Illinois Basketball: Illini MVP in the loss against Maryland

The Illinois basketball team took a loss to the Maryland Terrapins, 66-63, and many Illini players struggled in the defeat.

Multiple Illinois players scored zero points and the team was not good from three-point range. The Orange and Blue also struggled to hit free throws, which was a big reason they lost and it has been a struggle all season. Even with players struggling, there were two players who did perform well.

The co-MVPs for this game are Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn.

Ayo Dosumu’s stats against Maryland consisted of 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. He shot 9-of-23 from the field and 2-of-5 from three-point range. His shooting numbers weren’t the best, but he had to shoot that much considering other Illini players struggled.

Kofi Cockburn’s stats for the game consisted of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Kofi dominated the paint, as he shot 8-of-10 from the field. He also had an excellent night from the free throw line, knocking down five of his six attempts on the night.

Ayo and Kofi were undoubtedly the best players on the floor for Illinois.  They did as much as they possibly could to lead this team to victory, but it just wasn’t enough.

With this loss, the Illinois basketball team moves down to No. 14 in the AP rankings. The loss also puts Illinois’s overall record at 9-4 and 5-2 in Big Ten play. The Illini will hope to bounce back on Saturday as they go up against the No. 21 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.