Brad Underwood was so unhappy with his team’s performance in the first half on Saturday that he pushed his son, walk-on, Tyler Underwood, for the All-American waiting for the preseason Ayo Dosunmu with a minute before rest. His message was heard loud and clear
After a 43-28 Northwest halftime at halftime, the No. 12 Illinois Northwest shone with an incredibly dominant 53-13 second half in the second half to achieve an incredibly impressive 81-56 victory over the Wildcats.
Illinois (9-3, 5-1 Big Ten) started its best Big Ten since 2004-05 and won four consecutive games. The Illini also won five straight against Northwestern at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston.
Northwest (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) lost three in a row. The Wildcats shot 16-for-31 in the first half, including 5-for-13 from three with just four turnovers. But the Illini turned Northwest in the final 20 minutes when the Wildcats shot just 2-for-24 nine times in the second half. Robbie Beran (11 points) was the only Northwest player with double-digit points.
Meanwhile, Illinois (which shot 34.8 percent in the first half) shot 59.4 percent in the second half, including 8-for-14 from three.
Kofi Cockburn (18 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks) led Illinois with its eighth double-double of the season, while Ayo Dosunmu added 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. Trent Frazier (14 points, 3-8 tries), Adam Miller (14 points, 4-11 three) and Da ‘Monte Williams (6 points, 2-4 three) added a bit of firepower from outside the arc.
Illinois jumped to a 12-6 lead within the first five minutes, but Northwestern dominated the last 15 minutes of the first half and outscored Illinois 37-16 during that fight, including a 12-1 run to the end. to end half. But the rest-time message from Underwood – whatever it was and no matter how much blasphemy was uttered – gave them the fire they needed, and then some.
What it means: The half-to-half inconsistency remains a concern for this team and may prevent them from achieving their high goals. But the Illini still show that they can be just as good as anyone in the country. If Underwood can unlock consistency, watch out. This Illinois team has the highest expectations since 2004-05 and is the best Big Ten start so far since Dee, Deron, Luther and his company played 15-0 in the conference before reaching their final season finale in Ohio became upset. State. Illinois continues to claim the wins during a favorable stretch in their schedule and achieves their second consecutive Big Ten victory, which is the key for any team to tackle a conference crown. The Illini play three of their next four at home (Maryland, Ohio State and Penn State) with their one-way game during that stretch in Nebraska, which is unbeaten in Big Ten play. Illinois has the chance to separate early from most of the Big Ten package.
Star of the game: Cockburn had just five points and two rebounds in the first half minutes and did not want his car to turn to its highest gear. But the big man was a monster truck in the second half, dominating in second place with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Cockburn plays like an All-Big Ten First Team player and possibly an All-American.
Status of the game: Northwest shot 2-for-24 in the second half. Two scored field goals in the second half. Illinois made this comeback because it played elite defense and came to a standstill.
Tonight @IlliniMBB halved against Northwest by 15, but won by 25.
They are the only Division I team in the last 25 seasons to spot 15+ points at halftime, but have won by 20 or more.
– Statistics by STATS (@StatsBySTATS) 8 January 2021
Do not miss: Jacob Grandison provided a lot of energy early in the second half in extended minutes after Da ‘Monte Williams left with an apparent ankle injury. After a DNP in favor of Coleman Hawkins against Purdue, Grandison stole three points, two rebounds, two assists and two in the second half to help the Illini sparkle.
What’s next: Illinois is hosting Maryland for a Sunday discount (BTN) at 7 p.m. After the Terrapins (6-6 1-5 Big Ten) won a portion of the Big Ten Championship last season, they had the worst Big Ten start since entering the league for the 2014-15 season. Maryland is so far 13th in the conference in offensive efficiency and 12th in defensive efficiency, allowing opponents to shoot 38.8 percent of three, the Big Ten’s worst defensive point. Three Maryland players have a double-digit average: Eric Ayala (14.0 points), Donta Scott (12.9) and Aaron Wiggins (11.9).
