As usual, Kofi Cockburn was dominant on the inside. His teammates also provided plenty of offense from outside.
Cockburn had 27 points, Alfonso Plummer had 26 and Cockburn had 27. 15 Illinois beat Michigan 93-85 on Sunday.
Coach Brad Underwood stated, “Kofi was truly amazing.”
Plummer was also present, particularly in the first half.
After making 7 of 11 shots, the Utah transfer scored 23 points at halftime, including 5 of 8 3 pointers and 4 of 6 free throws.
Underwood, who was a Kansas State staff member when Plummer was a former NBA player, said that Plummer had “a good first half as any player other than Mike Beasley that we’ve seen” “That was electrifying.”
The Fighting Illini (20-8-13-5 Big Ten) led at halftime by eight, and were leading by 15 at the end of the second half. However, the Wolverines (15-12-13-5 Big Ten), rallied to win the second half.
Caleb Houstan’s 3 pointer at 2:03 drew Michigan within two points. Cockburn responded quickly with a jump hook.
Trent Frazier hit a 3-pointer in 45.2 seconds , just before the shot clock expired. This gave a seven point lead. This win brought Illinois within one game of Big Ten-leading, 13th-ranked Wisconsin.
Michigan was without Juwan Howard, the suspended coach. He missed the second of five games to hit a Wisconsin assistant coach a week ago. Howard was again replaced by Phil Martelli.
Martelli stated that “we weren’t good enough” and that we were trailing for 40 minutes. “And defensively we seemed to be chasing.”
Frazier was awarded 17 points, while Andre Curbelo received 12 for the Illini.
DeVante’ Jones scored 25 points for the Wolverines, matching his career-high with 10 assists. Houstan scored 21 point, which is the same season record he had in his previous game.
Hunter Dickinson scored 13 points, shooting 4-of-13 and grabbing 11 rebounds in a matchup he missed last month because of the effects COVID-19. Illinois won 68 to 53 at home.
Underwood stated that Jones played well for them. “We did a really great job on Hunter.”
Michigan’s Moussa Dibate and Terrance Wilkins have both returned from their one-game suspensions. These were a result of the Wisconsin melee. Diabate began and ended the game with 12 points. Williams was not present in the first half, but he scored two points in the fourth minute of the second.
BIG PICTURE
Illinois: The Illini won three of five previous games and then came back strong to win the Big Ten championship race.
Michigan: Michigan’s Wolverines need to work hard to win an NCAA Tournament At-large bid. The Wolverines will have to complete a demanding schedule that includes four games over eight days to finish the regular season.
Martelli stated that spring break will help them decompress. It’s a challenge, however, because it’s alone and there’s nobody around.
Let’s go O!
Illinois shot 71% of its shots during the first half. Michigan finished at 57% shooting.
Underwood stated, “There wasn’t much defense being played.”
HE SAYS IT
Martelli stated that “we don’t have a great rim presence.” “I believe we are last in the Big Ten for blocked shots per match. This needs to change.
Michigan was ranked 10th in the Big Ten for blocked shots with an average of 2.9 per game.
FOLLOW UP
Plummer scored 26 points in the previous game. also tied a school record by scoring 8 3-pointers during a loss to Ohio State.
Underwood stated, “Plummer was spectacular.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
After losing to No. 22 Ohio State, beating Michigan by three points.
NEXT
Illinois: Illinois finishes the regular season at home against Penn State and No. 25 Iowa on Saturday.
Michigan: Michigan closes regular season. On Tuesday, Michigan State hosts rival Michigan State. The 25th-ranked Hawkeyes will play on Thursday. No. 22 Ohio State on Sunday.
