Illinois basketball: Illini report card against Wisconsin

The Illinois basketball team took down the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison on Saturday even without their star player, Ayo Dosunmu.

Despite not having their star player, the Illini looked great on Saturday afternoon, beating a good Wisconsin team, 74-69. Illinois led by as much as 14 points with six minutes left in the second half.

A hot D’Mitrik Trice led to a last-ditch effort by the Badgers but it proved to be too big of a lead to overcome. The Illinois basketball team moved up to No. 4 in AP Top 25, setting them up for a huge final week of the season where they will take on No. 2 Michigan and No. 7 Ohio State.

The Offense: B+

Illinois came out with a chip on their shoulders, shooting an amazing 65-percent from the field in the first half. They could have easily come out and felt defeated without Ayo, but instead, they kicked it into high gear and ran over the Wisconsin defense.

The 20 turnovers continue to be a huge concern going forward, but the free throw shooting has gotten better. The Illini went 19-of-27 at the line on Saturday.

The Defense: A

I was extremely impressed with the defense on Saturday. Aside from Trice’s late-game three-pointers, the Wisconsin basketball team could not get much going.

Trice had 29 points off of six three-pointers. Meanwhile, Micah Potter had 15 points and after him was Nate Reuvers with just six points. The Badgers shot just 34.8-percent in the game, largely due to the pressure the Illinois basketball defense was able to put on them.

Kofi Cockburn: A-

Cockburn was a huge reason why the Illini looked as good as they did, even without Ayo. The big man went 7-of-13 from the field for 19 points and added seven rebounds in the win. He struggled from the free-throw line, though, going 5-of-11 but he continues to dominate in the paint.

Andre Curbelo: A-

Curbelo is starting to look like the freshman we saw at the beginning of the season, and that’s bad news for the rest of the league. He had 17 points and shoot just under 50-percent against Wisconsin.

The seven rebounds was a nice touch, but the six turnovers continue to be Curbelo’s biggest kryptonite. He did not start but played 25 minutes in this one, as he filled in the Ayo void.

Da’Monte Williams: A-

Williams got the start against the Badgers, and he looked a lot smoother in this game. He played 28 minutes while shooting 67-percent from the field. He also added 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

I hope Williams continues to have confidence shooting the three-ball like he did earlier this season. He went 2-of-3 from three-point range in this one and continues to be one of the best defensive players for the Illini.

Trent Frazier: A-

Frazier continues to be a leader for the team, playing 39 of the 40 minutes. He took just three shots against Wisconsin but was able to make some great passes to set up nice scoring sequences.

Ultimately, Frazier hit four clutch free throws at the end of the game to seal the victory. The Illini have struggled to shoot free throws this season, and to have Frazier come up in such a clutch situation is what they need from their seniors.

Jacob Grandison: B+

Grandison is a guy that the Illini seem to continue to gain trust in, and he really deserves it. His play continues to remind me of Da’Monte Williams because of the solid defense with the capacity to shoot the ball if needed. He had 5 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in the game. He also went 2-of-2 from the free throw line and continues to play tough defense.

Adam Miller: B

I have to admit, Miller surprised me in this one. He is usually prone to empty stat-line nights when he doesn’t put up points, but he was able to snag five rebounds and showed a lot of hustle on Saturday. Despite taking just three shots, he was a solid contributor on both sides of the ball.