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 center Kofi Cockburn (21) shoots the ball during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Kofi Cockburn is looking unstoppable

I think it is fair to say that Kofi Cockburn wasn’t looking great to start the season. He had some rough games and looked to be shaking off some rust. But that rust is completely off, and he has been on a tear.

This season, Kofi is averaging 17.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Those are great numbers and statistically the best I have seen in years. In the past 10 games alone, Kofi has been even better, averaging 19.6 points and 10.7 rebounds.

On Tuesday night against Penn State, the big man continued to roll and extended his double-double streak to six games. Kofi finished the night with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He also managed to have four blocks.

There has been one weakness for Kofi this season, though. That is at the free throw line. He has had multiple games where the free throw line was a massive struggle. But, against Penn State, Kofi shined bright. He finished the game going 9-of-13 from the charity stripe, which is 69.2-percent.

Kofi has been unstoppable for the majority of this season, and the one weakness that he does have is at the free throw line. That might be turning into a strength, though. If he can make his free throws a little more consistently, then he could end up being one of the best players in the nation.

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