overall this season, ranking top six among Big Ten teams in all rebounding categories. In order to get the bounce-back win it really needs, Indiana must play with high-level rebounding effort against Illinois.

3. Will Indiana’s defense learn from mistakes at Iowa?

The Hoosiers must have known Iowa was a strong 3-point shooting team, but they didn’t play like it. Iowa finished 11-for-24 from 3-point range in the 25-point win, led by Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort with four each.

Illinois is not as accurate as Iowa from deep – the Illini shoot 33.1% and the Hawkeyes shoot 39.5% – but both teams love to let it fly. Illinois attempts 31.5 3-pointers per game, eighth-most in the country, and it ranks 20th in 3-point attempt rate. Perhaps surprisingly, that’s a step up from Iowa’s 27.4 attempts per game and 110th 3-point attempt rate.

Illinois’ most frequent 3-point shooter is Evansville transfer Ben Humrichous, a 6-foot-9 senior. He’s shooting 37.5% on six attempts per game. Star freshman point guard Kasparas Jakucionis shoots a team-high 41.4%, though he has not played the last two games due to injury. Underwood said Monday he doesn’t know if Jakucionis will play at Indiana. Freshman Will Riley is second with 71 attempts and shoots 32.4% from 3-point range, though he’s just 2 for 12 in his last four games.

Ben Humrichous Illinois Basketball — Illinois forward Ben Humrichous (3) shoots against Wisconsin at the State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois is also like Iowa in that it plays at a fast pace. The Illini rank 13th nationally in adjusted tempo, and the Hawkeyes are 20th. Some of Indiana’s defensive issues were a result of 16 turnovers that led to 24 Iowa points. Whether it’s slowing Illinois down or limiting its 3-point attempts, Indiana’s most recent loss should serve as a lesson for what it must improve upon against Illinois.

Related stories on Indiana basketball