Basketball fans from Illinois have ideas about what to do against Duke at halftime.

The first half was pretty rough for the Illinois basketball program, as the Duke Blue Devils took it to us.

It was a rough start for the Illini. We started to jack up three-pointers early on, and this got us into a hole. Duke took advantage of the missed shots, and the game quickly turned into a double-digit deficit.

After Illinois got into a hole, we couldn’t climb back out. Duke wielded their tremendous talent and ability and suffocated the Illini for the entirety of the first half.

I would argue that this was the worst first half of basketball I have seen in the Brad Underwood era. Illinois was outmatched in every facet of the game, and the score was reflected at the half.

But how does Illinois go about fixing the issues at halftime? What can we do to right the ship and get it turned in the right direction?

Illinois basketball fans took a crack at what we could change to make the game against Duke more competitive

That seems like a simple task, but Illinois is on pace to give up over 100 points to Duke. Over the past couple of games, the Illini defense has been putrid.

That is not likely to happen, as Illinois is one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country. We are 15-of-18 from two-point range and 0-of-16 from three-point range in the first half.

Illinois has dug ourselves into such a hole that we kind of have to take more three-pointers now. Hopefully, some, or at least one, will go in.

Duke is torching Illinois right now. Defnese has been extremely disappointing. Regardless of how bad our shooting has been, defense can still remain strong but hasn’t.

Give that stomach bug to Duke. Unfortunately, incubation time won’t be in our favor

— Daron Absher (@norad88A) February 23, 2025

These are just some of the thoughts at the half against Duke. Illinois is down by 17 points, and it is hard to see a comeback. Maybe a spark in the second half could ignite a fire.