Illinois Basketball: Illini report card against the Indiana Hoosiers

The Illinois basketball team pulled off an overtime win on Tuesday night at Assembly Hall by a final score of 75-71.

Illinois had to go an extra five minutes to pull off the victory over the Hoosiers. The win was the first for the Illini at Assembly Hall since January 2010. Although it was not pretty at times, the Illini ended up the victors, as they are now sitting at 8-3 in the conference after the win against Indiana.

The Offense: C+

Illinois shot just 38.6-percent on the night, including shooting just 36.7-percent in the second half. They shot relatively well from the free throw line, shooting 75-percent on the night. Their other Achille’s heel is turnovers, but Illinois managed to only have 10 turnovers in the game.

The Illini had four players with 10+ points on the night, which was great to see. However, the Orange and Blue just looked flat at times. Ayo Dosunmu missed quite a few shots he usually makes, Kofi Cockburn did not dominate in the paint as I expected, and both sides struggled to get anything going. The tempo was also disrupted with several game stoppages by the refs.

The Defense: B+

As stated above, both sides struggled to get anything going in this one. Illinois’ defense looked good against a weaker Indiana offense.

Indiana shot 48-percent in the first half. The second half was a different story, though, as the Illini were able to play lockdown defense, holding Indiana to just 33-percent from the field. Illinois also had 15 forced turnovers, 7 steals, and 3 blocks. These arguably made the difference in the game.

Trent Frazier: A+

The senior has been on fire lately, coming up clutch in big situations when the Illini need someone to set up.

Early on, Frazier got dinged with a technical foul (a questionable call to say the least) but bounced back and played a tremendous game. He finished with a team-high 19 points and played 43 minutes. He also had 4 rebounds and 2 steals, yet again touting his great defense.

Frazier got things rolling for the Illini in the second half when momentum starting swinging in favor of the Hoosiers. Getting a quick steal and layup helped turn the momentum. Then, late in the game, Frazier hit back-to-back three-pointers that tied the game up.

Kofi Cockburn: B+

Kofi finished with a nice stat line of 16 points and 10 rebounds, good for yet another double-double. I was expecting him to beat up on a smaller Trayce Jackson-Davis more, but the big man had a solid game. He looked strong in the paint and continues to get better at his free throws.

Andre Curbelo: B

Curbelo came out hot in the second half after taking over for Adam Miller. By the end of the game, he had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

However, there were several times when, late in the game, Curbelo tried to drive to the lane and got caught up. Curbelo has been better at ball security, but there were times when he gave me a mini heart attack.

Jacob Grandison: B-

Grandison did not have an amazing game by any means, but he continues to start over senior Da’Monte Williams. Grandison, the Holy Cross transfer and my “breakout pick” for this season, played great defense late in the game in several big moments. He had 2 turnovers, 2 assists and 2 rebounds in 17 minutes.

Ayo Dosunmu: C-

The captain just did not have it in this one. This is by far the lowest grade I’ve issued out to Ayo this season.

The usually consistent guard looked off on Tuesday, shooting just 2-of-11 from the field. He missed shots he can usually make in his sleep. He also got into foul trouble, reaching the four foul mark with roughly nine minutes left in the second half and fouling out thereafter.

Props to Ayo, though, for recognizing that he was having an off night, and dishing it to the hot handed Trent Frazier. Look for him to bounce back in a big way.

Adam Miller: F+

I hate to be “that guy” but I think Illini fans have to start asking when Brad Underwood is going to start taking Miller out of the starting lineup.

Aside from the first weekend series, Miller has really struggled to get anything going. He played 31 minutes but only had 4 points, 4 fouls, and 3 turnovers. The freshman has simply looked flat and he’s been a non-threat in conference play.