Orange crush in Ann Arbor
With Ayo still sitting, a pumped-up Illini squad routed No. 2 Michigan
Illinois’ bellicose bench seemed to drown out the artificial crowd noise at Michigan.
Players popped up out of their seats and roared when Illinois took a charge. They greeted teammates with ferocious high-fives during timeouts. They looked like internet memes come to life when Trent Frazier buried a 3-pointer.
The fact that Ayo Dosunmu, wearing gray sweats with a towel draped around his neck, was one of those players celebrating on the sideline throughout the game made No. 4 Illinois’ 76-53 victory at No. 2 Michigan all the more impressive.
“I can’t even tell you the feeling I’m feeling right now, knowing the energy we had out there tonight,” said Frazier, who finished with a game-high 22 points. “Especially on the road, it was incredible. It was special.”
The Illini (19-6, 15-4 Big Ten) already had high hopes for the postseason, but dominating on the road without their player of the year candidate? It’s not a stretch to consider Illinois a legitimate Final Four contender.
Winning without Dosunmu was a statement for the Illini. Not just for Tuesday night but for the rest of the month — and maybe early April.
Coach Brad Underwood clarified that Dosunmu is going through medical protocols before he can be cleared from a concussion
he suffered last week in a loss to Michigan State. Going 3-0 without one of college basketball’s most dynamic players has to be worth something in the eyes of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
The Wolverines (18-2, 13-2) are projected to claim one of the four No. 1 seeds, and that shouldn’t change because of this loss. But Illinois certainly made a case for itself.
“I would be challenged to find a better win in college basketball this year, a better road win anyway,” Underwood said. “It has to make a pretty solid statement. Beating a team that’s No. 2 in the country and up there in almost every analytic (category), it’s got to be a pretty strong statement — and to do that without college basketball’s best player.”
The Illini seemed rightfully as giddy as their fans after beating the highestranked opponent on the road in program history.
“We just wanted to prove to the world what we’re capable of,” Frazier said.
Case closed. The Illini are sure to be a popular
pick in virtual office pool brackets come Selection Sunday — and they have another chance to solidify their arguments for a No. 1 seed when they close the regular season Saturday at seventh-ranked Ohio State.
Michigan looked out of sorts and stagnant, while Illinois looked locked in and lively.
Frazier played maybe the most satisfying game of his four-year career at Illinois, hitting vital shots with smart but aggressive play.
Freshman point guard Andre Curbelo helped control the game and provided an early boost with 11 of his 17 points in the first half. Center Kofi Cockburn’s inside presence helped limit the Wolverines’ typically efficient offense to a season low in points, and he added 12 points and seven rebounds.
“We’re the hardestplaying team in the country,” Frazier said. “That’s our statement. Even without our best player, we have a lot of guys on this team. We’re loaded.”
Most satisfying for Illinois was destroying Michigan
on the glass. The Illini held a 42-26 rebounding edge with a group effort, allowing them to outscore the Wolverines 22-5 in second-chance points.
“We felt like that was a battle we had to win to win the game,” Underwood said.
The Wolverines’ hot shooters were mostly invisible; they made only 34.7% from the field as a team. Freshman center Hunter Dickinson was 1 of 8 for six points, Isaiah Livers scored seven on 2-of-7 shooting and Franz Wagner was 1 of 9 for a season-low two points.
Michigan entered the game rated as the fifthmost efficient offensive team in the nation, according to the KenPom analytics.
“When we’re tough and gritty and flying around, yes, we are a very good defensive team,” Underwood said.
Michigan could have wrapped up the Big Ten title with a win, and it has two more chances to do so Thursday and Sunday against Michigan State. If the Wolverines lose both of
those games and Illinois beats Ohio State, then the Illini will be the regularseason Big Ten champs.
Tuesday’s performance was a reminder that they could be destined for even more.
Asked about the impetus to revamp the defense two seasons ago, Underwood’s response could apply to the overall approach to this season.
“The goal is to do more than beat Michigan,” he said. “The goal is to win a national championship.”
Frazier indicated some extra motivation in facing the Wolverines, although when asked to clarify, he said, “It’s not a rivalry game.”
“The past month, with
everything going on between the two teams, we had a chip on our shoulder,” Frazier said.
The teams were scheduled to play Feb. 11 before Michigan had to extend its COVID-19 layoff that eventually reached 22 days. Illinois has squeezed in makeup games late, playing six games in 11 days and three straight road games to finish the regular season.
Underwood said the motivation against Michigan was simply playing a highly ranked team.
“This team knows Michigan is obviously one of the best teams in the country,” he said. “There’s a motivation when you play a team that’s (ranked) ahead of you.”