3 Big Questions for Illinois Basketball vs. Nebraska

The Illini will be seeking to string together back-to-back wins for the first time in three weeks

Jan 26, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) dunks the ball over Northwestern Wildcats center Keenan Fitzmorris (5) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Desperately needing a bounce-back win after the poor showing at home against Maryland last week, Illinois (14-6, 6-4 Big Ten) got what it needed, cruising to an 83-74 win Sunday over Northwestern in an excellent performance that the final score didn't quite reflect.

Now the Illini head west to Lincoln to take on a struggling Nebraska (12-8, 2-7 Big Ten) squad that has lost six straight.

Here are three big questions ahead of Illinois' Big Ten matchup with Big Red:

Can Illinois climb back above 30 percent from three?

Heading into the Northwestern game, the Illini ranked 17th out of 18 Big Ten teams in three-point shooting percentage during conference play. As if that weren't discouraging enough, the “solution” to those shooting woes may be even worse:

Shoot more!

That has been Illinois' M.O. all season, as the Illini lead the Big Ten in three-point attempts. On Sunday, the Illini finally seemed to find some semblance of rhythm, but even then, they finished an unimpressive 9-for-32 (28.1 percent) from deep, showing just how low the bar has been set for a “good” performance.

The extra pass gets it done!@bambam_boz 🤝 @jake_6davis

1H 2:49| Illini 39, Northwestern 15
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/B008LYGlKG

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 26, 2025

At the same time, Nebraska has the second-worst three-point defense in the conference (34.1 percent), which could be the antidote that cures, at least for the time being, what's ailing Illinois.

Can Illinois slow Brice Williams?

A 6-foot-7 senior wing, Williams is the conference’s fifth-leading scorer, currently pouring in 18.2 points per game – and on impressive percentage splits of 47.1/37.2/91.3.

As shown by his three-point percentage, Williams can clearly step outside and knock down the three (makes 1.6 per game). But he prefers to attack the rim and get to the line, where he ranks third in the conference with 5.8 free-throw attempts per game.

Given Illinois’ track record of struggling with opponents' dynamic wings, the Illini figure to make a priority of at least slowing Williams and preventing a one-man overthrow.

Can the Illini slug it out inside without Tomislav Ivisic?

After Maryland simply outsized Illinois in a 91-70 thrashing that can be explained in a single state – the Terrapins' 62 points in the paint – the Illini bounced back to dominate Northwestern on the glass (plus-23 margin) and outscore the Wildcats in the paint.

So was the absence of center Tomislav Ivisic (mono) just an excuse for a really rough night?

Potentially. But, then again, Maryland had two legitimate bigs in Derik Queen and Julian Reese, while Northwestern’s most effective "big man" is arguably 6-foot-7 forward Nick Martinelli.

On Thursday, the Illini draw another matchup against two true big men in the 6-foot-10 Andrew Morgan and Berke Buyuktuncel – both of whom have the ability to make things happen on the low block.

For the time being, aside from Morez Johnson Jr., Illinois is quite short on defensive stoppers down low, meaning Ben Humrichous will be on the spot to dig in and body up – all while staying out of foul trouble.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

How to Watch: Illinois Basketball at Nebraska (Game 21)

Illinois Basketball Report Card: Grades vs. Northwestern (Game 20)

Is Andy Katz's Illinois Basketball NCAA Tournament Prediction Fair?