Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Penn State 2.0

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Jan 19, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) goes to the basket against Penn State Nittany Lions forward Abdou Tsimbila (C) and guard D.J. Gordon (23) during the second half at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

The Illinois basketball team went into Tuesday night needing a victory, and they accomplished that goal in great fashion.

Illinois took a double-digit lead over Penn State with 5:43 left in the first half and it wouldn’t get any closer. The Illini held that double-digit lead throughout the rest of the game and beat the Nittany Lions, 79-65.

Here are four observations from the Illini win over Penn State 2.0.

1. The team was involved

Illinois has won quite a few games this season. They sit at 10-5 overall and are on a path for the NCAA tournament. This path isn’t just going to be on the backs of two guys, though.

Yes, Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmu are two great players who can fill up the stat sheet. They are players who can help the Illini get to the postseason and, potentially, win a national title. But they can’t do this by themselves. They need to get other players involved.

Getting Kofi and Ayo’s teammates involved in the game helped Illinois tremendously on Tuesday night against Penn State. Both talented players still had good games, with Kofi dropping 21 points and Ayo dropping 13 points.

Illinois had the others step up against the Nittany Lions, though. The Illini finished the night with seven players having at least five points. Four of the seven players scored at least nine points as well.

Getting everyone active in the game will only make this Illinois program more dangerous down the road. We are a team of strength in numbers. This isn’t going to be a one or two-man show. Everyone needs to be involved, and that is what happened against Penn State.

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