Illinois traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan, looking to win its sixth-consecutive conference game and gain sole possession of the first place in the Big Ten with a win over Michigan for the second time this season. Sophomore guard Ayo Dosumu carried Illinois in the first half to a 34-30 lead at the half, despite junior  guard Trent Frazier getting into foul trouble, forcing him to sit on the bench for a majority of the first half. A back-and-forth second half ended with a Dosunmu buzzer-beating midrange jumper to give Illinois a 64-62 win.   

Trent Frazier: A-

Frazier is coming off of his two best offensive performances of the season, scoring 17 points in a home victory over Northwestern and a season-high 21 points against Purdue on Tuesday.

The junior hit his first shot, a mid-range jumper, off the dribble, making it three straight games where he buried his first attempt of the night. When Frazier hits his first couple of shots, it opens the Illin offense because it forces defenders to thicken their coverage on him. Frazier hit two of the deepest threes the Illini have had this season on consecutive possessions to give him eight points before the 10-minute mark of the first half.

Frazier picked up two fouls in the first half, which took the Illini’s best defender off the court and contributed to Michigan’s Zavier Simpson getting 10 points in the first half. Frazier was whistled for his third foul early and then called for a blocking foul for his fourth. Frazier sunk two free throws to tie the game at 62 withless than a minute left.

Ayo Dosunmu: A+

Since Dosunmu was moved off the ball, his offensive production has dramatically increased because he has been able to drive to the basket easier and find the open man when the Illini are in the halfcourt offense.

Dosunmu is coming off his best offensive performance of the season when he scored 18 points and recorded a career-high 11 rebounds. Dosunmu’s mid-range jumper has been falling at a much higher clip than earlier in the season, and that has a lot to do with his increased offensive production. The sophomore got the Illini on the board first with a beautiful baseline jumper over Michigan big man Jon Teske. Dosunmu came in with new confidence dropping 16-points in the first half and was dynamic with the ball in hands forcing Michigan to guard him and his passing ability.

To open the second half, Dosunmu found Cockburn on a beautiful entry pass that the freshman finished off at the rim. On back-to-back possessions in the second half, Dosunmu hit a three and a deep two to give Illinois the lead back. Dosunmu had another career game finishing with a career-high 27-points and a buzzer-beating jumper to ice it for Illinois. 

Da’Monte Williams: B-

Williams probably expected to see increased minutes versus the Wolverines due to Alan Griffin’s two-game suspension for stepping on Purdue’s sophomore guard Sasha Stefanovic on Tuesday night in Mackey Arena. In the first half, Williams took only one shot a three off the wing that he air-balled; however, his defense was impressive despite being matched up with a bigger and more athletic freshman guard Franz Wager. Williams had a nice steal while the Wolverines were in transition, which leads to an Andres Feliz layup at the other end to give Illinois a 54-52 lead.

Giorgi Bezhanishvili: C

In the first half, Bezhanishvili was 2-4 from the field and grabbed two defensive rebounds. Bezhanishvili missed a three at the 4:19 mark that he forced when Illinois was down 60-58, an unneeded shot at the time. 

Kofi Cockburn: D

In the first matchup of the season against then-No. 5 Michigan, The Illini freshman, starred against Michigan center senior Jon Teske, posting 19 points and ten rebounds and contributing to the Illini being a plus-12 on the glass.

But, it was a different story on the glass in Ann Arbor, Michigan where the Wolverines out-rebounded Illinois 44-28 on the offensive glass. Cockburn missed his first four shot attempts when he sees the ball go through early; his confidence skyrockets and it can open up jump-shots on the outside, which when Illinois is hitting them, their offense becomes very difficult to guard.

Cockburn didn’t get many offensive opportunities after the 16-minute mark. Michigan deserves credit for holding him in check, but Illinois needs to continue to push the needle and feed their star freshman. Illinois went to him early in the second half with two entry passes before the 18-minute mark. However, Cockburn still wasn’t able to get it going in the second half on the offensive end finishing with just five points and three rebounds before fouling out at the 1:17 mark in the second half. 

Andres Feliz: A

Feliz was forced to step up in the last five minutes of the first half after Frazier picked up his second foul. Feliz drove to the basket a couple of times and was fouled in his first shot attempt and sunk a teardrop floater on his second.

Feliz wasn’t able to keep Michigan point guard Zavier Simpson in front of him, which allowed Michigan to go on a little run to shrink the Illini lead heading into the half. Feliz was forced to step up in the second half again for Frazier after he picked up an early third foul, but Feliz was more aggressive driving to the basket forcing to defense to make plays.

Feliz looks to be getting back on track a little bit on the offensive end, and he is a massive contributor to the Illini offense when he is at his best. Feliz finished with 15 points and only missed one shot throughout the game. 

Kipper Nichols: B-

Nichols continues to be impressive in his role coming off the bench were he provides spot scoring and solid defensive play when he replaces Bezhanishvili or Cockburn. On one offensive possession, Nichols caught a pass in the corner and immediately went baseline and was fouled going up to the rim, an excellent offensive play made without hesitation. Nichols only made one of two free throws, but it was a nice play where he used his athletism off the dribble to get to the basket. Nichols continued to play solid defense in the second half.

Tevian Jones: D

Similar to Williams, Jones should have expected more minutes and he saw his first minutes before the 12-minute mark of the first half. Jones struggles defensively and has been guilty of forcing shots offensively, but playing hard is a way he can force himself into the rotation more frequently. There was a loose ball in the first half that Jones and Feliz both dove on the floor for. They didn’t get it, but Underwood prides this team on being the toughest in the Big Ten; plays like that are what makes him happy. He failed to record a stat and only had one shot. Jones probably didn’t get as many minutes as he was expecting, but he played hard today and didn’t make mistakes, improvement for the sophomore. 

Jermaine Hamlin: N/A

Hamlin checked into the game for less than a minute at the end of the first half and did not record a stat.