Scouting Illinois' Next Opponent: What to Expect From SIU Edwardsville

Learn what the Illini are up against when the Cougars visit Champaign's State Farm Center on Friday

Nov 6, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Kanaan Carlyle (9) defends against SIU Edwardsville Cougars guard Ray'Sean Taylor (3) during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

After Illinois successfully defended home court in its season opener on Monday with a 112-67 win over Eastern Illinois, the Illini (1-0) are set to welcome another in-state opponent in SIU Edwardsville to the State Farm Center on Friday (7 p.m. CT).

Fresh off their journey to the Hoosier State to take on No. 17 Indiana, the Cougars will be playing in their second straight Big Ten matchup. Despite falling 80-61 in Bloomington, SIUE (1-1) played 40 competitive minutes against the Hoosiers and should represent a step up in competition from Illinois’ first matchup.

Here’s what the Illini can expect from the Cougars:

Strengths

Offensive glass

Despite being undersized against an Indiana team led by 7-footer Oumar Ballo, the Cougars snagged a stunning 16 offensive rebounds, creating numerous second-chance opportunities that led to them putting up 36 points in the paint. To prevent SIUE from hanging around, the Illini must limit their opponent's second-effort chances.

Forcing turnovers

Despite applying minimal on-ball pressure, the Cougars forced 16 turnovers against Indiana. Playing sound defense and rotating effectively (except against the pick-and-roll), SIUE stayed sound and waited patiently for the Hoosiers to make mistakes – and pounced seemingly every time they did. After the Illini committed 22 turnovers in last week's exhibition loss to No. 24 Ole Miss, they need to be mindful of giving away possessions on the poor execution, bad decisions and lazy passes that were too prevalent against the Rebels.

Weaknesses

Shooting

SIUE got very little to fall against the Hoosiers, shooting 35.2 percent from the field – including an abysmal 19.2 percent from 3-point range. Just one game, you say? Maybe, but last year’s numbers tell a similar story: the Cougars shot a well-below-average rate of 33.2 percent from beyond the arc. Expect Illini coach Brad Underwood to take a similar approach against SIUE as he did to EIU, dropping to protect the rim and daring the Cougars to beat UI with perimeter jumpers when coming off screens.

Pick-and-roll defense

Although the Cougars rotated and dutifully helped against Indiana, they were absolutely lost against the two-man game. Every time the Hoosiers went to any ball-screen action, the possession always seemed to end with a Ballo alley-oop score. Fortunately for SIUE, Indiana didn’t seem to notice until late in the second half Wednesday, when the game was already out of hand. Underwood may go to a lot of screen action early, likely between guard Kasparas Jakucionis and forward Ben Humrichous (pick-and-pop) and center Tomislav Ivisic (pops and dives to the rim).

This angle of Oumar Ballo’s slam 🎥🔥#B1GMBBall x @IndianaMBB pic.twitter.com/POZvok5R1A

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 7, 2024

Player to Watch

Ray’Sean Taylor

Against Indiana, Taylor put up 17 points, two rebounds, two assists and three steals. SIU Edwardsville runs much of its offense through Taylor, a 6-foot-1 guard who entered the 2024-25 season ranked third among all Division I players in career scoring (1,314 points). Expect Illini guard Kylan Boswell, a lockdown on-ball defender, to draw the matchup.

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