Illinois basketball dug a hole in the second half, but we managed to climb out and emerge victorious against Ohio State.
The Illini looked to be down and out in the second half against the Buckeyes. Ohio State had an eight point lead with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Illinois stormed back and managed to tie the game up.
Minutes later, with the game tied 71-71, Ohio State hit a huge three-point shot with under two minutes to go. This could have easily ended the Illini, but we fought back again. Huge buckets and even bigger rebounds saved the day for the Orange and Blue. Illinois finished the game on a 6-0 run and came out with a win over Ohio State, 77-74.
Here are five massive observations from the Illinois basketball win over Ohio State
1. Dain Dainja put the team on his back
Throughout the entire season, you could see that Dain Dainja was an asset to this team. There were stretches he wouldn’t see the court often, but when he did get minutes, this kid was dominating.
Dainja was huge in the most recent win over Iowa. He dropped nine points, five rebounds, and two blocks in just 15 minutes of action. That was a great game, but Dainja wasn’t done impressing the Illinois fanbase. When we needed him the most, on Friday night against Ohio State, he came through.
Illinois needed a paint presence against the Buckeyes. When that happens, Dainja is the person to call. He answered that call to the tune of 18 points, eight rebounds, and one block on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor. The big man logged 20 minutes of action in the game as well.
Even though I have seen it out of him before, it always amazes me how nimble Dainja is on the court. Illinois was able to get the ball into him on numerous occasions, and he was able to keep his pivot foot and work around a defender. I can’t tell you the last time I saw an Illinois big man with the feet of Dainja.
Dainja finished with 18 points, meanwhile, Illinois had three starters combine for 14 points. Without Dainja’s huge performance, we are heading home with a loss and preparing to be a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. That is how big of a night he had for this program. He truly put the team on his back.