The No. 10 Illini are in LA tonight, and they’ve got some unfinished business with the Trojans. Tip it at 9:00 CT on BTN.
Illinois (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) heads to the Galen Center to kick off its annual West Coast swing, and the opponent couldn’t be more fitting. USC (18-7, 7-7) handed the Illini one of their flattest performances of last season, an 82-72 loss at State Farm Center that still stings. Tonight’s a chance to gain a game back in a series the Trojans lead 9-3 all-time.
The good new is this team looks nothing like the one that sleepwalked through that January afternoon a year ago.
Meanwhile, it’s Wednesday, which means we’re checking in on the Illini making waves overseas...
ILLINI IN THE PROS
JAPAN B LEAGUE
Kofi Cockburn, Hiroshima Dragonflies
The big man continues to do what the big man does. Cockburn is averaging roughly 17 points and 9.8 rebounds through 18 games for the Dragonflies, shooting a characteristically efficient 62.3% from the field. The Dragonflies had a light February schedule ( just four games on the docket) with a pair of home games against Akita Northern Happinets and a road set at Shiga Lakes. Hiroshima’s next games come March 7-8 against the Koshigaya Alphas at home.
For context on how dominant Cockburn has been in Asia, his career overseas now spans 148 regular-season games across Japan and South Korea, averaging roughly 19.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. He’s fourth in the B.League in rebounds this season and remains the anchor of a Hiroshima squad that won the B.League title in 2024 and the East Asia Super League in 2025, both before Cockburn arrived last May. Hiroshima is banking on his production as they push for another deep postseason run.
EUROPE
Kendrick Nunn, Panathinaikos (Greece — EuroLeague)
The reigning EuroLeague MVP is finally back. After missing six consecutive games with a left ankle injury sustained in early January, coach Ergin Ataman confirmed last week that Nunn returned to full team practice and was “100% ready” for Round 28 against Fenerbahce. Ataman expected Nunn to log 25-30 minutes in his comeback.
Nunn’s absence was brutal for Panathinaikos — the Greek powerhouse went 2-4 without their leading scorer, who was averaging a competition-best 19.4 points per game along with 3.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds before going down. His last game was a 21-point outing against Virtus on January 9. Panathinaikos currently sits around seventh in the EuroLeague standings with a 16-11 record (as of early February), and getting Nunn back healthy is the difference between a deep playoff run and an early exit. The 30-year-old guard has been a revelation in Europe since his NBA days, capturing the EuroLeague MVP in 2024-25 and establishing himself as one of the continent’s premier scorers.
Andres Feliz, Real Madrid (Spain — Liga ACB / EuroLeague)
Feliz continues to carve out a steady role as a backcourt rotation piece for one of Europe’s elite clubs. In Liga ACB play this season, the Dominican guard has appeared in 15 games, averaging 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in about 15 minutes per contest. His shooting has been efficient — 57% from the field overall, though his three-point stroke has cooled to 32%.
In the EuroLeague, Feliz has been a contributor across 38 total games (domestic and European combined), providing energy and defensive intensity off the bench. He ranks among Real Madrid’s leaders in steals, a testament to the same disruptive defensive instincts he showed in an Illini uniform. Real Madrid is competing on multiple fronts and Feliz’s versatility as a backup guard who can defend and create keeps him in the rotation for a loaded roster that includes Facundo Campazzo, Theo Maledon, and Mario Hezonja. For a guy who started his European career in Spain’s second division, suiting up for Real Madrid is a remarkable trajectory.
Trent Frazier, Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia — VTB United League)
The captain keeps cooking in Saint Petersburg. Frazier is averaging around 14.8 points per game for Zenit this season, putting him among the team’s leading scorers. In November, Frazier led Zenit in scoring at 17.6 points per game, including a 27-point explosion against Nizhny Novgorod. He followed that up by leading the team in scoring again in December at 15.4 per game.
Now in his third full season with Zenit after arriving in February 2023, Frazier has become the club’s emotional leader — officially named team captain earlier this season. His playmaking has been a key piece of the puzzle, averaging 5.0 assists in November. Zenit’s next VTB League action comes February 19 on the road against Uralmash Yekaterinburg. For a four-year Illini guard who went undrafted in 2022, Frazier has built himself a legitimate European career, and his leadership in one of the VTB’s marquee markets speaks volumes about his growth as a professional.
Alfonso Plummer, KK Bosna (Bosnia — ABA League / FIBA Europe Cup)
Plummer has found a home in Sarajevo and is lighting it up. The Puerto Rican sharpshooter set a season-high with 30 points against Zadar in ABA League play, and he’s been a consistent scoring threat for a Bosna side competing on two fronts — the regional ABA League and the FIBA Europe Cup. Playing alongside fellow guard Jarrod West, Plummer’s role as a primary scorer suits his skill set perfectly. His ability to get hot from beyond the arc hasn’t diminished since his days torching Big Ten defenses.
Bosna’s most recent ABA League outing was a tough loss to Perspektiva Ilirija, but the club remains competitive in the FIBA Europe Cup, where they’ve already knocked off Cedevita Olimpija (85-82) at home. Plummer has bounced around (from the G League to Paris, Germany, Puerto Rico, Spain, and now Bosnia), but at 28, he seems to have found a situation where his scoring punch is the centerpiece rather than a complementary piece. The same stroke that torched Wisconsin for 35 at Utah is alive and well in the Balkans.
Andre Curbelo, Ironi Ness Ziona (Israel — Super League)
Curbelo’s Israeli adventure remains mostly theoretical. The former Illini point guard signed with Ness Ziona last September and showed promise in the preseason Winner Cup — averaging 13.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.8 steals across four games. A groin injury sustained near the start of the regular season has kept him on the shelf. As of our latest information, Curbelo has been listed as unavailable for regular-season action, though he remains on the Ness Ziona roster alongside fellow Americans Damion Lee, Isaiah Whitehead, and Yuri Collins.
At just 24, Curbelo still has time to establish himself professionally, but the lost development time is frustrating. When healthy, his speed, vision, and defensive disruption are legitimate weapons — the same toolkit that made him the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman at Illinois. Ness Ziona’s next game is February 22 against Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Illini fans will be watching to see if Curbelo can finally get on the court and make an impact.
This Day In Illini History: February 18
2020: Ayo’s Heroic Return — Illinois 62, No. 9 Penn State 56
This one is the stuff of legend. Just one week after being helped off the floor with a knee injury on the final play of a heartbreaking loss to Michigan State, Ayo Dosunmu declared himself a game-time decision, suited up, and proceeded to torch the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions for a game-high 24 points in State College. Illinois had lost four straight and desperately needed a spark. Dosunmu, playing at what he later admitted was about 75 percent, delivered one of the gutsiest performances in modern Illini history. He scored eight consecutive points in the second half to break open a tight game, then iced it with a layup with 16 seconds left. Freshman Kofi Cockburn chipped in 14 points and 7 boards, while Da’Monte Williams held Penn State star Lamar Stevens to just 13 points on 3-of-11 shooting. It was Illinois’ first road win over a top-10 team since 2012 and snapped a six-game losing streak to the Nittany Lions. Andres Feliz — now playing for Real Madrid — grabbed 7 rebounds off the bench. Three guys in that box score are still playing professionally overseas today.
2004: Grinding Out the Badgers — Illinois 65, No. 12 Wisconsin 57
In a season where the Illini would finish 26-7 and reach the Sweet Sixteen, this February 18 home win over 12th-ranked Wisconsin was a quintessential Big Ten rock fight. The Illini held the Badgers to 57 points in an era when Wisconsin wanted to play in the 50s anyway — beating Bo Ryan at his own game. Illinois would later lose to the same Badgers in the Big Ten Tournament final (53-70) before bouncing back with a NCAA Tournament win over Cincinnati and a run to the Sweet Sixteen, where Duke ended the ride.
1952: A Future Final Four Squad Visits Bloomington — No. 6 Illinois 77, No. 20 Indiana 70
Go way back. On February 18, 1952, the sixth-ranked Fighting Illini traveled to Bloomington and knocked off 20th-ranked Indiana 77-70 behind a roster that featured sophomore sensation Johnny “Red” Kerr, who was in the process of setting an Illini sophomore scoring record with 357 points that season. This was Harry Combes’ powerhouse — a squad that would win the Big Ten title, reach the Final Four (the first one ever officially recognized by the NCAA), and finish No. 2 in the final AP poll with a 22-4 record. Oh, and Combes? He was a Monticello, Illinois native. A little local flavor for the Dunker Spot readership.