Basketball

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

January 31, 2021

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

We have described it as winning ugly for a couple of games now, but the key is at the beginning of the phrase. The Illini just keep winning. 

After they outlasted Michigan State without Kofi Cockburn or Andre Curbelo, they found a way to win at Northwestern with Cockburn returning but still no Curbelo. Against the Spoartans, the Illini led most of the way and held on. Against the Wildcats, they trailed late and had to take control with some stifling defense and big shots late. 

Either way, they just win. The Illini are now 8-2 in Big Ten play and have won 22 of their last 25 games against Big Ten opponents. That’s a stretch they haven't had since the 2004 to 2005 era. 

Some thoughts…..

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Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 28, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Look, I get the impulse. Everybody does. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 27, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- It would be hard to imagine two coaches more philosophically and stylistically similar than Tom Izzo and Brad Underwood. 

So it should come as very little surprise to name the player on the court who the Michigan State head coach and Illinois head coach both thought were the keys to Illinois picking up its signature win of the 2021-22 season. 

In a 56-55 victory over No. 10 Michigan State on Tuesday night, one of the main players both coaches pointed to as a difference maker was a fifth-year senior who didn’t score a point in 27 minutes of action. Neither leader of a program near the top of the Big Ten Conference cares. Not one little bit. 

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

January 26, 2022

Illini Survive Spartans

Winning ugly is always better than losing pretty. Despite a long dry spell that saw the Illini scoreless for the final 5:32, Illinois held on for a 56-55 win over the #10 Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday night behind 16 points from Trent Frazier. The Illini played without start center Kofi Cockburn and Guard Andre Curbelo and finally got their signature win and bolstered their NCAA resume. 

Here’s a look at what we learned. 

These 3 Things

Numbers Lie? - Michigan State dominated the glass and won the second chance points battle 11-0. When was the last time Illinois had 0 2nd chance points?

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Barring a transfer at the end of the season, which is always possible, Brad Underwood and his staff will shift their focus to the class of 2023.