Brad Underwood was so dissatisfied with the performance of his team in the first half on Saturday that he replaced his son, a walk-on Tyler Underwood, for the pre-season of the All-American Guard Ayo Dosunmu with one minute before the break. Your message was heard loud and clear
After losing Northwestern 43-28 in the break, No. 12 Illinois blitzed Northwestern with a surprisingly dominant 53-13 scoring advantage in the second half in the second half to score an impressive 81-56 victory over the Wildcats.
Illinois (9-3, 5-1 Big Ten) has been on its best Big Ten start since 2004-05 and has won four straight games. The Illini also won five consecutive victories against Northwestern at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston.
Northwestern (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) lost three in a row. The Wildcats hit 16 out of 31 in the first half, including 5 out of 13 out of three with just four turns. But Illini closed Northwestern in the final 20 minutes, with the Wildcats hitting just 2 out of 24, with nine turns in the second half. Robbie Beran (11 points) was Northwestern’s only player with double-digit points.
Meanwhile, Illinois (which hit 34.8 percent in the first half) hit 59.4 percent in the second half, including 8 out of 14 out of three.
Kofi Cockburn (18 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks) led Illinois with his eighth double-double of the season, while Ayo Dosunmu he added 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. Trent Frazier (14 points, 3-8 three), Adam Miller (14 points, 4-11 three) and Gives ‘Monte Williams (6 points, 2-4 three) added some firepower beyond the bow.
Illinois jumped to a 12-6 lead in the first five minutes, but Northwestern dominated the final 15 minutes of the first half, beating Illinois by 37-16 during that period, including a 12-1 run until the end of the semester. But the message from the Underwood break – whatever it is and no matter how many profanity has been uttered – gave them the fire they needed, and then some.
What does it mean: Half-to-half inconsistency remains a concern for this team and can prevent them from reaching their high goals. But the Illini continue to show that they can be as good as anyone in the country. If Underwood can unlock consistency, pay attention. This Illinois team has had the highest expectations since 2004-05 and, so far, is having the best start to the Big Ten since Dee, Deron, Luther and company went 15-0 in a conference game before getting upset at the end of the season. regular in Ohio State. Illinois continues to accumulate victories during a favorable period in its schedule and marked its second consecutive victory on the Big Ten road, key for any team to fight for the conference crown. The Illini play three of their next four games at home (Maryland, Ohio State and Penn State) with their road game during that stretch in Nebraska, which does not win in the Big Ten. Illinois has a chance to part with most of the Big Ten band.
Game star: Cockburn had just five points and two rebounds in 12 minutes of the first half and did not seem to have his engine running at full speed. But the big man was a monster truck in the second half, dominating the post with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in the second half. Cockburn is playing as an All-Big Ten First Team player and potentially an All-American.
Game stats: Northwestern hit 2 of 24 in the second half. Two scored field goals in the second half. Illinois made this comeback because it played elite defense and stopped at stops.
Tonight @IlliniMBB lost by 15 in the break against Northwestern, but won by 25.
They are the only Division I team in the past 25 seasons to lose by 15+ points in the half and still win by 20 or more.
– Statistics by STATS (@StatsBySTATS) January 8, 2021
Do not neglect: Jacob Grandison provided great energy at the start of the second half in the long minutes after Da ‘Monte Williams left with an apparent ankle injury. After obtaining a DNP in favor of Coleman Hawkins against Purdue, Grandison had three points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in the second half to help wake Illini.
What is the next: Illinois hosts Maryland for a Sunday complaint at 7 pm (BTN). After winning a part of the Big Ten championship last season, the Terrapins (6-6 1-5 Big Ten) are starting their worst Big Ten start since joining the league for the 2014-15 season. So far, Maryland is 13th at the conference in offensive efficiency and 12th in defensive efficiency, and is allowing opponents to shoot 38.8 percent of three, the Big Ten’s worst defensive mark. Three Maryland players average two digits: Eric Ayala (14.0 points), Donta Scott (12.9) and Aaron Wiggins (11.9).
