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Illinois Basketball: 3 observations from the Illini win over Penn State

By Rees Woodcock

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 21: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da'Monte Williams (20) clinches his fists as he gets into a defensive position during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Purdue Boilermakers on January 21, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 21: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da'Monte Williams (20) clinches his fists as he gets into a defensive position during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Purdue Boilermakers on January 21, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – FEBRUARY 18: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates a win after a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Jordan Center on February 18, 2020 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – FEBRUARY 18: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates a win after a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Jordan Center on February 18, 2020 in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

1. Ayo is a legend

The legend of Ayo Dosunmu grew on Tuesday night. This was one of the best games I have seen an Illinois basketball player play in a long time. He came through for this program in a big way.

It wasn’t a guarantee that Ayo was going to even suit up for the Orange and Blue on Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, his status was still a game-time decision. Illinois fans weren’t sure if we were going to see him or get the lineup we had in the Rutgers loss.

To our delight, Ayo suited up for the Illini and was the big reason we came away with a win. He finished the Penn State game with 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 from three-point land. He also peppered in 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal to go along with his huge scoring night.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from Ayo on Tuesday night. He was coming off an injury, so I wasn’t sure if he was going to play sparingly. But he continues to build his legend at Illinois. He made clutch shot after clutch shot against the Nittany Lions.

Ayo has hit the double-digit scoring mark in 10 straight games. He has led the Illini team to wins over the No. 5 and No. 9 teams in the nation. This kid is building his resume as one of the best players to ever step foot on Lou Henson Court.

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