Penn State faces tough test vs No. 18 Illinois

Published Dec. 22, 2020 6:30 a.m. ET

Associated Press

No. 18 Illinois (5-3, 1-1) vs. Penn State (3-2, 0-1)

Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, Pennsylvania; Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 18 Illinois presents a tough challenge for Penn State. Penn State has . Illinois came up short in a 91-88 game at Rutgers on Sunday.

BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: The explosive Ayo Dosunmu is averaging 22.6 points, eight rebounds and 5.3 assists to lead the way for the Fighting Illini. Kofi Cockburn is also a big contributor, maintaining an average of 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. The Nittany Lions have been led by Izaiah Brockington, who is averaging 14 points and 5.6 rebounds.

KEY CONTRIBUTIONS: Dosunmu has made or assisted on 41 percent of all Illinois field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has accounted for 28 field goals and 12 assists in those games.

PERFECT WHEN: Illinois is a perfect 5-0 when it holds an opponent to 75 points or fewer. The Fighting Illini are 0-3 when opponents score more than 75.

ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Nittany Lions have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Fighting Illini. Penn State has 45 assists on 82 field goals (54.9 percent) over its past three matchups while Illinois has assists on 51 of 97 field goals (52.6 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The Penn State offense has recorded a turnover on only 15.3 percent of its possessions, which is the 23rd-lowest rate in the country. The Illinois defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 15.1 percent of all possessions (ranked 316th among Division I teams).

___

For more AP college basketball coverage:

___

This was generated by Automated Insights,