Non-Powerhouse Illinois Pulls Away & Dumps Michigan, 68-53
By Jeff Mayfield

[January 15, 2022]   According to some of the Michigan players the Illinois Fighting Illini are not a powerhouse. I guess the Wolverines missed the memo that Illinois won the Big Ten Tournament last year, finished #2 in last season’s final regular season poll, and received a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. I may not be privy to all the nuances of the meaning/s of the word powerhouse-but maybe they missed that.

And IF they did miss that, it was nice to see the Illini players give them a little reminder. IN fact, by pulling away late last night & finishing off the U of M 68-53 before 15,544 annoying fans [not my description-that’s how the opponents describe Illini Nation], Illinois improved this season’s record to 13-3 and 6-0 alone in 1st place in the Big Ten. Maybe that doesn’t reach powerhouse proportions-I don’t know? It was Illinois’ 8th straight home win, their 13th straight win over Big Ten opponents, their 4th straight against Michigan, and they’ve now won 20 of their last 21 Big Ten games. I guess IF those stats don’t equal powerhouse status, no one knows what would!

[Note to fans:  outstanding effort tonight-way to bring another annoying performance! If you keep bringing it like that every game, it will really give this team the chance to have one of the most special seasons in Illini basketball history.]

Three Stars

Trent Frazier was locked in from the word go. Trent basically did everything. He finished the night with 18 points including 6-6 from the FT line, 7 big assists, and 3 rebounds. He also played outstanding defense and kept the team settled down throughout the contest. He just does all the things you’d expect a Super-Senior to do.

Kofi Cockburn didn’t have to go up against his rival Hunter Dickinson, who was a medical scratch before the game even started. He did register another double-double by scoring 21 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and registering a big block.

Also found this nugget-ONLY FOUR major conference players since 1996 have averaged 22+ points and 11+ rebounds per game; Kevin Durant, Texas ’06-’07; Michael Beasley, K State ’07-’08; Blake Griffin, Oklahoma ’08-’09 and Kofi currently! Nice going, Big Fella!

Alphonso Plummer came back with a much-needed big game for the Orange & Blue. He contributed 15 points and 3 rebounds. However, most of the game his penetration to the rim led to great shots, made the defense collapse, and gave his teammates better shots on several possessions.

Shout Outs

Jacob Grandison:  6 points on 2 huge 2nd half 3-pointers to go along with 3 rebounds.

Da’Monte Williams=5 points and 4 rebounds.

IF I better understood the term, I would call these performances=blockbuster!
One of my favorite stats of the night was that Illinois trailed in this contest for exactly 0 minutes and 0 seconds! I wish that happened more often!

Illinois should see a bump in the polls, blockbuster or not. Up next is a matinee special as they host Purdue at 11am Monday on Martin Luther King Day.

[By JEFF MAYFIELD]

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