The Illinois basketball program claimed their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2005 after they defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes, 91-88.
Illinois took down the Buckeyes in an overtime thriller. To start the game, the Illini were playing perfectly, but then Ohio State started to chip away at the lead. The Illinois lead went from 18 points to five points right before halftime.
In the 2nd half, Illinois and Ohio State were battling, but no team could win in regulation. In overtime, Illinois was able to pull out the win. Almost every Illini player played a pivotal role in this win, but one player is getting awarded the MVP of the game.
The MVP of the game goes to Andre Curbelo.
Curbelo’s stats against Ohio State consisted of 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. He shot 6-of-14 from the field and 0-of-2 from three-point range. He also shot 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Curbelo has no defensive stats recorded for this game, but he gave a good effort on that side of the court.
Other players such as Kofi Cockburn, Ayo Dosunmu, Da’Monte Williams, and Giorgi Bezhanishvili all had good games. But Curbelo was arguably Illinois’ best playmaker against the Buckeyes. He controlled the pace and did a great job of setting his teammates up for success.
This Illinois basketball team is on a roll. They won the Big Ten Tournament and have now earned a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The next opponent for the Illini will be the Drexel Dragons. Hopefully, Illinois can pull out the win and advance in the tournament.