There is currently no hotter and perhaps more dangerous team in America than Illinois. This is true thanks to his masked rescuer, Ayo Dosunmu, who returned on Saturday and turned into Late-Game Hero again for no. 4 Illinois to help secure a 73-68 victory in the no. 7 Ohio State to achieve.
One of the most tired clichés of March is nobody wants to see this team in the NCAA Tournament. Even if it’s true when it comes to this group. Illinois is currently as locked up as anyone else. Yes, Gonzaga who is on the top rankings is still unbeaten, but he had to play nothing but WCC teams for months. Nr. 3 looks like Baylor is working back in an elite form, but it was convincingly sparked in Kansas a week ago after he was nearly upset by the Iowa state. Michigan? The Big Ten champions (in a technical way, Illinois will remind you) were just ousted a few nights ago by the Illini – who did not even have Dosunmu in the game.
Illinois is the danger zone. Brad Underwood’s team is positive about the role in the post-season and boasts an 11-1 record since January 16th. This is perhaps the most impressive win of the season by any team – a 76-53 mutilation on Tuesday, no. 2, in Michigan; again, no Dosunmu – Saturday’s final season of the regular season was done by a back-to-back draw on the poor Buckeyes, who have now lost four in a row. Illinois rounded off another rally from the end of the game, with a 9-0 run to close it out and not let OSU score in the final 3:48. In the Illinois run, it was Dosunmu who showed up again to save the day.
“My job is pretty easy if you have guys like that,” Underwood said. “People need to realize how damn good he is and how great he is, and not just score points. It’s all different.”
Dosunmu scored six of the last nine points in Illinois and finished with 19 points (7-out-10 from the field), four rebounds and three assists after three games away due to a broken nose and concussion. Dosunmu’s nose remains broken, which means he will wear a mask for the rest of the season. Call him “Domino Dosunmu.” Masked superhero of the university basketball.
“Any good player can not do it alone,” Dosunmu said after the victory.
That’s true, but Dosunmu comes as close as anyone in university basketball to the maximum. First-years Andre Curbelo did match Dosunmu’s output (19 points), and center Kofi Cockburn added 12 points and six boards. With Dosunmu back, Illinois looks strong after the national championship. He brings a je ne sais quoi to the table that is unmatched by any other player this season. Without him, Illinois would not win Saturday. It seems clear. He changes the calculator for his team, for the Big Ten, for whatever corner of the bracket Illinois turns.
On Saturday, the team’s third victory in a row was against an opponent. The school has not done this since 1999. It was also two in a row against teams in the top 10. The last time Illinois won two straight against top 10 teams was the year 2005. The stage was the NCAA Tournament. Arizona and Louisville were the victims, and the legends of Illinois, Deron Williams, Luther Head and Dee Brown, were on their way to a national title game and the 37-2 season.
This season, Illinois is 16-4 in the best league. This winning total is a big ten school record, reaching the 15-winning mark of 1984 and 2005. Underwood’s team also has three wins against top 10 opponents.
For this team, it is still not enough.
“With this win, we believe we are the Big Ten champions,” Dosunmu said, referring to Michigan winning the Big Ten title, despite finishing with 16 league games in Illinois ’20. Illinois has 16 league winners, while Michigan is at 15 if it beats Michigan State Sunday on CBS. Michigan’s excellent winning percentage (because he played three games less) gives the Wolverines the regular season and the No. 1 position in the Big Ten tournament.
All of this is more fuel for Illinois after the post-season. This will be the worst number 2 seed in conference tournament next week. It’s almost unthinkable to be a projected No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, yet have a legitimate chip on your shoulder, but Illinois can do it.
“I know we won 16 games and played all 20,” Underwood said. “We all knew it would be a unique situation with an unbalanced schedule not to play all the games, but I know this: no one won more games than us and we all played.”
This is a group that is ready to win a national title. Whether that is the case is a big task, but one that Dosunmu, Cockburn and Co. Illinois’ 29 league games between last season and this season are the year-on-year totals in school history, even better than the 2003-05 teams.
Dosunmu is still behind Luke Garza of Iowa for National Player of the Year, but his averages of 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists must be taken into account. If Dosunmu can keep the numbers – and there is nothing to suggest he will not do – then he is the first fellow player in 11 years to complete a season with at least 20/6/5. And he will probably do that for a team on the 1st line.
“That’s exactly what I came back for – and more,” Dosunmu said. “I wanted to come back and seal my name with my teammates in Illinois basketball history and Illinois basketball history.”
The man has a broken nose. He is going to play through it and in the process put on a domino. I wish Dosunmu the fastest and healthiest recovery.
So, with that being said, we got the best closer in college basketball, beating the worst mask you’ve ever seen in the NCAA Tournament for a likely No. 1 seed. It must be phenomenal.