Illinois basketball: Illini report card against the Purdue Boilermakers

The Illinois basketball team was able to secure another Big Ten win on Saturday, beating Purdue 66-58.

This was a big win for the Illini, as the team secured their eighth win of the season, beating the Boilermakers at the State Farm Center. Although it wasn’t the prettiest win of the season, the Illini were able to notch their third-straight win.

The Offense: B-

The Illinois basketball team shot 48-percent from the field, going 25-of-52 for the night. They went 7-of-20 from the three-point arc. These weren’t terrible marks by any means, but there were certainly stretches where the shot selection was off.

Free throws continued to be the Achilles heel for the Illini as well. They went 9-of-22 from the charity stripe, which is an appalling 40.9-percent. The positive was that they did slightly cut down on the turnovers with 12 on the night.

The Defense: B

Illinois’ defense was the bright spot against the Boilermakers, only allowing 58 points to Purdue.

The Illini had 6 steals and 6 blocks by the end of the game. Meanwhile, they held Purdue to shoot 39-percent from the field and forced 14 turnovers. Not necessarily all on the defense, but Purdue was able to go on a 19-0 run in the second half.

I like the pressure that the Illini put on opposing offenders, and Kofi Cockburn did a great job in the paint all night.

Da’Monte Williams: A-

Williams continues to be a spark for this Illinois basketball team. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds, good for a double-double. That was the second of his career, both occurring this season.

Williams went 3-of-5 beyond the arc and is now leading the nation in three-point percentage at 67.9-percent.

Kofi Cockburn: B+

Kofi was able to shut down Trevion Williams in the paint all night. Not only did he show up on the defensive end, but also had 10 rebounds to go along with 14 points, good for a double-double.

This is Kofi’s seventh double-double of the season. The reason for the “B”? Kofi struggled at the free throw line, going 0-of-6 on the night.

Andre Curbelo: B

Curbelo is the spark that Illinois needs off the bench. He once again proved why he is Brad Underwood’s No. 1 pick off the bench, playing 29 minutes. He had 8 points and 6 assists against Purdue.

Curbelo proves to be a great compliment to Ayo Dosunmu when on the floor and makes everyone around him much better.

Ayo Dosunmu: B

This grade may need a little more explanation for a player who finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds.

My expectations for Ayo are sky-high, so this grade reflects that high expectation. It’s not that Ayo had a bad game by any means, but I was really looking for him to step up in a big way, especially when Purdue went on the 19-0 run.

It never happened and Ayo came back down to Earth after scoring two 30+ point games in a row,

Trent Frazier: B-

Frazier continues to embrace his defensive-minded role this season. He gave great feeds to Kofi in the paint and continues to be an asset on both the offensive and defensive ends.

Frazier hit a huge three-pointer that pulled Illinois out of a rut in the second half. Those are the type of shots that I expect the senior to hit. He finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Adam Miller: B-

Miller, who has been ice cold since the start of the season, looked like he may have gotten in a groove again. He went 4-of-7 from the free-throw line, one of the better shooters from the line for the Illini.

However, all six of Miller’s shot attempts on the night were from three-point range, exemplifying his hot/cold tendency. He had three rebounds but failed to have an assist. I give him some slack for being a freshman, but I really want to see him drive to the rim more and take more high-percentage shots.

Coleman Hawkins: B-

Hawkins has not exactly been lighting up the stat sheet this season, but he made a difference on Saturday night in the five minutes he played. He had 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. He also had a nice block. We will have to see if the impressive performance warrants more playing time for the freshman moving forward.