Last year, Ayo DosunmuEnd game heroism helped Illinois win its first Madison game in a decade. On Saturday, Dosunmu proudly applauded from the Kohl Center bench – eliminated with a facial injury for the second consecutive game – as his teammates advanced to lead No. 5 Illini with a 74-69 victory at No. 23 Wisconsin.
Illinois was sloppy for most of the game, but surpassed 20 turnovers, record of the season, keeping Wisconsin at 28.0% of pitches. The Illini (18-6, 14-4 Big Ten), who never lost on Saturday, has now won three consecutive times over Wisconsin (16-9, 10-8 Big Ten) after losing 15 straight against the 2011-2020 Badgers .
Illini led 14 with 5:55 remaining, but Wisconsin stayed within one during the final seven seconds with D’Mitrik Trice (29 points) scoring 19 points in the final 2:12 to force Illinois to make some clutch free throws in the final minute. But Illini made 10 consecutive free throws in the final 45 seconds and won without Dosunmu, the best play in college basketball.
Kofi Cockburn led Illinois with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Andre Curbelo he scored 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Gives ‘Monte Williams he also scored 12 points (10 in the first half), four rebounds and four assists.
Wisconsin missed 13 consecutive shots and was more than six minutes without a goal, while Illinois built a 13-2 lead. Illinois had 11 twists in the first 13 minutes and Wisconsin used a 10-0 run to reduce Illini’s lead to 22-20. Illinois responded with 15-6 runs to claim a 37-26 lead at halftime. Wisconsin reduced the deficit to 42-35 after Illinois missed seven of the first nine shots at the start of the second half. But Illini responded with a 7-0 run to get his biggest 49-35 lead.
But Trice and Wisconsin finally caught fire late, hitting five consecutive 3-point points (four from Trice) to reduce the deficit for a ball possession with less than a minute remaining. But Williams hit a throwback with 1:06 to go and Illini made 10 free throws during the final 45 seconds, four from Curbelo, four from Trent Frazier (six points, six rebounds and four assists) and two from Jacob Grandison (five points, eight rebounds, two assists).
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Match statistics: Wisconsin tried 21 more shots than Illinois, but hit one less than Illinois. The Illini passed Wisconsin 43-30 and passed Wisconsin in painting 34-20. Wisconsin made just 4 of his first 25 attempts at three points before making the final six, including five from Trice.
Game star: Kofi Cockburn he was not perfect (7-13 FG, 5-11 FT) and was frustrated at times again with some of the fouls Wisconsin placed on him, but he once again proved to be an unstoppable force. Cockburn again gave a beating Nate Reuvers and Micah Potter, who had no answer for Cockburn as the Illini ran offensive through the 2.13-pound second-year Illini pivot. Cockburn should have been right by now, but on Saturday he reinforced his case for the All-Big Ten First Team by taking Illinois to a big win in the Big Ten.
Curbelo also made a big impact on the game, although he made six moves, and he and Frazier made clutch free throws to close the win.
Do not neglect: Wisconsin certainly helped Illinois in this case, not firing until the final minutes, but Illinois showed why it is a difficult exit. Even without their best offensive player, Illini is one of the best defensive teams in the country. Trice took some circus photos, like Reggie Miller, to end the game.
In addition, Illinois has made several other successful off-field moves, an area in which they have been strong throughout the season.
What it means: It wasn’t pretty, but who cares? This is a monstrous victory for Illinois in many ways. One, the Illini have now won consecutive games without their All-American guard to stay in the race for the No. 1 ranking in the NCAA tournament. Two, the Illini had players stepped up in Dosunmu’s absence, which should boost their confidence and potentially make the Illini even more dangerous when Dosunmu returns, a date that remains uncertain. Andre Curbelo, Da’Monte Williams and Adam Miller everyone was more assertive and productive in the last two games, and Kofi Cockburn has been a dominant star with his fellow marginalized star. Dosunmu led Illini’s return to relevance, but Brad Underwood’s show has shown in the last two games that he is more than just a great player, which bodes well for the short and long term.
What is the next: Illinois faces a monumental task to follow, going to third place in Michigan on Tuesday. The Wolverines (18-1, 13-1 Big Ten) can probably end a Big Ten championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with a win over Illinois. In the second year of Juwan Howard, the Wolverines emerged as a legitimate candidate for the national title. Veteran Wings Isaiah Livers (14.4 points, 5.9 rebounds) and Franz Wagner (12.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists) – likely All-Big Ten selections – were driven by three fantastic additions this season, the presumed Big Ten Freshman of the Year Hunter Dickinson (14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds) and transfers Mike Smith (8.5 points, 5.3 assists) and Chaundee Brown (8.4 points). This game was originally scheduled for February 11, but Michigan postponed the game because it was recovering from a self-imposed two-week precaution break.
