I missed thirteen yesterday, so we’re doing a little catching up. Illinois heads to Cincinnati on October 17, which leaves us twelve days and two numbers to work with today.
Fortunately, there’s plenty of basketball behind both of them. We’ve got two No. 13s connected to Final Four trips, a No. 12 with a big sophomore leap, and an Ayo stat line that still looks ridiculous. Then we can turn our attention to some actual basketball tonight.
Kendall Gill and a thirteen point comeback
No. 13 belongs in any conversation about the Flyin’ Illini, and Kendall Gill gives us a good reason to pull up the Syracuse game again.
On March 26, 1989, Illinois beat Syracuse 89–86 to reach the Final Four. The Illini had trailed by as many as 13 in the first half. Even with all that talent, getting to Seattle required working their way back against a team that wasn’t going anywhere quietly.
Gill had a hand in the late separation, scoring on a putback dunk during a five-point Illinois run that made it 84–78 with less than two minutes left. Then he was there to finish the job. Syracuse missed a potential tying three on its final possession, Nick Anderson tipped the rebound toward Gill, and Gill took off with the ball as time expired.
That’s a helluva ending for No. 13 after a thirteen-point deficit.
Gill came back the next season and led the Big Ten in scoring at 20.0 points per game, earning consensus second-team All-America honors. The Final Four highlights are a good place to start with him. There’s plenty more after that.
Tomislav Ivisic and thirteen on the way to Indy
We don’t have to go nearly as far back for another No. 13 helping Illinois reach the Final Four.
On March 28, Tomislav Ivisic scored 13 points in the 71–59 Elite Eight win over Iowa. Eleven of them came in the second half, when he went 5-for-8 from the field. He also finished with four rebounds and two blocks.
Illinois trailed 32–28 at halftime, and the game was still tied at 51 with 7:14 left. The Illini closed it out 20–8, including the final eight points of the game. After twenty-one years, Illinois was going back to the Final Four.
Keaton Wagler scored 25. Andrej Stojakovic added 17. Tomi’s second half helped make sure those performances came with a regional championship celebration.
There’s your thirteen, and the final margin supplies twelve, too. Beating Iowa by twelve to get to the Final Four is a pretty damn good way to cover both days.
Tomi is back wearing No. 13 this season. Getting to watch him again is part of what makes October 17 feel so close and still not quite close enough.
Meyers Leonard and twelve rebounds against Richmond
Meyers Leonard wore No. 12, and his first college double-double fits right in here.
On November 22, 2011, he put up 22 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks in a 70–61 win over Richmond. That is a lot of work at both ends from the big guy from Robinson
The jump between his two Illinois seasons was enormous. As a freshman, Leonard averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds. As a sophomore, those numbers became 13.6 and 8.2. He also led the Big Ten at 1.9 blocks per game.
The Richmond game was an early look at how much more Illinois could get from him. Twenty-two points were a career high, and he blocked five shots at the other end.
We spend a lot of the offseason wondering who can make that next jump. Leonard’s sophomore season is a useful reminder of just how different a player can look when the next November rolls around.
Ayo Dosunmu had twelve of each
Twelve rebounds would make a fine afternoon for a guard. Ayo added twelve assists, too.
On February 6, 2021, he finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in Illinois’ 75–60 win over No. 19 Wisconsin. It was the third triple-double in program history, the first since Sergio McClain in 2001, and the first by an Illini against a ranked opponent.
Wisconsin had 19 rebounds as a team. Ayo had twelve by himself, and Illinois won the rebounding battle 46–19.
The win also ended a seven-game home losing streak to Wisconsin. For all the individual numbers worth celebrating, finally sending the Badgers home from Champaign with a loss made the afternoon even better.
That’s the fun of going back through these games. A triple-double is enough to get your attention, but the opponent and the win make the numbers mean a little more. Ayo helped take care of all of it that day.
A little Illini basketball tonight
Minnesota opens its preseason at Milwaukee tonight at 7 p.m. Central. Ayo and Terrence Shannon Jr. are on the Timberwolves roster, and Kasparas Jakučionis is with the Bucks, giving this one another Illinois connection.
We’ll see who gets minutes, but that’s a good reason to keep an eye on an October NBA preseason game while we wait.
Twelve days until Cincinnati. We’re getting there!!
What did I miss?