Illinois Basketball: 4 observations from the Illini win over Northwestern

3. Defense to another level

The freshmen contributed to the victory on Saturday. Kofi Cockburn was a big part of the win as well. I would make the argument that the Illinois defense played a huge role in the win over Northwestern.

Illinois is 3-2 in the past five games, and each of the three victories, we have held the opponent to fewer than 60 points. That is an incredible run. Against Northwestern, the Illini defense was at its finest.

Northwestern was only able to score 56 points in the game. Illinois held the Wildcats to just 19 points in the first half. There are various factors in how the Illini managed to hold the Wildcats to a bad scoring night.

From the floor, Northwestern wasn’t good. They came into the game hitting 43.7% of their shots from the field this season, which ranked No. 165 in the nation. On Saturday, the Wildcats only shot 35.7% from the field.

Despite Illinois giving up 37 points in the second half, I was actually most impressed with the defense down the stretch of the game. When Illinois needed a stop the most, the team came through with a great defensive effort.

Brandin Podziemski squared up on his man on multiple occasions, and while he got called for a foul on one of the defensive possessions, his defense was flawless down the stretch for the Illini.

I can’t type this slide without mentioning Da’Monte Williams. Beyond the amazing dunk toward the end of the game, Williams’ defense was incredible. He is only 215 pounds, but he doesn’t get moved off his spot. Williams acts like he’s a 300-pound big man.

I also wanted to point out Omar Payne. He ended the night with three blocks, and they were all big possessions for the Illini. His defense was great.

It is amazing how well Illinois played on the defensive end of the court. They were sensational and if we can play defense like this the rest of the season, then there is no telling how far this team can go.