Three Last Minute Iowa vs. Illinois Predictions

It's crazy to think the Hawkeyes are shooting 51.9% from the field, which is roughly 12% higher than what Illinois allows. If the Fighting Illini have their way, nothing is going to come easy for an Iowa offense that has put up some of their best performances on this court.

Knowing Illinois holds their opponents to 39.4% shooting, first-year head coach Ben McCollum needs to make sure Iowa is making the right decisions. Whether it's slowing the game down or making the extra pass, Iowa can't afford to fall into Illinois trap. They've struggled against good teams before, but this is their first time playing a ranked opponent at home, which is going to be a huge difference.

2. The Hawkeyes Compete On The Glass

If Iowa wants to win this game, they have to rebound the ball. As simple as it sounds, that's something this team has simply failed to do in their last 10 games. Averaging 28.3 rebounds in that stretch, they're grabbing nearly 10 fewer boards per game than Illinois.

Illinois' total sits at 37.3 in a three-game stretch, which is much, much better than what McCollum's squad is putting up. This obviously depends on who is shooting well and all of that, but Iowa can't afford to fall behind in this department.

3. Bennett Stirtz Breaks The Ranked Curse

Iowa's star player has failed to shoot higher than 40% against ranked teams this season. Granted, Iowa has only played two of them, but that's still not a great percentage to have.

He may have led the way with 14 points against Michigan State, but that's far from a number this team is used to seeing out of him. The Drake transfer is coming off another disastrous shooting performance against the Golden Gophers, but he still scored 21 points as he has 20+ in his last three.