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If we didn’t know better, we would think Illinois basketball’s season is already in full swing. The Illini, who just played Friday night against Baylor, are back at it for another exhibition outing on Wednesday against in-state Missouri Valley squad UIC.
Here are three areas to monitor as Illinois strives to find its rhythm before the 2026-27 campaign officially gets underway:
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3 areas to monitor as Illinois basketball faces UIC in final exhibition game
Dec 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood before the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The defensive glass
Anyone following Illinois’ first two exhibition games couldn’t have missed it: The Illini have been horrid on the defensive boards. Both Cincinnati and Baylor snagged at least 12 offensive rebounds apiece, with the Bears grabbing a whopping 22.
A mid-major program like UIC surely couldn’t challenge Illinois in that department, though, right? Wrong. The Flames are loaded with length and athleticism across their roster, and they put an emphasis on attacking the offensive boards.
Last season UIC’s offensive rebounding rate of 36.3 percent ranked No. 22 in the country. It’s impossible to expect the Illini to come down with every shot the Flames put up, but it needs to be demonstrably better in the category against UIC than it has been in its first two exhibitions.
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Which freshmen will shine this time?
First, it was Ethan Brown and Quentin Coleman against Cincinnati. Then it was Lincoln Williams against Baylor (and, of course, Coleman again). So who will be it when UIC rolls into town?
Scorching-hot take: Bet on Coleman. (OK, that’s kinda lukewarm.) But who else might join him in the limelight, especially with so many Illini currently banged up? Zavier Zens and Lucas Morillo were both solid against Baylor. Landon Davis, who had some flashes at Cincy, was a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/3-illinois-basketball-areas-watch-063802695.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-28 06:38:00
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