3 Big Questions for Illinois Basketball vs. Chicago State

Several scuffling Illini have a chance to get back on track against winless Chicago State on Sunday

Dec 6, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) dunks the ball on Northwestern Wildcats center Matthew Nicholson (34) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images / David Banks-Imagn Images

On Sunday, No. 24 Illinois (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten) will face off against Chicago State (0-14) at the State Farm Center in Champaign.

In the Illini’s final game of the calendar year, they will be matched up with a winless mid-major squad, giving a young, still-gelling team its last opportunity to work out any kinks before diving headfirst into conference play at No. 9 Oregon on January 2.

After averaging 89.1 points in November, the Illini offense hit somethigng of a speed bump, putting up “only” 74 points per game in December. Clearly the step up in competition has had an effect – all four of Illinois' previous December contests came against high-major squads, which each held the Illini to 43.9 percent shooting or less from the field.

Sunday’s matchup should be a get-right opportunity for a handful of Illini players in a few different categories. So for this edition of “3 Big Questions," let's focus on three individual players:

Can Kasparas Jakucionis limit the turnovers?

We know he can shoot. We know he’s crafty around the rim. We know – holy smokes, do we know – he can pass. But we also know that Jakucionis turns it over. A lot. And there has been a drastic difference in his ability to take care of the ball based on the opponent. Against the mid-majors, Jakucionis is averaging just 2.8 turnovers per game. And against the high majors? That number leaps to 5.2. He’s young, confident and takes risks – none of which is inherently bad. But too many of Jakucionis' turnovers are due to a loose handle or carelessness. Against Chicago State, the game will slow down, which should allow Jakucionis to tighten up.

Will Tomislav Ivisic get back to his early scoring clip?

Much of the discussion surrounding Illinois' inability to score recently has been centered on Ben Humrichous – and rightfully so. (More on that in a minute.) But the Illini have also seen a falloff in scoring production from Ivisic. After averaging 16.1 points in his first eight games, he has averaged just 8.0 over the past three – while hardly shooting the ball (8.3 shots per game). Even more worrisome, Ivisic has taken only two free throws total in the past three games. Unlike Jakucionis, he has no history of struggling in the big games (16.7 points per game against Alabama, Arkansas and Northwestern), so the Illini would do well to feed their big man early in hopes of getting him back into his groove.

Let the big man work 👷

Tomislav Ivisic with the spin, seal, and basket!

1H 17:48 | #Illini 6, Little Rock 3
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/0ljrQF8ntd

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 26, 2024

Can Ben Humrichous find his jumper?

You knew this one was coming. All things considered, Humrichous has shot the ball just fine on the season. His 34.9 percent three-point stroke ranks fourth on the team and is a solid number given his high-volume shooting (63 attempts on the year). The issue? Well, Humrichous seems to be pressing, is boinking wide-open corner threes and, over the Illini’s past four games, has shot an abysmal 4-for-21 (19.0 percent). Worse, Humrichous isn't noticeably contributing much elsewhere, underscoring his shooting struggles. But he should get a lot of open looks against a Cougars squad that simply lacks the size and athletes to stay connected to the Illini when they spread the floor.

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