Cracking the Code of Illinois' Defensive Mastery
How the Fighting Illini Defense Turns Opponents into Mid-Range Shooters
The Illinois defense has been a dominant force to start the season. Before delving into the film analysis, let's take a closer look at their impressive rankings among 362 Division-1 teams in several key stats, as provided by CBBanalytics.com:
12th in Net Rating
2nd in Defensive Rating
5th in Opponent Points/Game
1st in Defensive Rebounds/Game
2nd in Opponent Assists/Game
9th in Fewest Fouls/Game
Their success in these areas is particularly intriguing. Illinois employs a contrasting defensive style compared to what they typically encounter. Opposing defenses often focus on protecting the paint and preventing Illinois' dribble-drive penetration, sometimes leaving Illini shooters open in an attempt to seal off drives to the rim. In contrast, Illinois plays straight up defense. They avoid over-helping or leaving three-point shooters unattended. Instead, they rely on their defensive skills and length to force opponents into one-on-one situations.
I've thoroughly enjoyed examining their shot charts, and thanks to CBBanalytics.com, we can take a closer look at Illinois' defensive shot profile below.
The left chart displays opponent accuracy, with blue indicating lower opponent accuracy and red indicating higher opponent accuracy in each zone compared to the Division-1 average.
The right chart illustrates where opponents are taking their shots, color-coded to show whether they are below (blue) or above (red) the Division-1 average.
Let's zero in on the left chart, where Illinois' opponents have managed to convert only 18 out of 103 mid-range shots this season, resulting in a mere 17.5% accuracy rate. Now, taking a closer look at the right chart, we can see that Illinois is effectively forcing their opponents to take 22.4% of their shots from mid-range. These two charts combined illustrate that Illinois excels at forcing opponents into attempting and missing more challenging two-point shots than any other team. Now, let's delve into the defensive numbers below:
Illinois boasts the lowest opponent 2-point percentage in the country and, intriguingly, also holds the lowest number of opponent-assisted three-pointers. The question is, what's their secret to limiting threes and compelling opponents to take tough two-point shots? To uncover the answer, let's analyze some game footage from the Illinois vs. Rutgers matchup.
Tough Two’s
In this first clip, it's evident that Illinois' defensive strategy is at play. Hawkins maintains drop coverage, and Domask effectively slows down the roller, ultimately forcing the opponent to settle for a pull-up mid-range jumper from 20 feet out. Illinois appears to be content with this outcome, as it aligns with their defensive objective of compelling opponents to take long mid-range twos. This approach aims to minimize higher-percentage shots (threes & rim attempts) and plays into Illinois' defensive strengths.
It's clear that Illinois' defensive execution in the second clip is impressive. Rutgers struggles to generate any offense off the screen, and when they attempt a dribble drive, Rodgers effectively halts their progress. What's particularly noteworthy is how Illinois maintains its defensive discipline. Instead of overcommitting or helping excessively, they stay attentive to their assignments. As a result, Rutgers first two passing option looks are covered. The end result is Rutgers having to settle for a less desirable shot – a drifting/fading mid-range jumper after the third pass option received the ball. Illinois' ability to maintain defensive integrity in such situations demonstrates their commitment to forcing opponents into challenging shot selections.
For the drop coverage to be effective, Illinois must ensure that the roller doesn't get past the drop coverage while also creating enough deterrence to slow down the ball handler, allowing the on-ball defender to rejoin the play. The on-ball defender then needs to navigate over the screen and return to the front to contest the shot. Credit Harmon in the video above for successfully fighting over the screen and reestablishing his position in front of his opponent, forcing a challenging mid-range jumper.
In this fourth clip, we witness Marcus Domask executing an 'ice' on the pick-and-roll. 'Icing' involves attempting to confine the ball handler to one side of the court. Domask steps out to thwart Rutgers from utilizing the screen, compelling the ball handler to move to the right and limiting their options to the right side of the floor. As a result, Illinois forces a step-back fadeaway mid-range jumper. This precisely embodies the defensive strategy's objective and the reason for its success. They avoid excessive help defense or ball-watching that might lead to open three-pointers or cutting opportunities to the basket. Instead, they remain solid and force their opponents to take long two-point shots.
Ty Rodgers Battling
Obviously the opponent is going to score, but Illinois is going to make them earn it.
Ty Rodgers successfully defends the initial drive, but Aundre Hyatt's impressive spin move results in two points for the Scarlet Knights. It's essential to note that no Illini teammates came to help; Ty Rodgers was left alone to handle his assignment. This exemplifies Illinois' defensive style, which avoids excessive help defense and leaving open shooter. The opponent won't find easy offense against Illinois; they have to earn every basket. The question is, can they consistently replicate this scoring
In another Hyatt drive against Rodgers, Ty maintains his position in front of him, hands up, and uses his length effectively. This defensive stance forces Hyatt into a situation where he has no easy outlet, and he's compelled to attempt a challenging shot. Notably, Hansberry could have chosen to come over and offer unnecessary help, potentially leaving Cliff Omoruyi wide open for an offensive rebound and putback. However, Illinois remains disciplined, trusting their teammates to contest and induce difficult shots. By maintaining their solid defensive structure, they are also well-prepared to box out and secure rebounds.
Ty Rodgers can switch onto many players. Here he switches on and hounds the freshman Gavin Griffiths. Almost too much as Gavin gains an advantage and has a lane to the hoop, but somehow Ty Rodgers is able to get back in front and contest the shot. Notice Hansberry doesn’t over help. He takes a step towards the ball to make Gavin think about it, but if Hansberry leaves his man, then Omoruyi will likely score off the pass or putback. Illinois stays true and stays solid.
The caveat on some of these is Rutgers is a bad offensive team. Even on this above play, a veteran player would have probably jumped off one foot and used their body to shield Rodgers and it’s a layup. And Illinois also makes their mistakes as well.
Illinois Defensive Mishaps
Remember earlier when I said for drop coverage to work, you can’t let the roller get past the dropman. Welp…
A miscommunication among Illinois players leads to a dunk for Rutgers.
Rutgers runs a Chicago action play here, with Hyatt receiving an off-ball pin-down screen leading into the dribble handoff (DHO). As soon as Hawkins takes a step over, Hyatt recognizes the opportunity and delivers a pass to the open roller for a dunk. Hawkins can't allow the roller to get past him. It appears as though he went for the switch instead of the drop coverage, but Domask is already trailing from the pin-down screen, not to mention the screen off the DHO. Domask is beaten and unable to recover in time.
If Hawkins had maintained drop coverage here, it would likely have resulted in a mid-range shot rather than a dunk. On the other hand, one could argue that Terrence Shannon switching onto Hyatt during the pin-down action would have been beneficial. If switching was part of the game plan, then Domask should have gone under the screen to be in a better position to slow down the roller.
Dain Dainja finds himself switched onto the 6-4 senior guard Austin Williams (24), who attempts to drive past Dainja. Terrence Shannon is quick to notice this situation. Even though his assigned player clears out to the far corner, Shannon remains positioned under the basket to provide help defense. His decision is well-founded. There might be a potential mismatch with Dainja guarding Williams, and Rutgers exhibits poor spacing, with three players closely grouped together, making it easier for Goode and Harmon to cover them. However, both Harmon and Goode's assigned players cut to the basket, drawing both defenders away from the corner and leaving Hyatt open for a three-pointer.
This defensive strategy is somewhat unconventional for Illinois, as they typically avoid overcommitting and leaving shooters open. Normally, Terrence Shannon Jr. (TSJ) would be in the corner, and Illinois aims to force Williams (24) into taking a difficult shot over Dainja's extended reach.
Opposing Defense Protects The Paint
It's been enjoyable to observe Illinois' defensive scheme compared to how opponents scheme against them. Illinois compels their opponents to attempt challenging two-point shots, while they themselves focus on taking three-pointers and shots at the rim on offense.
It all begins with the initial Terrence Shannon ball screen rejection and drive, which draws Ty Rodgers' defender. Rodgers then cuts to the basket and receives the ball. Rutgers goes into panic mode as they successfully defended TSJ but are now scrambling to rotate and help the helpers, leaving Harmon wide open for a three-pointer. TSJ creates the advantage, Ty Rodgers maintains it with the cut and serves as a connector, while Harmon becomes the finisher. It's a classic example of taking what the defense gives you.
Rutgers is often caught leaving shooters, helping on defense, and then having to scramble to rotate. This is a scenario Illinois typically avoids, as they don't overcommit or double-team the ball. However, it's worth noting that Illinois isn't facing the formidable force that is TSJ.
Rutgers takes a gamble in the passing lane, and Ty Rodgers seizes the opportunity by driving and drawing the attention of Goode's defender. The result is a wide-open three-pointer for Goode, and there's no doubt about it.
In contrast, Illinois tends to avoid such risky gambles. Their defensive strategy revolves around maintaining solidity, staying in front of their assigned players, contesting shots, and preventing open looks and easy scoring opportunities.
Two steals just because
Because Illinois emphasizes a solid defensive approach rather than doubling and gambling, they don't generate many turnovers. In fact, they rank 351st in Division-1 in steal percentage and 349th in steals per game. Nonetheless, I have a couple of examples to share with you, just for fun.I’m guessing (2) Noah Fernandes was planning on reversing and driving left on this DHO, but there is so much space between him and the screener, that Ty Rodgers is essentially like a cornerback taking over the route and steals the ball.
Coleman Hawkins is in drop coverage, and he maintains a solid defensive stance. He doesn't need to be overly concerned with the roller, who got caught up on the screen. There's no significant gamble involved here. Derek Simpson attempts a mid-range pull-up, but Hawkins, utilizing his length and reach, disrupts the play by dislodging the ball during the gather.
Not a steal, but I wanted to highlight this excellent play by Coleman Hawkins at the start of the second half against Rutgers. He executed perfect drop coverage and disrupted the post entry, resulting in a turnover for Rutgers.
TSJ Block
Terrence Shannon Jr is special. And this wasn’t even his best block of the game.
Stats vs Film
Hopefully I was able to show you why Illinois leads division-1 in certain stats
2nd in defensive rating
They force opponents to attempt and miss a significant number of challenging two-point shots.
2nd in opponent assists per game
Their disciplined defensive approach avoids overcommitting and providing opportunities for opponents to pass to open shooters or cutters. This forces opponents into more one-on-one situations, limiting their assists.
1st in defensive rebounds per game
Their solid defensive positioning means players are ready to box out effectively.
Plus the size advantage
1st in opponent 2p%
Illinois employs a sound drop coverage strategy and avoids leaving shooters open, compelling opponents to take less efficient shots.
Caveats
Let's keep in mind that Illinois has faced some weaker offensive teams, and it will be interesting to see how they fare against stronger competition. Marquette is a good team, but Rutgers has struggled with one of the worst offenses in the Big Ten and shooting woes. The Illinois defense, while impressive, does have its vulnerabilities. For example, Kansas effectively utilized the empty side pick-and-roll, which could become a trend among opposing teams.
Furthermore, it's worth noting that elite players can still put up high point totals against this defense. Tyler Kolek scored 24 against Illinois this year, Trayce Jackson-Davis had 35 and 26 points in two games last year, and Jalen Pickett once dropped 41 points and 8 assists on Illinois.
Your Homework
As you watch Illinois this year, I ask that you pay attention to both their defense and the opponents' defense. Observe which teams help off drives and pack the paint versus teams that stick to their matchups and play one-on-one defense. Then take note of the offensive strategies that these defensive schemes allow.
I would recommend you to check out the CBB Analytics website. When signing up, one can view the stats of their default team for free. This allows you to explore Illinois’ shot charts and track how the defense is performing throughout the season at no cost.
Let's see if Illinois can maintain their defensive dominance.