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Illinois Basketball: 5 observations from the Illini win over the Michigan Wolverines

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 2, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts to the Illinois fighting Illini fans before the start of Thursday’s game with the Michigan Wolverines at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts to the Illinois fighting Illini fans before the start of Thursday’s game with the Michigan Wolverines at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
CHAMPAIGN, IL – MARCH 02: Ty Rodgers #20 of the Illinois Fighting Illini shoots the ball against Kobe Bufkin #2 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at State Farm Center on March 2, 2023 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Wow, that was one of the craziest games I have ever seen the Illinois basketball team play in the last few years.

The Illini had a seven-point lead with two minutes to go, but the Michigan Wolverines weren’t finished. They would go on a scoring run and take this game into overtime.

Michigan would snag their own seven-point lead in the first overtime. With 1:38 to go, Illinois would go on a 7-0 run to take the game into a second overtime.

Finally, after some serious back and forth the entire night, the Illini were able to pull away from the Wolverines. Terrence Shannon Jr. would cap off a crazy night with a free throw to give Illinois the 91-87 win over Michigan. We needed this victory after a tough loss to Ohio State just days ago.

Here are five observations from the Illinois basketball win over the Michigan Wolverines.

1. Big-time performance from Ty Rodgers

Illinois hasn’t had a fully healthy roster for what seems like the entire 2022-23 campaign. This has really hurt us at times.

Luke Goode was out for pretty much half the season. He finally returned and then Illinois has had quite a few little injuries that have kept players sidelined. Last night against Michigan, the Illini didn’t have superstar freshman, Jayden Epps.

In the absence of Epps, Illinois players had to step up. One of those players was fellow freshman, Ty Rodgers.

Rodgers has had some pretty solid games this season. Entering Thursday night, his best outing was 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists against Penn State. But you could always tell that Rodgers had special talent in him. His hustle and ability to get to the rim were bubbling at the surface.

Illinois fans got to see the potential of Rodgers against the Wolverines. He would play 33 minutes of efficient basketball to help the Illini win the game.

In the time on the court, Rodgers would finish with 14 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal on 6-of-9 shooting from the field. He even made 2-of-3 from the free throw line.

Illinois had to have Rodgers go for a career-high in points. He has now averaged 8.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his last three contests. The future is so bright for Rodgers.

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