Junior forward Race Thompson pulled down the defensive rebound and launched the ball down court to a streaking sophomore Armaan Franklin. He received the pass in the left corner and immediately threw the ball into the post to what appeared to be a wide-open sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. Instead of an easy layup that would have cut Illinois lead to two points, the pass was deflected off the backboard, sparking a fastbreak.
After a few swing passes around the outside from the Illini, the ball found junior guard Ayo Dosunmu’s hands. The preseason First Team All-American confidently rose up over Franklin, draining the 3-pointer with just over one minute remaining, a five-point swing that put an exclamation point on IU’s 69-60 defeat to Illinois.
“It’s a game of makes and misses, it really is,” IU head coach Archie Miller said. “They made theirs. They made some big ones and we didn’t.”
For nearly two-thirds of the game, the Hoosiers were able to hold the Ilini’s two-headed monster of Dosunmu and reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year sophomore forward Kofi Cockburn in check.
In the first half, IU’s guards were able to hold Dosunmu to just 10 points and two assists while not allowing him to make any shots from beyond the arc. Jackson-Davis and Thompson also did a good job defending Cockburn as the Hoosiers were quick to send double-teams whenever he caught the ball below the free-throw line, scoring just five points in the first 20 minutes.
But IU could only contain the two for so long.
Midway through the second half, Dosunmu and Cockburn found their rhythm offensively as Illinois went on a 14-0 run, erasing a 5-point deficit and leaving in its wake a 7-point lead over IU with under six minutes remaining.
The two stars constantly forced the Hoosiers into a near impossible decision. Do they leave Dosunmu — one of the best one-on-one guards in the Big Ten — to drive with minimal help defense so they can double Cockburn, or do they leave Thompson and Jackson-Davis on an island against one of the most dominant forwards in the conference? Whichever IU chose, Illinois made them pay.
“They had two guys basically get 17 field goals out of their 24, and seven made free-throws, half of their free-throws, came from two people,” Miller said. “Their two studs really produced tonight.”
In the second half, Dosunmu scored 20 points and made all four of his 3-pointers en route to a 30-point outing. Cockburn nearly had a double-double in the second half alone, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
In the final minutes of the game, it was Dosunmu’s offense and Cockburn’s defense that were the difference for the Illini.
IU’s offense that relies on interior scoring from Jackson-Davis and Thompson couldn’t get anything going against Cockburn’s 7-foot, 285-pound frame. Jackson-Davis who entered the game averaging 21.1 points-per-game only managed to score 11 on three-of-13 shooting.
On the other end of the court, whenever Illinois needed a big bucket when it was a one-possession game, Dosunmu came through from them. Miller said that for some of his shots, all you could do is tip your hat for what he was able to do.
In the final 5:30 of the game, Dosunmu scored seven out of Illinois’ 11 points.
“He made every big shot,” Miller said. “When it’s a one-possession game he was constantly breaking it open – Ayo was the difference in the last 12 minutes which he’s done for the last two and a half years, he’s just a great player.”
