It’s Game Day! The game today is at 3:00pm on FS1.
What a Big Ten race it has been so far this season, and it’s only going to get wilder from here. Things are starting to get a tad bit more clarity after Sparty dropped one at home against Michigan, but I’m not even coming close to counting out Michigan State — or Purdue, for that matter. Whoever comes out of today’s Nebraska-Illinois matchup won’t be out of it, but Nebraska will sure be in the driver’s seat if they pull it off.
As I was thinking about the upcoming game throughout the day on Saturday, I kept coming back to just how brutal this matchup is going to be — and I’m sure Nebraska is thinking the exact same thing. So first up, here are the pre-game interviews from both coaches before we tip off. (I’m jealous of the video quality of the Nebrask presser…wish we could have that here)
So what stands out to me (aside from the expected “we’re facing a really high level ball club” stuff)?
Underwood was brutally honest about the first matchup. He said there were “no real positives” he could pull from Illinois’ defensive effort. Hoiberg gave his guys a bit more credit, framing it as a high-level offensive battle on both sides.
Underwood wants to prove Illinois has “found answers” since that home loss back in December. Meanwhile, Hoiberg sounded hungry to redeem themselves after giving up a 44% offensive rebound rate to the Fighting Illini. That’s a big number, though not atypical for this elite-offensive-rebounding Illini team.
Both coaches expect Sunday to get physical. Underwood praised Nebraska’s physicality outright, and Hoiberg acknowledged straight up that his guys can’t “out-jump” or “out-length” Illinois, so they’ve got to be the first ones initiating contact.
Underwood sees Nebraska as a team that is super efficient and simply never beats themselves. That’s a dangerous recipe.
Hoiberg sees Illinois as a team with real talent and depth — an offensive juggernaut that punishes you for every miss.
ILLINI IN THE PROS
NBA
Ayo Dosunmu, Bulls - DEEP DIVE
Last night belonged to Ayo, getting the start for the Bulls in the absence of some of their higher paid players (Josh Giddey, Coby White, Nikola Vucevic among others were inactive). Dosunmu posted 29 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds in a 125-118 win and was the best player on the floor by a mile. He flirted with a triple-double the entire night and flashed exactly the kind of versatility that’s made him the steady hand of this Bulls squad.
Beyond the volume, Ayo set the tone. Chicago rained down 20 three-pointers on the night, and Dosunmu was the engine behind a critical 10-0 second-half run just as the Heat started pulling away. For a team leaning heavily on one guy to hold things together on a short-handed night, Ayo put together a complete performance.
His season numbers have officially crossed into breakout territory. Tonight’s game pushes his 3-point shooting to .441 (8th in the NBA) and his effective field goal percentage to .599 (20th in the league). That’s not role-player shooting. Those are legitimate weapon-on-the-wing numbers, and the league is starting to notice.
Where It Fits: The Illini Scoring Ledger
Twenty-nine points is a serious number for any guard on any given night. In the context of the Illinois alumni lineage in the NBA, it’s up there, but far from the top.
For perspective on the ceiling he’s chasing, here are some other big single-game scoring peaksfor former Fighting Illini:
The ceiling above him is steep — Williams at 57, Anderson at 50, Eddie Johnson in the mid 40’s multiple times, Ohl hitting 43 twice. Those are the peaks Ayo is ultimately chasing.
The All-Time Career Scoring Board
Here’s where the Illini alumni stack up in total career points in the NBA. Ayo’s at 3,477 and climbing fast — 609 points behind Nick Weatherspoon for 12th.
Tonight was more than a win for Chicago. It was a reminder that Ayo Dosunmu is evolving from a hometown hero into a legitimate NBA force. The Illini scoring pedigree is alive and well in the NBA
THIS DAY IN ILLINI HISTORY
We’re going wayyy back for a couple of our first games today. Weird, but I couldn’t find any YouTube videos to share here.
1966: Illinois 99, Michigan 93
Illinois traveled to Michigan for a February 1, 1966 showdown and delivered an offensive explosion. The Illini prevailed 99-93 in Ann Arbor behind monster individual performances from Don Freeman and Rich Jones, who combined to torch the Wolverines’ defense at Yost Field House.
Freeman poured in 33 points while Jones added 31 in the high-scoring affair. Michigan’s Cazzie Russell matched Freeman’s 33-point effort in defeat. The victory came during Harry Combes’ coaching tenure, when Illinois consistently produced talented scorers who could fill it up in bunches.
1958: Illinois 102, Northwestern 98
On February 1, 1958, Huff Gym hosted a Northwestern squad in what became a high-scoring home thriller. Illinois emerged victorious 102-98 in a game that saw both teams light up the scoreboard.
This 1957-58 team was a bit of a rebuild of the previous year’s team that was ranked #2 nationally. The 1956-57 team featured the same core of Harv Schmidt, Don Ohl, and Roger Taylor…except it also featured star center George BonSalle. Until BonSalle left the team due to an eligibility issue (possibly still relating back to the 1956 “slush fund” scandal, though specifics were hard for me to find)*.
That core of Schmidt, Ohl, and Taylor were back for the 57-58 season and turning in stellar offensive performances.
Breaking the century mark at home provided a boost for a program working to return to the upper echelon of the Big Ten after such a big setback as the one of the previous year. The four-point margin kept it tense throughout, I’m sure, with both teams finding offensive rhythm in an era before the shot clock when 100-point games required sustained excellence.
*BonSalle ended up getting picked at seventh overall in the ensuing NBA draft…but opted out to play in Italy. The 50’s were weird