Kofi Cockburn in battle of bigs as Illinois Basketball battles Loyola Chicago

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 19: Adam Miller #44, Andre Curbelo #5, and Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrate against the Drexel Dragons in the second half of the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 19, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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Ayo Dosunmu Illinois Basketball (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

3. Fast Start for the Illini

Illinois needs to get off to a fast start right out of the gate. Against Drexel, the Illini did not get off to the best start. Illinois had multiple scoring draughts in the first half before they were able to pull away from the Dragons. Loyola Chicago will be amped for this matchup to prove they can hang and play well against Illinois.

Getting off to a fast start could help make the Ramblers press into some early mistakes, force shots, and possibly turn the ball over. The longer you let Loyola Chicago stay in the game, the more they start to believe and just get that much more confident overall. A fast start could help Illinois create a lead that ends up being the difference between winning and losing at the end of the game.

2. Take care of the ball

As mentioned earlier, the Ramblers are one of the better defensive teams in the country. Georgia Tech had 12 turnovers against the pesky Ramblers defense. Illinois did only have 5 turnovers against Drexel. No offense to the CAA Tournament champions in Drexel, but the Ramblers are a tougher matchup, and a better unit overall in my opinion.

Coach Porter Moser and the Ramblers will most likely throw the kitchen sink at Brad Underwood and the Illini with different defensive looks, and presses to throw Illinois off their game as much as possible. Illinois needs to play their game, and not force things that are not there. Teams that usually get out of their comfort zone with their style of play are the ones heading home earlier than normal come March.

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