For Illinois fans, this isn’t a great matchup. It would be great if our strength matched Arkansas’ weakness, but that is not the case at all.

This season, Illinois has been a crazy three-point shooting program. I thought the 2023-2024 campaign was eye-popping when we made 23.9 three-point attempts per game. This year’s team says, “Hold my beer.”

The Illini have been racking up three-pointers at an insane rate this season. We’re attempting 34.3 three-point attempts so far, which is No. 1 in the country. That’s right. We take the most three-pointers per game compared to any other program.

Typically, if you’re making the most three-point attempts, you want your three-point percentage to be at least in the top 100 nationally. However, that is not the case. Illinois shoots 33% from three-point range, which is in the mid-range and ranks No. 182 in the country.

Illinois seems to be all about the 3-and-D style of play this season. The bad thing for the Orange and Blue on Thursday is the fact that we are going up against one of the best three-point defenses in the country.

Arkansas comes into the game only allowing their opponents to shoot 26.8% from three-point range. That’s good enough to rank number 28 in the country.

Ultimately, I think it will be the three-point match that will decide the match. If Illinois can get open on a few shots and create space, I think we can have a big day. If not, Arkansas has a good chance to close us down.