Basketball Opponent Pregame Glimpse: Illinois Fighting Illini

Michigan has a chance to split with Illinois if it can win at home later today.

No. 22 Illinois Fighting Illini, 14-5 (6-2 in Big Ten)

Last Result: Illinois Fighting Illini 79, Purdue Boilermakers 62

Illinois was able to pull off their fifth straight Big Ten win, as they went into West Lafayette and took down the Boilermakers. After trailing at the half 30-29, the Illini started the second half making 11 of their first 12 shots to take a 60-45 lead with 8:30 left in the contest. The Boilermakers didn’t get closer than nine the rest of the game. Illinois was helped by double-doubles from guard Ayo Dosunmu who had 18 points and 11 assists, which is three more assists than the Purdue team had in the game, and center Kofi Cockburn who had 22 points and 15 rebounds in the contest. Illinois also got a big boost from guard Trent Frazier who made five threes and accounted for 21 points in the game. The Illini also dominated the glass out rebounding the Boilermakers 37 to 19, as Illinois even had more offensive rebounds with 11 than Purdue had defensive rebounds with nine. Illinois was almost perfect from the free throw line in the game going 18-for-19 on their foul shots.

On a night where Illinois should have been celebrating a big road win, though, the most memorable play of the game was when their sophomore guard Alan Griffin lost his composure and stepped on Purdue’s Sasha Stefanovic, as he was on the floor after making a layup. Griffin was ejected after the incident, and Coach Brad Underwood wasn’t happy with his guard after the game, saying “That’s not part of anything we’re trying to do in our program.” Griffin will receive a two game suspension, handed down by the Big Ten conference, for his actions. The sophomore guard is a huge loss for Illinois because he is a key piece off the Illini bench, playing 18 minutes per game and averaging 8.4 points per contest.

Overall, though, it was another big win for Illinois, as their defense, which has averaged giving up just 58.2 points per game during this five game win streak, continued to play well. With this win, Illinois has now gotten off to their best conference start since the 2005-2006 season and snapped its seven-game losing streak in West Lafayette. Illinois is now tied for first in the Big Ten standings, heading into their game against the Wolverines.

Illinois Last Matchup Against Michigan:

Illinois Fighting Illini 71, Michigan Wolverines 62

In the second Big Ten game of this season, Illinois took down the No. 5 ranked Wolverines in Champaign. In the contest, the Illini had four players who accounted for at least 12 points in center Kofi Cockburn who had 19 points, while also adding 10 rebounds and four blocks, guard Ayo Dosunmu who had 14 points, while accounting for 8 rebounds, forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili who had 12 points, while also having 8 rebounds and guard Andres Feliz who had 13 points off the bench.

Michigan trailed 30-28, heading into the break and could never pull ahead, as Illinois led the entire second half. Kofi Cockburn had a few big blocks in the second half and seemed to have his way attacking John Teske in the paint most of the night. Cockburn’s highlight of the night was his and one off of an offensive rebound in which in celebration he hit one of the referees in the face, sidelining the ref for the rest of the game with a head injury. Despite getting picked on defensively at times, Teske had a solid offensive game going 7-for-11 with a team leading 16 points in the game. Zavier Simpson struggled from the field going 4-for-14 with just nine points. Franz Wagner wasn’t great either going 2-for-8, while missing all four of his three point attempts. Inexcusably Isaiah Livers, who is arguably Michigan’s best scorer, only had six shot attempts in the game, which was the sixth most shot attempts of any player on the Wolverines in the contest. Livers made four of those shots two of which were three pointers on a night in which the Wolverines couldn’t make anything from deep.

Both teams struggled tremendously from behind the arc in the game. The Wolverines shot 3-for-18 from deep, which is 16.7%, while the Illini finished 1-for-11 from three point range, which is 9.1%. Illinois shooting struggles from three has been a consistent issue all season, as they only have three players, who average at least a point per game, shooting over 28.6% from three and rank 3rd worst in three point percentage among Big Ten teams at 31.2%.

Illinois dominated on the inside against Michigan, as they scored 44 paint points compared to the Wolverines 26. The Fighting Illini also outrebounded the Wolverines 44 to 28 in the game. Illinois was able to get to the free throw line significantly more than Michigan, as they shot 20 free throws compared to Michigan’s six. Illinois seemed to be in control most of the contest and was able to obtain a quality win due to their solid defense, especially guarding the three, and domination in the paint.

Players to Watch:

Kofi Cockburn, Freshman, Center

The 7 foot freshman center has been a huge addition for the Illini this season, averaging 15.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Cockburn has had double-digit points in nine out of Illinois last 10 contests. Cockburn has also had 11 multi-block games and is shooting 55.6% from the field. The center from Jamaica is not a threat outside, though, as he has only attempted one three this season and missed it. Therefore, Teske can certainly sag off of the big man every time he touches the ball outside the painted area. In order for Illinois to pull off their first win in Crisler since 2010, Cockburn must win his one on one matchups with Teske on the block like he did so many times in the first meeting.

Ayo Dosunmu, Sophomore, Guard

The 6-5 guard out of Chicago has been a big part of Illinois success this season, leading the team with 15.6 points per game, while also adding 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Dosunmu has scored at least 14 points in nine out of the last ten games he has played and is shooting 47.8% from the field on the season. The guard is not a very good outside shooter, though, as he is only shooting 28.6% behind the arc, meaning Michigan would be happy if Dosunmu settled for open threes instead of attacking the basket. Dosunmu will have to play well on both sides of the ball for the Illini to come away with a win in Ann Arbor and extend their winning streak to six, while Michigan’s losing streak would go to four.

What are the biggest keys for Michigan to beat Illinois? Who is going to step up for the Wolverines? Comment below!!!