Illini Coaches Have Highlighted Defensive Issues They’ll See in NCAA Tournament
By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer
March 16, 2022
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Following the win at Michigan State last month, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood came to his entire coaching staff with an edict.
After the earlier-than-anticipated exit from last year’s NCAA Tournament, Underwood wanted his assistant coaches and off-the-floor analysts to come to him with a list of three or four items that would cause Illinois problems in postseason play. The Ubben Practice Facility lab of assistant coaches consisting of Chester Frazier, Geoff Alexander and Tim Anderson came up with three items for a deep dive look: defending centers in pick-and-pop offense, ball screen coverages and transition defensive communication.
It should come as no surprise that the Illini coaches are focused on the defensive end of the floor as, according to KenPom.com, they’re 32nd in the nation in overall defensive efficiency, 27th in defending two-point field goals but 100th in defending the three-point arc.
