Big Ten Semifinals: Illinois Advances to Final With Convincing Win Over Iowa

It's been a long time since Illinois has won the Big Ten Tournament, but they'll get a chance on Sunday after beating Iowa 82-71 in the semifinals on Saturday.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- When Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn were considering coming to Illinois a few years ago, all they could see was a dream, because the reality at the time was awful and practically unwatchable.

But Illini coach Brad Underwood told them they would play for championships if they came to Illinois, and just a few years later, here they are. After beating Iowa 82-71 Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, the Illini (22-6) punched a ticket to Sunday's championship game against Ohio State (21-8).

Seeing is believing. And now here's a conference title, within reach for the first time in 16 years. Illinois hasn't won a tournament title since 2005 and hasn't even reached a final since 2008.

"I keep saying that every time. When I came for my visit, they were a losing team. They were bad, and I wanted to change that,'' sophomore center Kofi Cockburn said after scoring a game-high 26 points to lead the No. 2 seed Illini to the final. "It's great that we're where we are right now. 

"This is the culture that Coach instils in us. He pushes us hard in practice, so the games are easy compared to practice. We're ready when we get out here. We're keeping a level head and knowing that we should be here. I've got winners on my team, and they know how to win.''

Illinois and Iowa were two of the hottest teams in the league coming into the tournament, and the individual matchup between Cockburn and Iowa center Luka Garza, the Big Ten's Player of the Year, was the headliner. 

Cockburn won that battle -- Garza finished with 21 points, but needed 21 shots to do it -- and the Illini won the war. 

Illinois started to pull away a bit late in the first half, building a double-digit lead. It grew to 14 in the second half and stayed that way until the Hawkeyes hit a hot streak. Down 74-61, Iowa scored eight straight points to cut the lead to five, but then the Illini called timeout to regroup.

It worked perfectly. 

"When you play Iowa so much, you know they're going to make a run,'' Underwood said. "In the timeout, it was just stern, you know. I told them we needed to make a stop. And we did just that, because that's the belief this team has in each other.

"Winning plays are the difference. Diving on the floor to get a ball, those little things that don't show up on the stat sheet, those are the things that make a difference between winning and losing.''

Cockburn has struggled with Garza in the past, but he said that he's also learned from every experience against the first-team All-American. 

 "It's all about being a sponge and taking in as much information and knowledge as I can,'' Cockburn said. "That experience taught me a lot, and it got me to where I am right now. 

"It's always hectic playing against him. He's a great player and I respect the hell out of him. It's just all about doing all you can for your team. I just walled up today and forced him to try to score through me instead of giving up any angles to him. ''

Dosunmu, who played with a mask after breaking his nose two weeks ago, had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Getting past Iowa and having a shot at a title on Sunday means a lot to him. 

"It's great to be in this position right now,'' Dosunmu said. "I'm just blessed to have a great group of guys to play with. We put a lot of work in to get to this day, and now we just need to finish it off (Sunday).

"It's going to take tremendous effort. They're a great team, but I think we can do it. We'll be here at 3:30 and we're coming to get the dub.''

Underwood said the pain from losing last season to COVID still runs strong through this program. They're grateful to have another chance. And they aren't taking it for granted one bit. 

"I think there's a sense of urgency, because last year was taken away from us and we were playing great at the end of the season,'' Underwood said. "This is a great league and it's hard to get wins, Iowa, they're what, fifth in the country? So it's hard to get into a final in this league. It means a lot to our program to be there.

''It's a challenge every single night in this league. That's why we celebrate the wins when we get them, because they're hard to come by.'' 

Ohio State and Illinois will meet on Sunday for the second time in eight days. They split the season series, with both teams winning on the road. Illinois won 73-68 last Sunday and Ohio State won 87-81 in Champaign on Jan 16.

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Big Ten Tournament

Here is the complete Big Ten Tournament schedule, with game times and television information:

Wednesday, March 10 (First Round)

• Game 1 – Minnesota 51, Northwestern 46
• Game 2 – Penn State 72, Nebraska 66

Thursday, March 11 (Second Round)

• Game 3 – Maryland 68, Michigan State 57
• Game 4 – Ohio State 79, Minnesota 75
• Game 5 – Rutgers 61, Indiana 50
• Game 6 – Wisconsin 75, Penn State 74

Friday, March 12 (Quarterfinals)

• Game 7 – Michigan 79, Maryland 66
• Game 8 – Ohio State 87, Purdue 79 (OT)
• Game 9 –Illinois 90. Rutgers 61
• Game 10 – Iowa 62, Wisconsin 57

Saturday, March 13 (Semifinals)

• Game 11 – Ohio State 68, Michigan 67
• Game 12 – Illinois 82, Iowa 71

Sunday, March 14 (Championship)

Game 13 – No. 5 seed Ohio State vs. No. 2 seed Illinois; 3:30 p.m. ET (TV: CBS)