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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois basketball resurfaced as one of the top ten contenders on Friday, eliminating 7th Iowa – Michigan’s top runner – with an 80-75 victory at the State Farm Center.
In a game that was never separated by more than seven points, No. 19 Illinois (11-5, 7-3 Big Ten) defeated Iowa (12-4, 6-3 Big Ten) with a close 7-0 run end of the game, aided by the clutch score, including a Jacob Grandison Three two Andre Curbelo free throws and two Trent Frazier free throws and defensive stops.
Iowa had a chance to draw with less than 10 seconds remaining, but Jordan Bohannon missed a three. Kofi Cockburn (9 points, 10 rebounds), then missed the first row, but received his own rebound and was fouled again. He froze the game with two free throws.
Ayo Dosunmu led Illinois with 25 points (11-18 FG), including 19 in the first half. Trent Frazier set the season’s record with 24 points (8-13 FG, 4-9 three), and Jacob Neto had his first double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in an Illini uniform.
Joe Wieskamp led Iowa with 21 points, making 5 out of 6 out of three. But Illini (and the problem) limited Luka Garza to 19 points and four rebounds, well below his average (. Illinois made the national player of the year work for his points. Connor McCaffery scored 11 points, the best of the season.
Both teams fired well beyond the arc (Iowa 10-25 of three, Illinois 8-19 of three), but Illinois was 11 points clear on the free throw line (14-17 FT against Iowa 3-6 FT). Iowa had an 18-8 lead on turning points, but Illinois had an 18-8 lead on fastbreak points.
Saturday’s victory was Illini’s fifth victory over an AP Top-10 team under Brad Underwood and third of the last calendar year.
What does it mean: Despite setbacks earlier this month against Maryland and Ohio, the Illini are back in the middle of the Big Ten title race after their first win of the season. Illini is now tied for second place in the conference with Wisconsin and has the tiebreaker over Iowa, with whom they will not play again. Illinois played a full 40 minutes and had an advantage throughout the game. Illinois looked like the top 10 team we all expected in the preseason, as did Iowa. It was an incredible game, and an incredible rivalry.
Game star: Trent Frazier, Big Ten Bucket Getter, reappeared and Illini really needed it. Frazier’s 24 points were the highest he has scored since making 30 against Minnesota on January 30, 2019, almost exactly two years ago – a stretch of 59 games. If Frazier’s score continues to rise, the Illini will become much more dangerous. But Frazier also had a big impact on defense, limiting Jordan Bohannon to six points in shot 2 by 4.
Game stats: Ayo Dosunmu had fought in the first halves recently, scoring just 18 points combined in the first halves of the previous four games, throwing 23 percent of the field. On Friday, Dosunmu had 19 points in the first half on 9 of 12 shots to help Illinois build a 43 to 41 lead in the break.
Do not neglect: Jacob Grandison continues to earn his place in the initial rotation and set a record for his 30-minute career on Friday. It gives Illini more skill, more length and greater effort in the cup. Most importantly, the Illini are 2-0 with Neto as their starter. His third double-double career, and the first in an Illini uniform since the transfer from Santa Cruz, were sorely needed.
What is the next: Illinois heads to Indiana on Tuesday for a complaint at 8 pm at CT. Illini defeated Hoosiers 69-60 on December 26 in Champaign with 30 points Ayo Dosunmu. Indiana (9-7, 4-5) has lost three of his last five, including home losses to Purdue and Rutgers this month, but Archie Miller’s team won in Iowa 81-69. Trayce Jackson-Davis leads the Hoosiers in scoring (20.1 points), hitting (8.7) and blocks (1.8).
