The second round of the Big Ten Tournament is coming to a close, and the Illinois basketball program is making some waves.
In the first round, the Illini took care of business against a Wisconsin team that surged in the third quarter. We fended off the Badgers, which set up a big game in the second round against Michigan State.
Illinois had already played the Spartans once this season, losing in a close matchup by six points in East Lansing. This rematch was always going to be close, but if I had told you Michigan State had a player go off for 30 points, no one would have expected Illinois to come out victorious.
That ended up being the case, though. No, it wasn’t Grace VanSlooten who put up the big numbers against the Illini on Thursday night. It was the second-leading scorer for the program, Kennedy Blair.
Blair went off for 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Only three of those points came from beyond the three-point arc, too.
It was honestly one of the most memorable Big Ten Tournament games in recent memory. Sadly, no one will remember it due to Illinois’ relentless fight and aggression toward the hoop.
Despite Blair’s massive night, Illinois didn’t let up. We started the game in the worst way possible, but kept fighting throughout. This led to the massive 71-69 win over the Spartans.
It was the Illinois basketball freshmen who stole the show against Michigan State
Illinois’ freshman starting duo of Cearah Parchment and Destiny Jackson accounted for 29 points and were first and second on the team in scoring with 15 points and 14 points, respectively.
Not only did Michigan State have a player go for 30 points, but they also out-rebounded Illinois 33-22, shot better from the free throw line, and they had three fewer turnovers. So, how did the Illini win?
Moxie.
This team has moxie flowing out of their ears. They never gave up. They stayed aggressive throughout, even when the ball wasn’t falling in their favor. Michigan State would go on little runs to get the lead, but Illinois always had an answer.
The Illini are young. We are a team that makes mistakes because of the youth. But one thing no other team can take away is the moxie. On to the next round.