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Tag Archives: Illini
UCLA Bruins vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Live Score and Stats – November 18, 2022 Gametracker
19:46
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses two point layup
19:44
RJ Melendez offensive rebound
19:39
RJ Melendez turnover (back court violation)
19:27
+2
Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point jump shot (Amari Bailey assists)
39-28
19:13
Terrence Shannon Jr. turnover (lost ball)
19:13
Fighting Illini 30 second timeout
19:13
TV timeout
18:52
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point stepback jump shot
18:50
Jaime Jaquez Jr. offensive rebound
18:36
+2
Jaylen Clark makes two point layup (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists)
41-28
18:12
Matthew Mayer misses two point stepback jump shot
18:10
Amari Bailey defensive rebound
18:10
Tyger Campbell technical foul
18:10
Tyger Campbell turnover
18:10
+1
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes technical free throw 1 of 1
41-29
17:53
+3
Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes three point jump shot (Adem Bona assists)
44-29
17:39
+3
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes three point stepback jump shot
44-32
17:29
Tyger Campbell turnover (lost ball) (Sencire Harris steals)
17:19
+2
Coleman Hawkins makes two point dunk (Sencire Harris assists)
44-34
17:00
Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Sencire Harris steals)
16:57
+2
Sencire Harris makes two point driving layup
44-36
16:57
Tyger Campbell turnover (Skyy Clark steals)
16:57
Skyy Clark offensive foul
16:57
Skyy Clark turnover (offensive foul)
16:47
Terrence Shannon Jr. shooting foul (Amari Bailey draws the foul)
16:47
Amari Bailey misses regular free throw 1 of 2
16:47
Amari Bailey misses regular free throw 2 of 2
16:47
Adem Bona offensive rebound
16:46
+2
Adem Bona makes two point putback layup
46-36
16:31
Skyy Clark turnover (bad pass)
16:01
Jaylen Clark misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot
15:59
Bruins offensive rebound
15:57
TV timeout
15:44
Tyger Campbell misses two point layup
15:42
Jayden Epps defensive rebound
15:37
Jayden Epps misses two point layup
15:37
Fighting Illini offensive rebound
15:24
+2
Matthew Mayer makes two point layup
46-38
14:56
Amari Bailey misses two point jump shot
14:54
Coleman Hawkins defensive rebound
14:45
+3
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes three point jump shot (Coleman Hawkins assists)
46-41
14:29
Sencire Harris personal foul (David Singleton draws the foul)
14:12
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point fadeaway jump shot
14:10
Jaylen Clark offensive rebound
14:05
+2
Jaylen Clark makes two point tip layup
48-41
13:47
Amari Bailey shooting foul (Jayden Epps draws the foul)
13:47
+1
Jayden Epps makes regular free throw 1 of 2
48-42
13:47
+1
Jayden Epps makes regular free throw 2 of 2
48-43
13:34
Tyger Campbell misses two point jump shot
13:32
Fighting Illini defensive rebound
13:08
Jayden Epps misses two point jump shot
13:06
Bruins defensive rebound
12:49
Dylan Andrews misses two point jump shot
12:47
Jayden Epps defensive rebound
12:36
Adem Bona blocks Terrence Shannon Jr.’s two point layup
12:34
David Singleton defensive rebound
12:21
+3
David Singleton makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Clark assists)
51-43
12:08
+2
Dain Dainja makes two point layup (Coleman Hawkins assists)
51-45
11:57
Dylan Andrews turnover (bad pass) (Coleman Hawkins steals)
11:55
+2
Skyy Clark makes two point layup (Coleman Hawkins assists)
51-47
11:55
Jaime Jaquez Jr. shooting foul (Skyy Clark draws the foul)
11:53
TV timeout
11:53
+1
Skyy Clark makes regular free throw 1 of 1
51-48
11:28
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point layup
11:26
Dain Dainja defensive rebound
11:27
Jump ball. Jaime Jaquez Jr. vs. Dain Dainja (Jaime Jaquez Jr. gains possession)
11:19
Dain Dainja turnover (lost ball) (Jaime Jaquez Jr. steals)
11:12
Adem Bona misses two point layup
11:10
Coleman Hawkins defensive rebound
11:12
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses three point jump shot
11:10
Jaylen Clark defensive rebound
10:46
Tyger Campbell misses two point jump shot
10:47
Bruins offensive rebound
10:44
Jaylen Clark turnover (bad pass)
10:26
Adem Bona blocks Sencire Harris’s two point layup
10:24
Bruins defensive rebound
10:10
Dain Dainja shooting foul (Jaime Jaquez Jr. draws the foul)
10:10
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2
10:10
+1
Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2
52-48
9:49
+2
Dain Dainja makes two point reverse layup (Skyy Clark assists)
52-50
9:49
Adem Bona shooting foul (Dain Dainja draws the foul)
9:49
+1
Dain Dainja makes regular free throw 1 of 1
52-51
9:31
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point layup
9:29
Jaime Jaquez Jr. offensive rebound
9:29
Dain Dainja personal foul
9:24
Jaylen Clark misses two point layup
9:22
Skyy Clark defensive rebound
9:10
+2
Skyy Clark makes two point reverse layup
52-53
9:03
David Singleton turnover (lost ball)
8:50
Skyy Clark misses three point jump shot
8:48
Jaime Jaquez Jr. defensive rebound
8:37
Tyger Campbell misses two point layup
8:35
Matthew Mayer defensive rebound
8:27
+2
Sencire Harris makes two point layup (Terrence Shannon Jr. assists)
52-55
8:27
Bruins 30 second timeout
8:27
TV timeout
8:23
Tyger Campbell offensive foul
8:23
Tyger Campbell turnover (offensive foul)
8:02
+3
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes three point jump shot
52-58
7:31
+2
Tyger Campbell makes two point pullup jump shot
54-58
7:09
+2
Dain Dainja makes two point turnaround hook shot (Matthew Mayer assists)
54-60
6:50
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point pullup jump shot
6:48
David Singleton offensive rebound
6:40
Skyy Clark personal foul (Tyger Campbell draws the foul)
6:37
+3
David Singleton makes three point jump shot (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists)
57-60
6:20
Matthew Mayer misses three point jump shot
6:18
Coleman Hawkins offensive rebound
6:12
+3
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes three point jump shot (Matthew Mayer assists)
57-63
5:56
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses three point jump shot
5:54
Bruins offensive rebound
5:36
+2
Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point turnaround jump shot
59-63
5:19
Jayden Epps misses three point jump shot
5:17
Adem Bona defensive rebound
4:57
Jaylen Clark misses two point jump shot
4:55
Matthew Mayer defensive rebound
4:37
Jaylen Clark personal foul (Terrence Shannon Jr. draws the foul)
4:35
+3
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes three point jump shot (Jayden Epps assists)
59-66
4:26
Jaime Jaquez Jr. offensive foul
4:26
Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (offensive foul)
4:01
Skyy Clark misses three point jump shot
3:59
Matthew Mayer offensive rebound
3:59
David Singleton shooting foul (Matthew Mayer draws the foul)
3:59
TV timeout
3:59
+1
Matthew Mayer makes regular free throw 1 of 2
59-67
3:59
+1
Matthew Mayer makes regular free throw 2 of 2
59-68
3:37
Terrence Shannon Jr. blocks David Singleton’s two point layup
3:35
Jayden Epps defensive rebound
3:26
Matthew Mayer misses three point jump shot
3:24
Amari Bailey defensive rebound
3:20
+2
Jaylen Clark makes two point layup (Tyger Campbell assists)
61-68
2:53
+3
Terrence Shannon Jr. makes three point jump shot (Matthew Mayer assists)
61-71
2:31
David Singleton misses three point jump shot
2:29
Bruins offensive rebound
2:29
Skyy Clark personal foul
2:29
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 1
2:29
Jayden Epps defensive rebound
2:05
Fighting Illini 30 second timeout
2:02
Terrence Shannon Jr. misses two point layup
2:00
Jaylen Clark defensive rebound
2:02
Coleman Hawkins personal foul (Jaylen Clark draws the foul)
2:02
Jaylen Clark misses regular free throw 1 of 1
2:02
Matthew Mayer defensive rebound
1:56
Matthew Mayer turnover (lost ball) (Jaime Jaquez Jr. steals)
1:55
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point layup
1:53
Fighting Illini defensive rebound
1:55
Dylan Andrews personal foul (Coleman Hawkins draws the foul)
1:55
Coleman Hawkins misses regular free throw 1 of 1
1:55
Jaime Jaquez Jr. defensive rebound
1:49
+2
Tyger Campbell makes two point layup
63-71
1:34
Amari Bailey personal foul (Skyy Clark draws the foul)
1:34
+1
Skyy Clark makes regular free throw 1 of 2
63-72
1:34
+1
Skyy Clark makes regular free throw 2 of 2
63-73
1:25
+3
David Singleton makes three point jump shot (Tyger Campbell assists)
66-73
1:23
Bruins 30 second timeout
1:13
+2
Coleman Hawkins makes two point layup (Matthew Mayer assists)
66-75
1:13
Jaime Jaquez Jr. shooting foul (Coleman Hawkins draws the foul)
1:13
+1
Coleman Hawkins makes regular free throw 1 of 1
66-76
1:02
Coleman Hawkins blocks Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s two point layup
1:01
Jump ball. (Fighting Illini gains possession)
1:00
Coleman Hawkins defensive rebound
0:56
Jayden Epps turnover (bad pass) (Jaylen Clark steals)
0:56
Skyy Clark shooting foul (Jaylen Clark draws the foul)
0:56
Jaylen Clark misses regular free throw 1 of 2
0:56
+1
Jaylen Clark makes regular free throw 2 of 2
67-76
0:50
Coleman Hawkins turnover (lost ball)
0:40
Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses three point jump shot
0:38
Coleman Hawkins defensive rebound
0:09
+3
Skyy Clark makes three point jump shot (Matthew Mayer assists)
67-79
0:04
+3
Tyger Campbell makes three point jump shot
70-79
0:00
End of period
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Illini land Baylor transfer Matthew Mayer
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini got back in the transfer portal and landed another long, versatile wing.
Matthew Mayer announced on Friday he is transferring to Illinois after spending the last four years at Baylor. Mayer entered the NBA Draft with the option to retain his collegiate eligibility and also entered the transfer portal just prior to the May 1 deadline for immediate eligibility. He chose the Illini over three other finalists: North Carolina, Texas Tech and Memphis.
Mayer is the third player to join Illinois via the transfer portal since January. Big man Dain Dainja, also a Baylor transfer, joined Illinois at the semester break in January and wing Terrence Shannon Jr. signed a Big Ten Tender of Financial Agreement earlier this month.
Mayer was an integral role player for Baylor the last two seasons, which included a 55-9 overall record (27-5 Big 12) for the Bears, two No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and the 2021 NCAA Tournament title.
During the Bears’ national championship season in 2020-21, Mayer came off the bench in all 30 games, averaging 8.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 48.9% including 39.5% from three.
Last season, Mayer started all 33 games and averaged 9.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks while shooting 40.9% including 32.4% from three.
Illinois has two open scholarships remaining and is in the middle of undergoing a significant roster overhaul. Trent Frazier, Da’Monte Williams and Alfonso Plummer each exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Kofi Cockburn declared for the NBA Draft for a third time and cannot withdraw from the draft process after entering three times. Both Austin Hutcherson and Jacob Grandison also declared for the draft, but have not announced their intentions for next season. Both have at least one year of eligibility remaining. Andre Curbelo (St. John’s), Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara), Omar Payne (Jacksonville) and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (South Carolina) each entered the NCAA transfer portal.
According to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, the Illini have the No. 9 recruiting class in the county, which consists of Skyy Clark (No. 29), Ty Rodgers (No. 51), Jayden Epps (No. 68) and Sencire Harris (No. 110).
What it means: Illinois continues to get longer on the wing with the addition of Mayer, who is 6-foot-9. Head coach Brad Underwood and his coaching staff are constructing a versatile, athletic team that, in theory, will be extremely switchable at every position. After years of playing with a dominant big man — one of the best in Illinois program history — and revolving the offense around Cockburn, Illinois should play entirely differently next season. Mayer furthers that and is a big get for Illinois via the transfer portal. He, like Dainja, was on Baylor’s 2021 national championship team and should help usher in a new era of Illinois basketball.
Defensively, Mayer can switch and play multiple positions, which should fit in perfectly to what Underwood is after with next season’s team.
“There’s a great advantage in big wings,” Underwood said last week when discussing the addition of Shannon. “We’ve been able to play a little bit smaller. We’ve gotten away with that with Kofi. I look back at my Stephen F. Austin teams, my Oklahoma State teams, we had big wings and they were great rebounders and very versatile. If you’re not going to have 7-foot, 300 in the middle, you better figure out how to rebound and do some things. The versatility that brings for with what we do on the defensive side really excites me.”
Kofi Cockburn to enter NBA draft after three seasons with Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois junior Kofi Cockburn will enter the 2022 NBA draft and forgo his remaining college eligibility.
“I’m closing one of the most amazing chapters of my life,” Cockburn told ESPN on Wednesday. “I’m proud of what we accomplished in college, but I am not sure it can get much better than that. It’s a scary challenge now and I’m excited to rise to the occasion and try and prove people wrong.
“Thinking back to where I was three years ago when I entered college — people would be amazed to see the progress I made in becoming a two-time All-American. I’m planning on doing the same exact thing in my professional career: pushing my game to new heights.”
Cockburn already entered the NBA draft twice in 2020 and 2021 and cannot withdraw his name from consideration for a third time, according to league rules, making him ineligible to return to college basketball.
“I’m 100% in now,” Cockburn said. “I’m not going back to college. I’m signing with agent Todd Ramasar. I’ve tested the waters enough, I’m 100% dedicated to going all the way.”
Cockburn, a consensus first-team All-American, was the only player in college basketball to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this past season. He led Illinois to a 23-10 record and a Big Ten championship, which the Fighting Illini shared with Wisconsin. It was the first time Illinois won a regular-season title since 2005.
“If you watched us play, we had a lot of ups and downs,” Cockburn said. “A lot of injuries, COVID, players coming in and out — it was tough. We had to adjust. People are going to be wondering years from now what it was like to play college basketball during a pandemic.
“It was hard to be an All-American two years in a row. We proved to be winners regardless. We had the most wins in the last three years in the Big Ten of any team. People will remember that forever. NBA teams know I’m a winner now. I love to have fun, but I’m a competitor. It wasn’t about my individual goals. Winning was always the priority. That speaks for itself.”
A 7-foot-1 big man born in Kingston, Jamaica, Cockburn was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second straight season. He was a finalist for several player of the year awards, including the Wooden and Naismith as well as the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, presented to the nation’s best center.
“My dream is to be one of the best players in the NBA, especially from Jamaica,” Cockburn said. “I’m playing for something bigger than myself. This is for my country, my people.”
Cockburn, the No. 89 prospect in the ESPN 100, established himself as one of the most physically imposing players in the college game the past three years, with his 7-foot-4 wingspan, 9-foot-3 standing reach and 285-pound frame. His 341 points scored with his back to the basket ranked second in college basketball, according to Synergy Sports Technology.
“I know I’ll have to be a different play in the NBA than I was in college,” he said. “I’m excited about the opportunity. It won’t be about being a low-post scorer against double teams. I’m actually excited about not seeing double teams anymore. From now on it’s about my dedication to being the most fit athlete possible. I look around the league and I’m inspired by the level of physicality and conditioning. That’s where I need to get. There’s no fat on my body, but I can lean out and get faster, quicker, more athletic.
“The NBA values players like Steven Adams and Jonas Valanciunas — guys who set great screens, who know the pick and roll game, how to slip and seal, how to be a physical defender and rebounder who blocks shots. My size can be a major advantage in the NBA. I don’t need the ball to be happy.”
With Cockburn off to the pro ranks, Illinois will need to replace possibly five of its top seven scorers, with Alfonso Plummer, Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams all out of eligibility after five years in college. Sophomore Andre Curbelo elected to transfer to St. John’s, while senior Jacob Grandison is currently undecided about returning for his fifth season of eligibility.
Illinois is bringing in a strong recruiting class with three top-100 prospects in Skyy Clark, Ty Rodgers and Jayden Epps, and is expected to be aggressive pursuing veterans in the transfer portal, especially in the frontcourt. Sophomore power forward Coleman Hawkins looks poised for a breakout season, and freshman small forward RJ Melendez was highly regarded coming into college.
The NBA draft combine will be May 16-22 in Chicago, and the draft will be June 23 in Brooklyn, New York.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and International teams.
Illinois vs. Ohio State score: Illini secure first Big Ten Tournament title since 2005 with win over Buckeyes
The Big Ten delivered all season while cementing its place as the top conference in college basketball, and Sunday’s conference tournament final served as a fitting cap. No. 2 seed Illinois outlasted No. 5 seed Ohio State 91-88 in an overtime battle of heavyweights destined for great seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State battled back from an early 27-10 deficit to take their first lead of the game with 5:35 left. But the Illini found their footing from there to lock up their first conference tournament title since 2005. That 2005 team went on to appear in the national title game, and this team has similar aspirations as it heads to the Big Dance with a 23-6 record.
Despite the final loss, the Big Ten Tournament represented a return to form for Ohio State (21-9), which had dropped four straight to close the regular season. The Buckeyes won three close games — including an overtime victory against Purdue in the quarterfinals and a dramatic victory over rival Michigan in Saturday’s semifinals — to reach the final. Duane Washington Jr. led the Buckeyes with 32 points on Sunday.
But in the end, an Illinois team led by star guard Ayo Dosunmu and center Kofi Cockburn proved too much to handle as the Illini captured a 2-1 lead in the season series with Ohio State. The duo also had plenty of help Sunday as Illinois saw six players reach double figures.
Start a bracket pool to compete against friends or fill out your bracket for a chance to win a brand new Nissan Rogue and a college basketball dream trip. Get in the action today!
Below is the complete schedule and results from the tournament. For a look at the updated Big Ten Tournament bracket, click here.
2021 Big Ten Tournament schedule, scores
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) | Follow live: CBS Sports App
All times Eastern; some start times approximated
First round — Wednesday, March 10
Game 1: No. 13 Minnesota 51, No. 12 Northwestern 46 | Recap
Game 2: No. 11 Penn State 72, No. 14 Nebraska 66 | Recap
Second round — Thursday, March 11
Game 3: No. 8 Maryland 68, No. 9 Michigan State 57 | Recap
Game 4: No. 5 Ohio State 79, No. 13 Minnesota 75 | Recap
Game 5: No. 7 Rutgers 61, No. 10 Indiana 50 | Recap
Game 6: No. 6 Wisconsin 75, No. 11 Penn State 74 | Recap
Quarterfinals — Friday, March 12
Game 7: No. 1 Michigan 79, No. 8 Maryland 66 | Recap
Game 8: No. 5 Ohio State 87, No. 4 Purdue 78 (OT) | Recap
Game 9: No. 2 Illinois 90, No. 7 Rutgers 68 | Recap
Game 10: No. 3 Iowa 62, No. 6 Wisconsin 57 | Recap
Semifinals — Saturday, March 13
Game 11: No. 5 Ohio State 68, No. 1 Michigan 67 | Recap
Game 12: No. 2 Illinois 82, No. 3 Iowa 71 | Recap
Big Ten Tournament Championship Game — Sunday, March 14
Game 13: No. 2 Illinois 91, No. 5 Ohio State 88 | Recap
Follow below for updates, analysis and highlights throughout the event.
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Michigan vs. Illinois score, takeaways: Illini pound Wolverines, who slip to the No. 3 overall seed
What No. 4 Illinois did to No. 2 Michigan on Tuesday — on Michigan’s own court no less! — could be considered illegal in some jurisdictions.
Without the services of All-American guard Ayo Dosunmu, the Illini (19-6, Big Ten 15-4) dismantled the Wolverines 76-53. It was 33-22 at the half, the game quickly slipping away from Michigan. But it really got out of hand in the second half. Trent Frazier’s 16 second-half points (and game-high 22 points) carried Illinois to a whopping 43-31 advantage in the final 20 minutes.
Michigan (18-2, 13-2) has built its stellar season around physical play, tough defense, an efficient all-around offense and good 3-point shooting to buttress its attack. Illinois decided it wasn’t going to allow them to play their game. The result was a 42-26 rebounding disparity in the advantage of the Illini, and a woeful 2-of-7 finish from 3-point range for the Wolverines. Their 53 points marked their lowest scoring total all season and lowest since Dec. 3, 2019, when it failed to crack the 50-point mark in a loss to Louisville.
Both teams entered the evening as No. 1 seeds in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology. After the loss, Palm has the Wolverines staying a No. 1 seed, but dropping from the No. 2 to the No.3 national seed with their loss. The Illini remain the fourth No. 1 seed with their win, effectively holding steady on the top spot yet shifting ever-so-slightly. Gonzaga and Baylor are the top No. 1 seeds as a result of Tuesday’s action.
Illinois has now won 10 of its last 11 games and heaved itself into title contention after a bumpy couple of weeks in December and January. To demolish a Michigan team the way it did without Dosunmu, considering the way this Michigan team has played, should force you to recalibrate expectations. There are only a handful of true, viable teams capable of winning the tournament. The Illini showed with a statement they are undoubtedly among them.
Here are a few key takeaways:
Big game Trent Frazier
There are very few teams in college hoops who have as capable a third man as Illinois has with Trent Frazier. It’s a luxury that Illinois exploited with Dosunmu still ailing, as it thrust him into the spotlight and he responded. But even with Dosunmu, Frazier has shown flashes of brilliance. Thrice in the last 35 days he’s topped at least 22 points. That type of combustible potential is the type of talent that, paired with the star-studded duo of Dosunmu and Cockburn, can elevate Illinois from good to great.
Kofi Cockburn’s impact
I expected Cockburn would have a tough task against Michigan’s front line. So on paper, a 23-point Illinois win, you would think, mean Cockburn went off. Instead, he finished the game with 12 points and seven boards. But don’t stat-sheet surf. His impact goes beyond the box score here. His impact in this game was primarily on defense, where he held Hunter Dickinson to only six points and five boards. The team as a whole scored 24 points in the paint. That was Cockburn’s area to defend all evening and he held up his end of the bargain.
Don’t run away, Michigan believers
It’s easy after this kind of performance to talk yourself into thinking that maybe Michigan does not consider the top-tier status it’s earned throughout the season. No. Michigan remains a mammoth. It took a herculean defensive effort from Illinois and a brutally bad shooting night to expose Michigan into looking human. It can happen. This team still has the goods to be a title contender though between a top-five defense, top-10 offense, veteran experience, 3-point shooting and an NBA big in Dickinson. Don’t jump off the bandwagon just yet.
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Illini back in contention after knocking off No. 7 Iowa
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois basketball re-emerged as a Big Ten contender on Friday by knocking off No. 7 Iowa — first-place Michigan’s previous No. 1 contender — with an 80-75 win at State Farm Center.
In a game that was never separated by more than seven points, No. 19 Illinois (11-5, 7-3 Big Ten) edged Iowa (12-4, 6-3 Big Ten) with a 7-0 run near the end of the game, aided with clutch scoring, including a Jacob Grandison three, two Andre Curbelo free throws and two Trent Frazier free throws, and defensive stops.
Iowa did have a chance to tie with under 10 seconds left, but Jordan Bohannon missed a three. Kofi Cockburn (9 points, 10 rebounds) then missed the front end of a one-and-one but got his own rebound and was fouled again. He iced the game with two free throws.
Ayo Dosunmu led Illinois with 25 points (11-18 FG), including 19 in the first half. Trent Frazier scored a season-high 24 points (8-13 FG, 4-9 three), and Jacob Grandson had his first double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in an Illini uniform.
Joe Wieskamp led Iowa with 21 points, making 5 of 6 from three. But the Illini (and foul trouble) limited Luka Garza to 19 points and four rebounds, far under his averages (. Illinois made the national player of the year frontrunner work for his points. Connor McCaffery scored a season-high 11 points.
Both teams shot well from beyond the arc (Iowa 10-25 from three, Illinois 8-19 from three), but Illinois had an 11-point advantage at the free-throw line (14-17 FT to Iowa’s 3-6 FT). Iowa had an 18-8 advantage on points off turnovers, but Illinois had an 18-8 advantage in fastbreak points.
Saturday’s win was the Illini’s fifth win over an AP Top-10 team under Brad Underwood and third of the last calendar year.
What it means: Despite setbacks earlier this month against Maryland and Ohio State, the Illini are right back in the thick of the Big Ten title race following its first true marquee win of the season. The Illini now are in a tie for second place in the conference with Wisconsin and have the tiebreaker over Iowa, who they will not play again. Illinois played a full 40 minutes and had an edge throughout the game. Illinois looked like the top-10 team we all expected in the preseason, and so did Iowa. That was a heck of a game, and this is a heck of a rivalry.
Star of the game: Trent Frazier, Big Ten Bucket Getter, re-emerged and the Illini sorely needed him. Frazier’s 24 points were the most he’d scored since he poured in 30 against Minnesota on Jan. 30, 2019, almost exactly two years ago — a stretch of 59 games. If Frazier’s scoring continues to uptick, the Illini become far more dangerous. But Frazier also made a huge impact on defense, limiting Jordan Bohannon to six points on 2-for-4 shooting.
Stat of the game: Ayo Dosunmu had struggled in first halves recently, scoring just 18 combined points in the first halves of the previous four games, shooting 23 percent from the field. On Friday, Dosunmu had 19 first-half points on 9-for-12 shooting to help Illinois build a 43-41 halftime lead.
Don’t overlook: Jacob Grandison continues to earn his spot in the starting rotation and earned a career-high 30 minutes on Friday. He gives the Illini more skill, more length and more great effort on the glass. Most importantly, the Illini are 2-0 with Grandson as a starter. His third career double-double, and first in an Illini uniform since transferring from Holy Cross, were sorely needed.
What’s next: Illinois heads to Indiana on Tuesday for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff. The Illini defeated the Hoosiers 69-60 on Dec. 26 in Champaign behind 30 points from Ayo Dosunmu. Indiana (9-7, 4-5) has lost three of its last five, including home losses to Purdue and Rutgers this month, but Archie Miller’s squad did win at Iowa 81-69. Trayce Jackson-Davis leads the Hoosiers in scoring (20.1 points), rebounding (8.7) and blocks (1.8).