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Last year, Come on, DosunmuEndgame heroics helped Illinois secure their first victory at Madison in a decade. On Saturday, Dosunmu proudly cheered from the Kohl Center bench – with a facial injury for a second straight game – as his teammates rose to lead No.5 Illini to a 74-69 victory over No.23 in Wisconsin.
Illinois were sloppy for most of the game, but overcame a record 20 turnovers this season keeping Wisconsin at 28.0 percent shooting from the field. The Illini (18-6, 14-4 Big Ten), who never lagged behind on Saturday, have now taken three straight wins over Wisconsin (16-9, 10-8 Big Ten) after losing 15 of sequel against the 2011-20 Badgers.
The Illini were leading by 14 with 5:55 left, but Wisconsin got under one for the final seven seconds with D’Mitrik Trice (29 points) scoring 19 points in the 2:12 final to force Illinois to make some clutch free throws in the last minute. But the Illini made 10 straight free throws in the final 45 seconds to win without Dosunmu, the best close-quarters in college basketball.
Kofi Cockburn led Illinois with 19 points and seven rebounds, while André Curbelo added 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Give ‘Monte Williams also added 12 points (10 in the first half), four rebounds and four assists.
Wisconsin missed 13 straight shots and went more than six minutes without a basket as Illinois took a 13-2 lead. Illinois had 11 turnovers 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 points to claim a 37-26 halftime lead. Wisconsin reduced the deficit to 42-35 after Illinois missed seven of its first nine shots to start the second period. But the Illini responded with a 7-0 run to take their biggest 49-35 lead.
But Trice and Wisconsin finally caught fire late, hitting five straight 3-pointers (four from Trice) to reduce the deficit to one possession with less than a minute to go. But Williams hit a backing jumper at 1:06 left and the Illini made 10 free throws in 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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Game Statistics: Wisconsin attempted 21 more shots than Illinois, but took one less than Illinois. The Illini topped Wisconsin 43-30 and topped Wisconsin in the 34-20 paint. Wisconsin made just 4 of its first 25 three-point attempts before making their last six, including five from Trice.
Game Star: Kofi Cockburn was not perfect (7-13 FG, 5-11 FT) and was again frustrated with some of the faults Wisconsin handed him, but he once again proved himself to be an unstoppable force. Cockburn took a beating again Nate reuvers and Micah potter, who had no answer for Cockburn as the Illini attacked second-year Illini 7-foot, 290-pound center. Cockburn should be a shoo-in already, but on Saturday he strengthened his case for the All-Big Ten first-team as he led Illinois to a huge victory on the Big Ten road.
Curbelo also had a huge impact on the game, although he had six turnovers, and he and Frazier both made clutch free throws to close the victory.
Do not forget: Wisconsin certainly helped Illinois in this one by not taking any shots until the final few minutes, but Illinois showed why it was tough. Even without their best offensive player, the Illini are one of the best defensive teams in the country. Trice did the circus, Reggie Miller-style plans to end the game.
Additionally, Illinois has hosted several other off-limits base games, an area they’ve been strong in all season.
What this means: It wasn’t pretty at all, but what does it matter? It’s a monster victory for Illinois in several ways. First, the Illini has now won back-to-back games without his All-American guard to keep himself in the race for a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Second, the Illini have upped the players 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. André Curbelo, From Monte Williams and Adam miller have all been more assertive and productive in the past two games, and Kofi Cockburn has been a dominant star with his star mate sidelined. Dosunmu led the Illini’s return to relevance, but Brad Underwood’s schedule has shown in the last two games that it is more than just one great player, which bodes well for the court and the long term.
And after: Illinois then faces a monumental task, heading for Michigan’s No.3 on Tuesday. The Wolverines (18-1, 13-1 Big Ten) can likely win a Big Ten Championship and a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament with a victory over Illinois. During the second year under Juwan howard, the Wolverines have become a legitimate contender for the national title. Veteran’s wings Isaiah Livers (14.4 points, 5.9 rebounds) and Franz Wagner (12.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists) – likely the All-Big Ten caps – were bolstered by three fantastic additions this season, presumptively 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 Feb.11, but Michigan postponed the game as it returned from a two-week self-imposed precautionary break.
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