Illini vs Michigan Postgame--
What can we say other than the Illini did it, they finally have gotten that marquee win under their belts. What can I say other than it was a fantastic game, in both halves. The Illini started outscoring every single point in the paint. Kofi and Giorgi were making life hectic in the low post for Jon Teske(a seasoned big man in the conference) and he was having trouble combating the Twin Towers down low of the Illini. Ayo was making NBA style moves and cuts to get to the rim, Feliz was a workhorse coming off the bench and improving the bench scoring which is much needed for the Illini especially for these next couple of games and days that the Illini have coming up. Kofi is a monster in the paint(he about knocked an official out) but now that I have had about ten hours to process the game in my head, I sit here and think if he keeps up this pace of play for the entire season, there is no way he isn’t in the NBA next season.
I could do what I normally do and punish the stat line but I’m going to avoid that while we enjoy the win and soak up that amazing performance the Illini put on as a team on the defensive end of the floor. It was a team effort in order to shut down the Wolverine scoring abilities, and they worked to lock down the perimeter on the defensive end, and the interior was locked and completely closed for business by Kofi. Michigan was averaging almost 33 deep balls per game, the Illini limited them to 18. They couldn’t get the ball to go into the basket. When they weren’t trying to get the three-ball rolling, Simpson would try to create looks at the rim but was often shied away from the sheer size of Kofi. Kofi tallied 4 blocks in the second half, but that doesn’t show how big of an influence he was at forcing Michigan guards to force bad shots.
The Illini did everything it takes to win a game, in the Big Ten, on your home floor. Limited turnovers, limited the fouls committed and made free throws. When the three weren’t falling which it was not, the Illini played a tough physical Big Ten style game by getting to the rim almost whenever they wanted. It was a great win, and now we know what the Illini are capable of against top tier opponents.
Old Dominion will be in at the State Farm Center this Saturday, and that will be no short test. They are an NCAA Tournament team, and they know how to win big games. I will have more on that game Saturday with the Pregame post. After that, it’s Braggin’ Rights time which is another important game because its the Braggin’ Rights, and because it is the last non-concfernce high profile team that the Illini will play, and they need to make up lost ground from the Miami loss.
