During the first few minutes of the Illini’s opening round matchup, the team looked nervous, as most of the team, other than Tyler Underwood, had never played an NCAA tournament game before. After settling in with some stops and scores, the Illini pulled away for a 78-49 win. 

Alley-oops, domination in the paint and 3-point shooting highlighted the Illini’s offensive display, things the team has been doing all season. On the defensive end, lockdown perimeter defending and dominance on the boards sealed a spot for the Illini in the Round of 32.

Let’s take a look at eight key performances from Friday afternoon.

Ayo Dosunmu: A
When Dosunmu announced his return to Champaign, he emphasized his desire to lead the Illini to a deep postseason run. After winning the Big Ten Tournament last weekend, Dosunmu put together a solid performance in his March Madness debut, finishing with a double-double with 17 points on 8-14 shooting and 11 rebounds.

Dosunmu looked nervous early, with his first shots coming up well short. He settled in, however, entering halftime with eight points. The Chicago native shifted into second gear in the second half, as he was selfless with the ball and finished with six assists. He also made significant defensive contributions, finishing with a team-high three steals.

Now that he’s gotten his early jitters out of his system, I expect Dosunmu to step up and control the offense going forward, and he will obviously be pivotal if the Illini want to make a deep tournament run.

Kofi Cockburn: A
Like usual, Cockburn was dominant on both ends of the paint, as he got several good looks while giving the Dragons little space on the other end of the court. The Illini big man finished with a game-high 18 points while grabbing five rebounds and making two blocks.

Drexel didn’t have any chance against Cockburn’s height, and the Jamaica native found room to work in the paint, where he had several easy dunks and layups. This size advantage isn’t unheard of for Cockburn, but it’s still impressive when he’s able to dominate against opposing centers game in, game out.

Few teams will be able to cope with the sophomore center’s size and physicality, and he’s arguably the biggest reason why the Illini have been so successful this season.

Trent Frazier: A+

It’s easy to point out Frazier’s offensive contributions, as he finished with 11 points on 5-9 shooting with two assists. He also helped get the Illini going in the first half after a nervous start, scoring seven of the team’s first 11 points. 

But it was his defense that really stood out. The Florida native held Drexel leading scorer Camren Wynter — who averaged 16.8 points per game coming into the matchup — to just six points on 3-13 shooting. Frazier is known for his lockdown defense on any opponent’s best player, but his display on Friday was impressive nonetheless.

As the team continues to advance, the better the opposition will get, but I have no doubt that Frazier will continue to lock down whoever the Illini face in the next round and potentially beyond that.

Adam Miller: A-

Despite being a freshman, Miller played like a seasoned veteran on Friday, scoring 10 points on 4-5 shooting while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists.

Like Frazier, Miller got the offense going early, scoring a nice jumper to open the scoring for the Illini. Known for his 3-point shooting, the Peoria native didn’t get many good looks from deep, as he made one of his two attempts from behind the arc.

Miller will need to get more open looks from behind the 3-point line, but his desire to step inside that line and take contested shots is promising for the freshman’s confidence moving forward.

Jacob Grandison: A-

Despite averaging 4.6 points heading into the NCAA tournament, Grandison put together another solid display on Friday, going for eight points on 4-5 shooting while also grabbing five defensive rebounds.

The California native has played well since earning Brad Underwood’s trust and moving into the starting lineup, and his defensive intensity, important offensive contributions and dominance on the boards have helped the Illini all season and will continue to help them going forward.

Giorgi Bezhanishvili: B
Like Dosunmu, Bezhanishvili looked nervous when he entered the game for the first time, coming up cold on each of his first three shot attempts before scoring his only two points of the game with a jumper with three-and-a-half minutes left in the first half.

Though he shot just 1-6 from the field, Bezhanishvili played solid defense, highlighted by a nice block late in the first half. He didn’t let any Dragon shooters to fire off any uncontested shots, and his energy level fueled everyone else around him.

While Bezhanishvili didn’t have much of an impact on offense, he made up for it on defense, helping the Illini extend their stay in Indianapolis until at least Sunday.

Andre Curbelo: A-
Though most of his teammates looked a bit nervous early on, Curbelo looked right at home and played well in his March Madness debut, finishing with eight points, five assists and three rebounds.

Curbelo set the pace early, finding Frazier for two deep shots and Cockburn for a layup to get the Illini offense going. His creativity and silky passing off the bench never fails to impress, and there’s a reason why he won the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.

If the Illini need a spark at any point during the NCAA tournament, expect Curbelo to come in and ignite that intensity, as he has proven several times this season that he can step up on the big stage.

Da’Monte Williams: B-

Williams didn’t play poorly, but I just didn’t feel like he made any significant contributions in the Illini’s opening round win. The Peoria native finished with four points on 2-3 shooting while also racking up four rebounds and two assists.

The senior guard finally made his NCAA tournament debut after battling through a coaching change and two disappointing seasons, and his defensive grit and aggressiveness on the boards have helped the Illini throughout his time in Champaign.

@JacksonJanes3

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