Illinois basketball: Illini report card against the Nebraska Cornhuskers

The Illinois basketball team narrowly avoided a costly loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday night, winning 77-72 in overtime.

Illinois came in as a 14-point favorite on Friday night but needed to go into overtime to secure the win in Lincoln, Nebraska. They currently sit at the number two spot in the Big Ten standings after the win.

The Illini once again got off to a slow start, a problem that has been persistent throughout the whole season. Despite the ugliness of the game, a win is a win and the Illini look to get things rolling ahead of their game against Northwestern on Tuesday.

The Offense: B-

The offense just could not get much consistency in this one. The 13 turnovers were a big reason for that.

Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn carried the weight of the offense, scoring 52 of the Illini’s 77 points. Illinois did shoot 48-percent from the field, which was nice to see, but the depth was really lacking against Nebraska. The Illini only had five points from their bench, which really put pressure on the starters to step up.

The Defense: B

The defense started out flat-footed but looked better as the game went on. This is nothing new for the Orange and Blue, though.

The Cornhuskers shot 45-percent from the field in the first half, but by the end of the game, they were only shooting 37-percent. Nebraska put a lot of pressure on Kofi in this one and ended up outrebounding the Illini by one point.

Ayo Dosunmu: A

Build the statue already. Ayo is simply on another level, scoring 31 points with 6 assists and 3 rebounds. He did have 4 turnovers, which brings down his grade slightly.

Ayo had a strong first half with nine points but came out and scored 15 in the second half, doing what he does best; finishing games and putting the team on his back.

Kofi Cockburn: A-

Kofi ended up with a strong line, 21 points with 13 rebounds and only 1 turnover. He looked a lot more comfortable in the first half, as he only scored eight points in the second half. However, I attribute this to fatigue more than anything, after not getting much help from the bench.

Trent Frazier: B

Trent Frazier put up another double-digit scoring effort on Friday night with 10 points. He also grabbed 3 rebounds with 0 turnovers in his 41 minutes of play. He continues to be one of the best defenders on the team and plays very consistent, solid, minutes when the Illini need it most.

Adam Miller: B-

Adam Miller, who has really struggled since the start of the season, had himself a solid showing.

In his 35 minutes, Miller shot 40-percent and dropped 10 points. I’ve been saying that he needed to start driving more and shooting more high percentage shots, and he did exactly that. He still is not the most outstanding defender, but this game was a nice reminder of the amazing potential this kid has.

Jacob Grandison: D+

Jacob Grandison, despite starting, only played five minutes. He had 0 points, 1 foul, and 1 turnover. Grandison can be an amazing defender when needed, however, he tends to be very streaky with his offensive output and efficiency.

The Bench: D

The bench did not provide much support against Nebraska. Coleman Hawkins, Da’Monte Williams, Andre Curbelo, and Giorgi Bezhanishvili played a combined 60 minutes and only had five points (all by Coleman Hawkins).

Curbelo continues to struggle of late, finishing with 0 points, 4 assists, and 3 turnovers. Da’Monte was almost nonexistent in this one and the same with Giorgi. In the limited time he played, Hawkins looked really good, playing with aggression and energy.