Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Michigan

Illinois basketball once again showed why they belong with the best of the best on Tuesday night.

The No. 4 ranked Illini went up against No. 2 Michigan in what was the marquee game of the night for ESPN. This contest quickly got out of hand, though. Illinois jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead and never looked back. The final score showed 76-53 in favor of the Illini.

Here are four observations from the Illini win over Michigan.

1. Quietly impressive game by Kofi

Kofi Cockburn has been a monster for the Illinois basketball team this season and, really, since he entered the program before the beginning of last season.

Just this season alone, Kofi has hit at least 20 points on eight different occasions, and in one of those games, he managed to go for 33 points. But I would argue that Kofi’s game against Michigan on Tuesday night was his most impressive of the season.

Yes, Kofi only had 12 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block. Shockingly, he only went to the free throw line one time and missed his lone attempt. So why was this such a great performance?

Defense.

Michigan’s big man Hunter Dickinson is one of the best players in the nation. As a freshman, this kid is averaging 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, all of which leads Michigan this season. The 7-foot-1 Dickinson has been an absolute monster for the Wolverines.

On Tuesday night, Kofi managed to keep Dickinson in check. The Michigan big man finished the game with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and went 1-of-6 from the field. This was his second-lowest point total of the season and his fourth-lowest rebounding total.

Michigan had no answer for Kofi. They kept trying to get the ball into Dickinson, but Kofi was able to keep him outside of the paint almost the entire night. Kofi wouldn’t allow Dickinson to get good position, which essentially shut the Wolverines’ center down. This was an amazing performance by Kofi.