Illinois Basketball: 3 takeaways from the Illini’s 3-0 week

The Illinois basketball team completed a multi-team event, as they finished undefeated in a span of three-straight games.

Here are three takeaways from the great week for the Illini.

1. Ayo Dosunmu eclipses 1,000 points.

The Morgan Park graduate is, without question, the main catalyst of this year’s stellar group.

Dosunmu made his presence known in each of the team’s three wins, but none was bigger than Friday’s 77-75 nailbiter against Ohio. The game featured a multitude of lead changes, as Dosunmu went toe-to-toe with Bobcats star, Jason Preston.

Preston accounted for 31 points, nearly leading his team to an upset of the No. 8 Illini. Dosunmu, on the other hand, scored 27 points and won the game with clutch free throws down the stretch.

Dosunmu was thrilled to capture a significant milestone, scoring point No. 1,000 in his third year as a member of the Orange and Blue.  He shared his new accolades after the win, via his Instagram story.

The Illini athletic department also gave Dosunmu a shoutout, as they tweeted a graphic immediately after the feat was reached.

Dosunmu is the first player since senior Trent Frazier to reach this goal, as Frazier hit the 1,000-point mark in a home victory against Northwestern in January.

2. Adam Miller has a chance to do big things in conference play.

Miller was the Illini’s No. 1 recruit for the 2020 class, and his first three appearances in a collegiate uniform showed a lot of potential for future success. Like Dosunmu, Miller was a Morgan Park alum, as a long line of Chicago pipeline talent continues to go through Champaign.

In his first game at Illinois, Miller lived up to the hype, breaking Brandon Paul’s record for most points scored in a debut game by a freshman, as he single-handedly dominated North Carolina A&T with 28 points. The team went on to win in a rout, 122-60.

If Miller can continue to put up eye-popping stats, the sky’s the limit once Big Ten play officially starts in mid-December.

3. A win is a win, no matter how close.

Friday afternoon’s game against Ohio was too close for comfort in the eyes of Illini Nation. However, Illinois should be extremely happy with its undefeated start, considering that Baylor and Duke are next on the schedule before the Illini travel to Missouri for the Braggin’ Rights game December 12.

In order for the Orange and Blue to remain relevant across the nation, winning one or two of those ranked non-conference games would be massive for overall rankings and tournament seeding next spring.

For now, Illinois has to take it one game at a time. On to Baylor in Indianapolis next Wednesday, as it will be the team’s toughest test to date.