Illinois basketball locked down the fourth seed of the Big Ten tournament after beating Iowa in the regular-season finale at home Sunday. The win also gave the Illini the last double-bye for the tournament placing them in the quarterfinals on Friday at approximately 2:30 p.m. CT.

The No. 21 Illini finished the regular season 21-10, 13-7 in Big Ten just a year after they broke the record for most losses in program history with 21. They won five out of their last six games this season, with their last loss against The Ohio State last Thursday.

Two Illini were recognized for their talents in the Big Ten on Monday as the conference announced the All-Big Ten teams and individual awards for the 2019-2020 season.

Sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu was selected to the First Team All-Big Ten by media, but the conference coaches named him a Second Team All-Big Ten selection.

Freshman center Kofi Cockburn was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year by both coaches and media. Cockburn was named to the coaches’ All-Freshman Team unanimously and the Third Team All-Big Ten by the media.

Ahead of Illinois in tournament seeding is No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 2 Michigan State and No. 3 Maryland. The top three seeds all tied for the regular-season title with a 14-6 Big Ten record.

Before a potential semi-final matchup with Wisconsin, Illinois will face either No. 5 Iowa, No. 12 Minnesota or No. 13 Northwestern.

Iowa

The Hawkeyes dropped to the five seed after the loss to the Illini and will have to beat the winner of Minnesota-Northwestern in order to get a shot at revenge. Illinois and Iowa have developed a rivalry after two hostile games this season.

After the first game, coaches from Illinois and Iowa appeared to exchange words during the postgame handshake line. During the second matchup, Illinois juniors Da’Monte Williams and Trent Frazier had a heated moment with Iowa’s CJ Fredrick and Connor McCaffery.

The Hawkeyes hosted the Illini on Feb. 2 and defeated them 72-65. Iowa junior Luka Garza dominated in the victory scoring 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Garza limited Cockburn to six points, but senior guard Andrés Feliz picked up the slack with 17 points.

In the matchup at State Farm Center last Sunday, Garza continued to challenge the Illini and scored 28 points. Cockburn pushed back this time, scoring 12 points and adding eight rebounds. Dosunmu and Feliz came up big in the Illini win, scoring 17 and 14 points, respectively. Senior forward Kipper Nichols stepped up on his senior night with a season-high 10 points.

Garza was named Big Ten Player of the Year by both coaches and media as he averaged 23.9 points per game in the regular season.

Minnesota

In order to advance to the quarterfinals, Minnesota will have to get past Northwestern then Iowa. The Golden Gophers tested the Illini when they came to Champaign on Jan. 30 but ultimately fell 59-51. Feliz dominated Minnesota with 17 points and Dosunmu and Cockburn each added 13 points.

Minnesota sophomore center Daniel Oturu scored 20 points on the Illini but was the only player to score in double figures for the Gophers. Oturu was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten and the All-Defensive Team.

Minnesota lost six out of their last eight games but ended the season with a 107-75 win over Nebraska. The Golden Gophers will face Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday. They beat the Wildcats 83-57 on Feb. 23 in Evanston.

Northwestern

The Illini beat the Wildcats twice this season, once in Champaign and once in Evanston. In the first matchup on Jan. 18, the Illini were nearly upset at home by the Wildcats but squeaked by 75-71. Forwards freshman Robbie Beran and sophomore Miller Kopp presented the most challenge for Illinois, scoring 17 and 16 points, respectively. Illinois junior Trent Frazier led the Illini with 16 points.

Illinois was more dominant in the away-matchup, beating Northwestern 74-66. Sophomore guard Alan Griffin paced the Illini with a season-high 24 points off six three-pointers while Dosunmu added 21 points.

The Wildcats have struggled throughout this season, winning just eight total games, including three in conference play.

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