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Illinois Basketball: 3 keys to beating Baylor in 2020 Jimmy V Classic matchup

By Carter Landis

Mar 1, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) celebrates his three point shot during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu (11) celebrates his three point shot during the second half against the Indiana Hoosiers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois Basketball
Illinois Basketball Trent Frazier Da’Monte Williams ( Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

Illinois Basketball faces their toughest test of the season so far when they take on the Baylor Bears in Indianapolis.

Illinois Basketball has looked incredibly sharp this season, and looks to silence the doubters and win the Big Ten, something they haven’t done since they won the Big Ten in 2005, on the way to a second-place National Championship finish.

This is the best Illinois team since that 2005 team led by Deron Williams. Ayo Dosunmu is a National Player of the Year candidate and is playing himself into being a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Adam Miller has been the best freshman in the Big Ten. Brad Underwood’s guys look ready to take over the college basketball world.

But they have a tall task in front of them on Wednesday night when they take on Jared Butler and the Baylor Bears. Baylor comes into Bankers Life Fieldhouse as the No. 2 team in the country, after two blowout wins against Louisiana and Washington.

Scott Drew’s team always plays suffocating defense, and this Baylor team can shoot the lights out, averaging 99 points per game. Baylor finished 2nd last year to Kansas in the Big 12 and had a real shot to win the conference tournament if it had happened. They return their top contributors in Mark Vital and Jared Butler and looked primed to win the conference.

The Illini come into the game as 7-point underdogs. What are the keys for them to pull off the upset on Wednesday?

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