With the loss on Sunday, Illinois’ winning streak ends at five games which started with their upset win over the #1 Indiana Hoosiers. Michigan has now won the last five games against Illinois.

Everyone knew that the biggest player coming into Sunday was Trey Burke. Burke is having a really nice season and could arguably win the Wooden Award this season.

The last time against Illinois, he went 7-of-19 from the field, scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out five assists.

Burke played 39 minutes for the Wolverines on Sunday and had an even better game than he had in “Round One.” On Sunday, Burke shot a lot better from the field as he made eight out of eleven shots (72.7%). He also went to the foul line and made eight out of ten free throws (80%).

February 24, 2013; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Trey Burke (3) shoots the ball over Illinois Fighting Illini guard Tracy Abrams (13) during the first half at the Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Overall, Trey Burke’s line looked very nice with 26 points, eight assists, and three rebounds. On top of all that, he only turned the ball over once against the Fighting Illini. He also joined Phil Hubbard, Mike McGee, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Louis Bullock and Manny Harris as the sophomores to have scored 1,000 points at Michigan.

Tim Hardaway Jr. also played well for Michigan on Sunday against Illinois. He only made 4-of-11 shots, but still managed to score 13 points. He also led the team with a total of seven rebounds.

In the first half of Sunday’s game, it looked like the Fighting Illini could actually beat the Wolverines. Illinois lead at the half, 31-28.

However, #7 Michigan came out firing on all cylinders to open the second half. They started the half on a 15-3 run.

Illinois tried to pull back in the game. They pulled within four points of the Wolverines, but Burke had all the answers and made sure Michigan would win the game.

Head coach John Groce mentioned that he believed that the Wolverines came out tougher and smarter in the second half.

Illinois had three players reach double-figures, but did not shoot well overall.

D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul, and Tracy Abrams all led the team with 10 points apiece. They made a combined eleven shots on Sunday. Paul even got into foul trouble and finished the game with four personal fouls.

This was a game that Illinois needed to win. They were playing so well coming into Sunday’s game (give-or-take the Penn State game). On the flip side, Michigan was struggling coming into Sunday. They were 1-3 before their previous win over Penn State and had not won back-to-back games since the end of January.

Point being, the Fighting Illini had a chance to get a win against a Top 10 team and boost their tournament resume. Are they still going to make the tournament? Yes, but how will this game affect their seeding? Right now, Illinois is a projected 8th seed and the loss to Michigan should push them back to a projected 9th or 10th seed.

Illinois still has another chance during the regular season to play a ranked opponent. They will play #18 Ohio State to end the season in Columbus on March 10th.

In the end, Illinois will most likely make the National Tournament, but made it harder for them to be higher than an 8th seed this year.

For some fan reactions to Sunday’s game, click here.

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The Fighting Illini are coming off a surprisingly tough win against the Penn State Nittany Lions. D.J. Richardson and Brandon Paul led the Illini offense with 18 and 13 points respectively. However, Illinois needed two key free throws by Richardson to put the game on ice in the final seconds.

Sunday’s game will be the second meeting between Illinois and Michigan. In their first meeting, the Wolverines beat the Fighting Illini, 74-60. Michigan exploded for big points in the first meeting this year. Trey Burke led the charge with 19 points in the game, but Nik Stauskas (14 points), Tim Hardaway Jr. (12 points), and Glenn Robinson III (12 points) all scored in double-figures as well.

The Wolverines come into Sunday’s game with an overall record of 22-4 and a Big Ten record of 9-4. Just like Illinois, Michigan defeated Penn State in their last game. However, before that game, they went 1-3 and lost to #3 Indiana, Wisconsin (OT), and #8 Michigan State.

Just like the last game against Illinois would show, Michigan has four players averaging double-digit points so far this season.

These players are Trey Burke (18.6 points per game), Tim Hardaway Jr. (15.2 points per game), Nik Stauskas(12.2 points per game), and Glenn Robinson III (11.3 points per game).

The MVP of this Wolverines team is no other than Trey Burke.

Feb. 12, 2013; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Trey Burke (3) stands on the court during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Students Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Burke is currently ranked second in the Big Ten with 18.6 points per game this season. There has not been a single game this year where he has scored less than double-digits.

However, he does more than just score for his team. Burke also leads the team in assists per game (6.9). The last player to average those kinds of numbers in the Big Ten was Magic Johnson.

One player that has struggled as of late for Michigan is Robinson III. In his team’s last five games, Robinson III has only two games where he scored in double-figures (both wins). In Michigan’s last three losses, he has scored no more than eight combined points (2.7 points per game).

Although, Robinson III is among one of the best rebounders on the Wolverines coming into Sunday’s game. He is second on the team averaging 5.6 rebounds per game.

This will be 161st meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Wolverines. Illinois leads the series 85-75.

It seems like both Illinois and Michigan are coming into this second meeting on the opposite side as their last meeting. Before the first meeting, the Wolverines had only lost a single game to the #15 Ohio State Buckeyes and seemed to be rolling.

Illinois was struggling before the last meeting on January 27th. They were 1-3 in their four games leading up to their first meeting. This was after the Illini went 14-2 to start the season.

Illinois is playing with a lot of steam right now and head coach John Groce has his team playing great at the right time. Before their last game against Penn State, he did say that this is the best his team has defended all year.

One reason why Illinois is playing great defense is D.J. Richardson. Richardson has taken over as the leader of this Illini team. At the beginning of the year, many projected Brandon Paul to be the leader, but Richardson has emerged as the emotional leader of this team.

John Groce has mentioned that there have been times in practice when Richardson would say to redo a certain defensive drill because it was not “good enough.”

Expect a closer game than we saw the first time around between these two teams this season. Illinois could extend their five-game winning streak if they play well on the defensive end and knock down their shots. This is a game that the Fighting Illini will need to win in order to boost their tournament resume.

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The Illini are coming off a nice win against Nebraska that snapped a three-game losing streak. That win was Illinois’ first conference win since defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 5th.

This game against #2 Michigan is the beginning of the Fighting Illini’s toughest string of games this season. In the next five game, they will face four ranked conference foes and two teams that have already beat Illinois (Wisconsin and Minnesota).

The Wolverines are ranked at #2 in the nation with an overall record of 18-1. Their only loss came in conference play against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Michigan is 5-1 in the Big Ten. A win is also key for the Wolverines because they will move to #1 in next week’s polls with a win on Sunday.

Michigan has four players averaging double-digit points so far this season. These players are sophomore Trey Burke (17.8), junior Tim Hardaway Jr. (16.2), freshman Nik Stauskas (12.6), and freshman Glenn Robinson III (12.1).

January 9, 2013; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Trey Burke (3) shoots the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The MVP of this Wolverines team is no other than Trey Burke. Burke is currently ranked third in the Big Ten with 17.8 points per game this season. However, he does more than just score for his team. Burke also leads the team in assists per game (7.2). The last player to average those kinds of numbers in the Big Ten was Magic Johnson.

The one thing the Wolverines do well is put the ball in the hoop. They are currently ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring offense so far this season. Michigan is averaging 78.7 point per game and have only scored under 60 points once this season (56-53 loss to Ohio State).

Michigan also has four players averaging over five rebounds per game this season. These players are Robinson III (5.9), freshman Mitch McGary (5.6), junior Jordan Morgan (5.4), and Hardaway Jr. (5.3).

Just like Burke, Robinson III and Hardaway can do more than just score. Both players scored double-digits in the team’s win over the Purdue Boilermakers and combined for 13 rebounds.

This will be 160th meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Wolverines. Illinois leads the series 85-74. Michigan won both games against the Illini last season. Illinois scored 61 points in each of the two losses last year.

Unlike most of the Big Ten teams, this is not head coach John Groce’s first game against the Michigan Wolverines. Last March, Groce’s Ohio team pulled off a shocking upset over Michigan in the second round of the national tournament.

Can the Illini win Sunday’s game against Michigan? Yes, but it is going to be tough. Michigan is proving to be a serious contender for the Big Ten championship, but they are beatable.

Trey Burke is a an amazing player, but Illinois has a serious player inBrandon Paul. Paul and Burke are second and third respectively in the conference in scoring. Burke (and even Hardaway Jr.) will score double-digits in the game, but it will come down to if Illinois can outscore Michigan (duh!).

Illinois will need double-digits from Paul, Richardson, Abrams, and Bertrand if they want to win. Not all four need double-digits, but at least three of those players will need double digits if Illinois wants to upset Michigan on Sunday.

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