The Illinois basketball team fell to the Maryland Terrapins in a tough loss on Sunday night, 66-63. The Illini sit at 9-4 this season.
Another tough loss for the Illinois basketball team. We knew that every Big Ten game was going to be a dog fight and that’s exactly what Maryland gave the Illini.
Coming into Champaign, Maryland sat at 6-6 on their season. In what was a game the Illini should have won on paper turned into a heartbreaking loss. Maryland, who was without their point guard and leading scorer, Eric Ayala, still managed to beat the Illini at the State Farm Center.
The Offense: C+
The offense did not play terrible by any means. Hats off to Maryland for playing tough defense the whole game.
Maryland had an incredible seven blocks Sunday night and of Illinois’ 66 points scored, Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn scored 44 of those points. The Illini shot 41-percent from the field, but going 8-of-12 from the free throw line is what arguably hurt them once again.
I do give credit to the offense for only turning the ball over nine times in this one, a drastic improvement from games past.
The Defense: B+
The defense held their own in this one, allowing Maryland to shoot just 40-percent on Sunday night.
Kofi Cockburn and company held the Terrapins to just 18 points in the paint for the night, and didn’t give up easy baskets. The 10 second-chance points did hurt the Illini, but the seven steals helped them win the turnover battle.
Kofi Cockburn: A
My apologies for ever doubting Kofi Cockburn after his slow start at the beginning of the season.
Ever since his breakout game against Minnesota, Cockburn has been on a tear both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Maryland’s Darryl Morsell only had four rebounds for Maryland on the night and Cockburn kept control in the paint.
Cockburn ended the night going 8-of-10 from the field, scoring 21 points on the night with 10 rebounds. Going 5-of-6 from the free throw line was the cherry on top of a good night.
Ayo Dosunmu: A-
Ayo once again had a good game for the Illinois basketball team. He played all 40 minutes in this one, showing his place as a leader on the team and stepping up when his team needs him. Ayo ended the night with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 23 points. However, he did have 3 turnovers, which bumps his score down slightly.
Da’Monte Williams: B
Williams played 32 minutes in this one, going 0 for 3 from the field. Williams did contribute in other ways though, with 9 rebounds and 5 assists, with 1 steal. In his 32 minutes, he did not have any turnovers. I was impressed by his contributions to the team Sunday night, despite the off night offensively.
Andre Curbelo: B-
Curbelo was once again the most utilized person off the bench for Brand Underwood, playing 26 minutes in this one. He shot just 33% from the field but he did have 3 assists and 2 steals. He continues to make everyone around him better when he is on the court. Despite the off night shooting, I still feel like he gives the team the best boost when he’s on the floor.
Adam Miller: C+
Adam Miller seems to have found a little bit of a groove in his shot of late, going 3-of-6 from the field on Sunday night.
Five of those six shots were from three-point range. Miller continues to put up the long ball for the Illini, which can lead to streaky play. I would really like to see him contribute more to the team in his overall play.
As mentioned above, when Andre Curbelo is on the floor, he makes everyone around him better. However, with Miller, I think his style of play can lead to empty stat sheet games, and Sunday was a good example of that. He had nine points but also contributed 3 turnovers, 1 rebound, and 0 assists. I really want to see the freshman play more of a complementary role to some of the veterans on the team.
Trent Frazier: C+
Trent Frazier played 23 minutes in this one and put up just two shots and missing both of them.
I do give him credit for his solid defense and his ability to take care of the ball. At the end of the night, he had 0 turnovers and 5 assists.
I’ve mentioned before that I would like to see Frazier step up and score when his team needs a basket, and Sunday was one of those nights where he failed to deliver on the offensive end.