It’s Game Day! Washington rolls into down for a game that starts at 8:00 PM CST (TV: FS1).
Illinois looks to keep the momentum rolling and push a winning streak to double digits and into another calendar month.
All eyes are Keaton Wagler to see how he will follow up that epic performance in West Layette, but the national media might be sleeping on what we Illini fans know to be true: It definitely could be Wagler, but it doesn’t have to be. It could be a Tomi game — it would be AWESOME for Tomislav to have himself a game against Hannes Steinbach. Or, it could be a Drej Day. It could be Mirk! It could be Big Z! For the record, my fantasy Big Ten Basketball Team - Kicker Nipples (named after Kipper Nichols) really, really hopes its Keaton again.
Speaking of Tomislav and Zvonimir, check out this awesome piece Big Ten Network’s “The Journey” put out about the seven-foot twins. Pretty cool!
ILLINI IN THE PROS
NBA
Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls
Ayo continues to be Chicago’s most consistent downhill threat, posting back-to-back quality performances even as the Bulls stumbled. He dropped 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting in Sunday’s 129-118 loss to the Lakers, attacking the rim while his teammates settled for perimeter shots. Two days later in Indiana, Dosunmu took over the third quarter with aggressive drives, finishing with 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting in a heartbreaking 113-110 defeat.
Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
Podz stuffed the stat sheet all week even when his shot wasn’t falling. The second-year wing racked up a season-high 4 steals in Saturday’s dominant 111-85 win over Minnesota, adding 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. His shooting struggled the next night (4-for-13 in an 108-83 loss), but he led all Warriors with 7 rebounds while distributing 4 assists. Tuesday against Utah, he flirted with a triple-double—11 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists—in Golden State’s 140-124 victory.
Kasparas Jakucionis, Miami Heat
The draft-and-stash rookie earned his fourth consecutive start Saturday, posting 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in Miami’s 111-102 win over Phoenix while filling in for injured Davion Mitchell. The real test came Tuesday against Orlando’s physical defense. KJ hit a rookie wall, managing just 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in a 133-124 loss.
Terrence Shannon Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves
Still no games this week for Shannon, who remains week-to-week with a foot injruy.
COACHES’ CORNER
NCAA
Chin Coleman, Associate Head Coach, University of Arkansas
Chin Coleman is having a successful second season at Arkansas after coming over with John Calipari. The Razorbacks sit at 16-5 overall and 6-2 in SEC play (good for second place in the conference), on trajectory for a massive improvement from last year’s 8-10 league finish. Arkansas is ranked 15th nationally and riding momentum with four wins in their last five games, including Tuesday’s 83-79 SEC road victory at Oklahoma where Coleman’s fingerprints were all over the outcome.
Coleman’s specialty remains guard development, and this season proves it. Standout freshman and potential NBA lottery pick Darius Acuff Jr., just tied the SEC record with his sixth consecutive Freshman of the Week award and is averaging nearly 20 points per game while running the offense. Coleman was one of the lead recruiters on Acuff. Another freshman Meleek Thomas, also a Coleman recruit, dropped 16 in the Oklahoma win. The Razorbacks are scoring 89.6 points per game (14th nationally) and sitting comfortably in NCAA Tournament position.
On the recruiting trail, Coleman continues cashing in on his Chicago connections (get off our lawn!). At $700,000 annually, Coleman commands the highest salary among Calipari’s assistants, and with Arkansas trending upward heading into a Saturday showdown against Kentucky, that investment is paying serious dividends.
Jerrance Howard, Assistant Coach, Arizona State University
Jerrance Howard’s second season in Tempe continues the rebuilding project for a Sun Devils squad navigating the brutal Big 12 waters. Arizona State sits at 11-10 overall and 2-6 in conference play…14th in the 16-team Big 12 standings. Head Coach Bobby Hurley’s staff is working to stabilize a program that is struggling to find consistency against one of the nation’s toughest schedules.
The Sun Devils showed signs of life with an 82-68 home victory over Cincinnati on January 24th (Sencire Harris put up 8, 4, and 1 in that game for Cincy). But that little bit of momentum evaporated just three days later when UCF rallied late for a 79-76 road win against ASU, with the Sun Devils unable to protect a lead down the stretch. The offensive firepower is there….ASU averages 79.6 points per game. Closing out games remains a challenge. Freshman center Massamba Diop has emerged as a bright spot, showing steady development throughout the season alongside Odum’s dynamic playmaking.
For Howard, the Illinois alum who spent eight seasons at Kansas helping recruit rosters that reached three Elite Eights and a Final Four, this season represents the grind of building from the ground up. He spent one year at Texas in 2021-22 that was followed by a brief stop at Southern Illinois before Hurley brought him aboard in Tempe. Now the veteran recruiter faces the challenge of translating his elite reputation into on-court results while laying groundwork for future success in a conference loaded with top-25 opponents.
THIS DAY IN ILLINI HISTORY
UCLA 120, Illinois 82 – January 29, 1967
Lew Alcindor (future NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabar) came to Chicago Stadium and put on a show. The 7-foot-2 sophomore scored 45 points with 21 field goals, shattering the stadium’s collegiate field goal record. Illinois had no answer.
The game was basically over by halftime. UCLA sprinted to a 62-38 lead as Alcindor tallied 13 baskets in the first half alone….well on his way to breaking the UCLA single-season scoring record. In January.
Spoiler alert, he achieved that record in the very same gain. With 6:15 remaining and UCLA up 103-68, officials stopped the game. They presented Alcindor the game ball to celebrate his record-breaking performance. Coach John Wooden benched his star for the final minutes…at that point, the message was clear and the game was all but over.
This was the middle of what would become a dynasty; the Bruins would go 88-2 over three seasons with Alcindor leading the way.
The game also set opponent records against Illinois that still stand today: UCLA’s 120 points, 56 field goals, and 105 field goal attempts remain the high-water marks for any opponent in Illinois basketball history. God-willing they stay that way forever
Illinois 80, Iowa 75 – January 29, 2021
No. 19 Illinois and No. 7 Iowa delivered one of the 2020-2021 Big Ten season’s best games. It had everything: 22 lead changes, razor-thin margins, and a controversial finish that had Iowa coach Fran McCaffery snapping at reporters in his Zoom press conference afterward (ugh typing “Zoom press conference” is depressing).
Ayo Dosunmu dropped 25 points and Trent Frazier added a season-high 24. The backcourt duo went 19-of-31 shooting, completely outplaying what was supposed to be a battle between big men Kofi Cockburn and Iowa’s Luka Garza.
Illinois was in control in the final two minutes, holding on despite some late-game drama. You might remember the controversy…a reversed goaltending call on Kofi Cockburn with just over a minute left that kept Iowa's comeback hopes alive a bit longer than they should have been.
Garza and Wieskamp each scored 19 despite Garza sitting more than seven minutes in the second half with foul trouble. The Hawkeyes played without CJ Fredrick, sidelined with a lower leg injury.
The victory kept Brad Underwood’s Illini surging toward a Big Ten title and an eventual No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.