The Illini crushed Northwestern last night 88-63, shooting a school record 70.5% from the field. As I've read in a few places today, if the Illini are shooting well they can play with, and beat, any team in the country. The Duck Blue Devils included.What interests me more though is that the team increased its lead at the outset of the second half. Letting up on teams and coasting is the Achilles heel of this group of Illini seniors, and I'm encouraged to see them show a killer instinct.
Apparently it's something the team has been practicing, as Mark Tupper noted in his blog post today:
He [Weber] seemed most pleased by the fact that after opening a 23-point lead at halftime, Illinois still came out strong and won the first five minutes of the second half. It’s something the team has been working on.
“We have actually practiced it by putting up the score. With 14 minutes to go we’re up by nine and we have to increase the lead in the next three minutes. If we don’t, we run. I’m trying to get them to understand playing with the lead. You can’t be relaxed and casual.”
If the Illini can learn how to put a foot on opponent's necks when they have them down, they could be a special team.
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