Illinois basketball: Illini report card against Nebraska

In their last home game of the regular season, the Illinois basketball team defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 86-70.

Even without their star player, Ayo Dosunmu, the Illinois basketball team was able to handle the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday night. Several players stepped up and lead the Illini to Big Ten win No. 13.

The Offense: B+

Even without Ayo, the Illini were able to put up 86 points. Four players had 10 or more points, and the team had 13 assists. The free throws improved from the Michigan State game the other night, as the Illini went 22-of-29 from the free throw line. The 15 turnovers, on the other hand, did not improve. At the end of the night, the Illinois basketball team shot 48-percent from the field.

The Defense: B+

The defense looked solid all night, forcing 17 Cornhusker turnovers. Nebraska shot 44-percent from the field and had only four second-chance points and two fastbreak points. Kudos to the Illini for putting pressure on a less talented team and maintaining composure without their leader in the lineup.

Kofi Cockburn: A

Kofi stepped up in this game, even without his wingman, Ayo. He had 24 points and shot 80-percent from the field and went 80-percent from the free throw line, a drastic improvement from the other night against Michigan State.

Kofi had seven rebounds and played 25 minutes at the end of this one. He’s handled the defensive pressure well so far, and the Illini will need games like this from the big man moving forward.

Andre Curbelo: A

Curbelo has been in a funk lately, but he stepped up in a big way Thursday night in Ayo’s absence. He played 31 minutes and shot 50-percent from the field, finishing with 10 points.

The freshman keeps throwing up a three-pointer here and there, and if those start to drop, the league better watch out. The five turnovers are tough, but when Curbelo puts up 8 assists and 12 rebounds, it more than makes up for the freshmen mistakes.

Adam Miller: A-

Illinois basketball fans got a great glimpse of what the future could look like with the Miller/Curbelo tandem. And if it’s anything like what they showed on Thursday night, the Illini looks to be in good shape.

Miller went 8-of-15 from the field and ended with 18 points. He showed explosion to the rim and was taking smarter shots, which resulted in a better, more confident, player.

Da’Monte Williams: B+

Williams, one of the players honored at senior night, played a very Da’Monte-like game. Great defense, timely shooting and was a great role player. Williams had four steals, giving the Cornhuskers headaches all night. He also grabbed 7 rebounds and had 8 points. A very solid all-around game from the senior.

Jacob Grandison: B+

Grandison did not start this game but did play 23 minutes. He has a very similar game-play style to that of Da’Monte Williams; solid defense and can certainly shoot it when needed.

Grandison matched Williams’ rebound total, with 7 rebounds and had 14 points. The Holy Cross transfer remains a big reason why the Illini have been as good as they have lately.

Trent Frazier: C

The senior played 35 minutes in this one, leading the team in minutes once again. Frazier was perfect from the free-throw line, going 4-of-4 as well.

However, Frazier shot just 1-of-9 from the field. I don’t have a problem with him shooting these shots though because, when he’s hot, he is as good as any shooter in college basketball. Once again playing solid defense, he had two steals by the end of this one.

Special Recognition

I loved that Brad Underwood got 14 different players in the game in this one. I think that getting the younger guys the feeling of playing at home and being in a real game situation is extremely important.

Maybe I’m being too emotional about this game but on senior night, where Illini fans (virtually) saw Da’Monte Williams, Trent Frazier, and Zach Griffith play their last game in State Farm Center, we also got to see a glimpse of the future. Ayo Dosunmu was also honored on senior night, assuming he leaves for the NBA Draft after this season.

It was a great metaphor for the transition to the future, as we got to see a glimpse of what the Orange and Blue will look like in the seasons to come. And the future looks extremely promising.