Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Michigan

4. Defense wins championships

The performance on Tuesday night by the Illinois basketball team was one for the ages. They looked great on all levels, but one area that really stood out to me was the Illini defense.

Illinois has a great defense. They are only giving up 68.5 points per game, which ranks No. 107 in the nation. But this defense is about more than just the point total. They do everything well, and it showed against the Wolverines.

Coming into the game, Michigan averaged 38.9 rebounds per game. Illinois held the Wolverines to just 24 rebounds, which was a season-low. Michigan averaged 16.1 assists per game before Tuesday night. They had four assists against the Illini, which was a season-low.

Michigan was hitting their shots at a clip of 49.7-percent before the game against Illinois. The Illini were able to hold the Wolverines to 34.7-percent from the field, which was a season-low. Michigan’s three-point shooting has been great this year, as they were hitting 39-percent from distance before Tuesday night. Illinois managed to hold them to 28.6-percent shooting from the three-point arc, which is their third-lowest of the season.

Illinois put the clamps down on Michigan. It was a collective team effort. Kofi Cockburn was sensational in the paint containing Hunter Dickinson. The perimeter defense was sensational in not letting the Wolverines get space for three-point shots. It was a great display of how you win games. Defense wins championships.