Illinois Basketball's Defensive Struggles: Tonight's Game Against Oregon

0:00On March 3rd, Illinois basketball has had a rollercoaster season on defense. The team struggled early, but seemed to fix things after a mid-December loss to Nebraska, kicking off a 12-game win streak. Lately, though, that progress has vanished, with tough losses to Michigan State Wisconsin, UCLA, and now Michigan. The Alini got key players back from injury, like Highland Boswell and Andre Stogecovich, which sparked some strong defensive showings, but those gains didn't last. Against UCLA, opponents shot over 50% from the field and drained 11 threes. Then Michigan dominated, hitting 52.5% while grabbing 11 offensive rebounds. Coach Brad Underwood owned the blame after the Michigan defeat, shifting away from excuses about refs or injuries. He stressed getting back to basics, calling it their daily vitamins that need to happen every day. Underwood pointed out Illinois's the tallest team in the country, so they must use that size and length to contashe shots and block our better.

1:00While their zone defence has worked at times, he wants a simpler approach focused on what they do best. Looking ahead to tonight's matchup with Oregon at 8pm Central Time on Peacock, the Alini hoped these tweaks turned things around before it's too. Late in the season, late in the season,