In what may have been their most impressive win yet, as the Illinois basketball team routed Minnesota on Saturday, 94-63.
Illinois absolutely dominated the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday. The Illini are now on a seven-game winning streak and look poised for a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament and in the Big Dance.
Despite Minnesota’s lackluster record, they have been able to beat Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio State at home, so this 30+ point Illini victory at The Barn is even more impressive under that scope. Brad Underwood’s success against Minnesota continues.
The Offense: A+
The Illinois basketball team put up 92 points and made it look easy. They shot 56-percent in this one thanks to a blistering hot second half where the Illini shot 58-percent. Illinois had 27 assists to only 10 turnovers and played solid, all-around, offense all game. Minnesota just could not figure out an answer for the Illini.
The Defense: A+
The same could be said for the defense. Lockdown defense led to 18 Minnesota turnovers and only 16 assists. The Illini outrebounded Minnesota 37-27, adding insult to injury. In addition, the Illini had 31 fast break points compared to the Gopher’s eight. Minnesota shot just 40.7-percent on the night.
Ayo Dosunmu: A+
Ayo Dosunmu had his second triple-double of the season. He is now the only player in Illinois basketball history to have more than one triple-double. He’s elite and he’s making his case to be national player of the year. The junior finished with 19 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds and shot 75-percent from the field. Legendary.
Kofi Cockburn: A
In 24 minutes, Kofi Cockburn had 22 points, 6 rebounds, and went 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Minnesota only scored 20 points in the paint, and Kofi was a big reason for that. He continues to only get better, and he and Ayo make one of the best duos in all of college basketball.
Trent Frazier: A
Trent Frazier is on fire lately and is a huge reason for the Illini’s seven-game winning streak. He played a team-leading 32 minutes and had 15 points, going 5-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.
Frazier was stealthy on the defensive end, as usual. He finished with a whopping 6 steals and 4 assists while only turning the ball over one time. His half-court shot before the half was also one of my favorite moments of the season so far. The senior has taken his game to another level.
Jacob Grandison: A
Jacob Grandison continues to be a great spark for the Illini. He played 21 minutes and amassed 12 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. His shot selection was also very good in this one, shooting 75-percent from the field. As long as he keeps playing like this, it will be hard for Brad Underwood to leave him out of the lineup.
Adam Miller: C+
The freshman has looked better the last couple of games but still not up to where Illini fans were hoping. Adam Miller played 24 minutes and went 2-of-7 from the field. He did grab a couple of long rebounds and played aggressively, but the freshman is still looking to find his groove at the college level.
The Bench: B
Giorgi Bezhanishvili, Da’Monte Williams, and Andre Curbelo had a combined 42 minutes off the bench in this one.
Giorgi looked great again after having a good game against Northwestern. He had 9 points and 3 rebounds. I applaud him for making the transition of playing backup to Kofi after starting early in his career. He continues to bring passion and motivation to the team.
Williams had a quietly solid game. He did not wow anyone offensively but played great defense when needed. And finally, Curbelo looked more like his old self after his recent struggles. In his 11 minutes, he finished with 4 points and 4 assists. The Illini will need these three bench players to step up if they want to make a deep run into the tournament come March.