For Malcom Hill and the rest of the Illini, Tuesday night will just be another game. While a marquee matchup at Madison Square Garden against one of the top 10 teams in the nation may on the surface seem daunting, the team has focused on treating it like they would any other game, with confidence and preparation.
“I’m just gonna treat it as another game.” said Hill on Monday. “I don’t wanna let my emotions get the best of me and play too hard and get too excited.”
Hill, who is averaging 13.9 PPG will be an key factor against #7 Villanova. His ability to shoot the jump shot was well as penetrate the paint will be important against a physical Wildcats team that is giving up only 55.8 PPG in the early part of the season. What gives that statistic more credibility are their two wins over ranked teams, #14 VCU and #19 Michigan, in which they held their opponents to 53 and 55 points, respectively.
Like Illinois, Villanova plays four guards, a testament to their ability to move and shoot the ball. Their leading scorer Dylan Ennis is averaging 12.3 PPG and will likely face up against Hill. However, Ennis is only one of the Wildcats weapons that the Illini will be concerned about stopping. They have lots of variation in scoring, with seven players averaging at least 7.5 PPG.
“They had a lot of scorers.” Hill said. “They share the ball as a team. They don’t have just one guy who can score the ball, they can all score the ball and I think that they share it really well.”
The Illini are coming off of a 70-55 win against American University. The game marked a buffer in a tough stretch of the season in which the Illini played at #15 Miami and now in New York against #7 Villanova.
Look for them to get going early as they have struggled in the first half against tougher teams. Nnanna Egwu will need to play well and make his presence know in order to give Illinois an inside advantage. Let’s get this win!
Prediction: Villanova 65-61
The Groce Report 