INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Coming into the Big Ten Tournament, the No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini had something to prove; the team felt as though they should have been Big Ten regular-season champions. Before the season, all teams agreed to decide the champion by winning percentage in not all teams finished 20 games. That gave Michigan the outright title, but Illinois felt they deserved it after beating Michigan and reaching 16 conference wins.
On Sunday, they got to prove themselves by winning the Big Ten Tournament Championship 91-88 in overtime. In the extra frame, Illinois’s two first-team All-Big Ten performers, Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Donsunmu, iced the game from the free-throw line. They had 6 of Illinois’s 14 OT points, all from the free-throw line. Cockburn hit 3 of 4 in OT, while Donsunmu’s 2 free throws with 18 seconds left push the lead at 5.
Donsunmu and Cockburn were the Illinois leaders; they combined for 32 points on 10-26 shooting. Surprisingly, they matched each other in both points (16) and rebounds (9). Also, Andre Curbelo was huge off the bench. He matched his stars with 16 points along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He added 6 points in OT as well, including 4 straight points to push the lead to 5 with 34 seconds to go. Following the game, Donsunmu was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big Ten Tournament.
Now, Illinois and OSU are on to the NCAA Tournament. By running the table, Illinois has earned a championship while jumping Michigan for the No. 3 overall seed. They are the top seed in the Midwest Region and will play the 16th seed, Drexel. OSU is the No. 6 overall seed in the Tournament and the No. 2 seed in the South Region. They will play the 15th seed Oral Roberts.
Bench play for Illinois cancels out Washington Jr.
For OSU, guard Duane Washington Jr. is hitting his stride at the perfect time. Following his 24-point domination of No. 4 Michigan, he put forward an even better performance in the Championship. He scored a career-high 32 points along with 8 rebounds and a steal. Over both games, he was unconscious from behind-the-arc; his 5 of 10 from three in this game matches his performance in the Michigan game.
However, Illinois benefitted from an all-around performance. Six different Illinois players scored in double-figures. That included all three players off the bench, with Curbelo, Giorgi Bezhanishvili, and Da’Monte Williams combining for 41 bench points. The bench, especially Curbelo, was huge down the stretch. When OSU took a 2-point lead with 5:38 to go in the 2nd half, Curbelo evened the game. Then, he set up Trent Frazier 2 plays later for a clutch three-pointer to pull ahead by 5.
Looking forward, the depth of Illinois can be a sign of strength in the Tournament. As a team looking to make a deep run, it is nice to know they have three quality players off the bench. For OSU, they hope Washington Jr. can stay hot moving into Tournament play.
