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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini loss to Indiana

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 11, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) moves to shoot the ball while Indiana Hoosiers forward Race Thompson (25) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) moves to shoot the ball while Indiana Hoosiers forward Race Thompson (25) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) holds onto the ball during the men’s Big Ten tournament game against the Indiana Hoosiers, Friday, March 11, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers won 65-63.Iuillinoisbigtentourny 031122 Am0599
Illinois Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn (21) holds onto the ball during the men’s Big Ten tournament game against the Indiana Hoosiers, Friday, March 11, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers won 65-63.Iuillinoisbigtentourny 031122 Am0599 /

4. I am pretty sure Kofi should have 15-20 free throws per game

It seems like I type this in every observations article, but Kofi Cockburn is an absolute monster. He is doing things that I have never seen an Illinois player do, and I am not sure if I will ever see it again in Champaign.

Against Indiana, Kofi was once again a dominant beast. He would finish the game with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks while going 8-of-13 from the field. I mentioned this in a previous slide, but I was extremely impressed with Kofi’s ability to knock down 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

Kofi’s free throw shooting is always a worry, but the kid is constantly working on improving. He hit 87.5% from the charity stripe against Indiana, and that is the third-best free throw shooting game he has had this season. It is the best percentage from the charity stripe when he shoots at least five free throws too.

But the crazy part about Kofi is his ability to be a workhorse for the Illinois basketball program. This workhorse title isn’t easy. Every time he touches the ball in the paint, he has two or three guys collapsing on him and trying to prevent him from getting to the rim.

This defensive collapse sometimes means he is going to get fouled, or at least the refs will sometimes call it. I am pretty confident, if the refs called the game like it should be called, Kofi would average 15-20 free throw attempts per game.

Game-wise, I don’t think Kofi compares to Shaquille O’Neal. I hear comparisons to Shaq, but the only time Kofi reminds me of Shaq is when he doesn’t get the foul calls he should get. He is so big that the refs just let him get manhandled in the paint.

I really wish the refs would start calling Kofi fairly. Just because he is a mountain doesn’t mean the refs shouldn’t call a foul when there is clearly a foul on the other team. It is getting a bit ridiculous.

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