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Tag: brad underwood

Shannon’s surge rallies Illinois past No. 21 Northwestern

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Terrence Shannon Jr. shook off a slow start in his return from a concussion, scoring 24 of his 26 points in the second half as Illinois rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to beat No. 21 Northwestern 66-62 on Thursday night. Shannon did not start and found himself back on the

Hawkins has triple-double, No. 16 Illinois thumps Syracuse

CHAMPAIGN — Coleman Hawkins had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and No. 16 Illinois thumped Syracuse 73-44 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Neither team shot well, but Illinois hit 6 of its 15 3-point attempts in the second half to send the Orange home with their third straight loss. Terrence Shannon Jr. had

Illinois men fall in NCAA Second Round to Houston 68-53

PITTSBURGH — The Illinois men’s basketball team saw its season end ingloriously Sunday afternoon, struggling to find any offensive rhythm against the country’s best defensive team, the Houston Cougars. Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 68-53 victory. Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said the key was shutting down Illinois’s primary offensive weapon. “Kofi (Cockburn),

No. 20 Illinois survives Penn State defense, 60-55

CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois men’s basketball team overcame a crafty Penn State defense for a 60-55 win Thursday night in Champaign. First year Penn State coach Micah Shrewsberry dedicated his defenders to shutting down Illinois’ inside-out game, preventing top scorers Kofi Cockburn and Alfonso Plummer from getting shots. That left Da’Monte Williams open. “I’ve coached

Cockburn and Plummer help Illinois beat Michigan 93-85

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Illinois men’s basketball team kept its hopes for a Big Ten Championship alive with a 93-85 win at Michigan Sunday afternoon. A tight 82-80 game hung in the balance when Coach Brad Underwood decided to keep the faith in his Big Ten preseason player of the year, Kofi Cockburn, three

No. 22 Ohio State ekes out 86-83 win over No. 15 Illinois

CHAMPAIGN — The Illini men’s basketball team cut a 16-point deficit to one in the closing minutes of Thursday night’s game in Champaign, but Ohio State left town with an 86-83 win. The Buckeyes neutralized star center Kofi Cockburn in the low post, and it wasn’t until Cockburn fouled out, and coach Brad Underwood was

No. 13 Illini survive scare against Northwestern, 73-66

CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois men’s basketball team survived a second-half surge from Northwestern to beat the Wildcats 73-66 Sunday afternoon in Champaign. Junior center Kofi Cockburn scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, his 13th double-double of the season. But head coach Brad Underwood says the Illini center didn’t enjoy the game. “Tonight was as

Cockburn’s 37 points power No. 18 Illinois past No. 11 Wisconsin 80-67

CHAMPAIGN — Snow and ice couldn’t stop the much-anticipated match-up of first place Big Ten teams last night in Champaign. No. 18 Illinois beat No. 11 Wisconsin 80-67 on a night that saw the Badgers arguably colder than the prevailing winds. Junior center Kofi Cockburn powered the Illinois offense with a game-high 37 points. Cockburn

No. 24 Illinois holds off No. 10 Michigan State, 56-55

CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois men’s basketball team beat No. 10 Michigan State 56-55 Tuesday night in Champaign, despite the absence of Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo. Senior guard Trent Frazier led all scorers with 16 points and held star MSU freshman Max Christie to 1-8 shooting and just two points. Frazier also led Illinois in

Curbelo Returns, But Purdue Outlasts Illinois 96-88 in 2OT

CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois men’s basketball team took 4th-ranked Purdue to double-overtime before succumbing 96-88 on Monday afternoon. Sasha Stefanovic drained 5-8 three-pointers for a team-high 22 points. 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey connected on nine shots in the paint to add 20 for the visitors. The nationally-televised game was billed as a battle of big

Payne and Frazier help No. 25 Illinois hold off Nebraska 81-71

LINCOLN, Neb. — Fighting Illini men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood said last night’s game at Nebraska was one he’d been concerned about since the Big Ten conference schedule was published. Illinois prevailed 81-71 Tuesday night in Lincoln, but it took some late heroics by their reserve center “Maybe the coming out party for Omar Payne,”

Double-double machine Cockburn sends Illini past Maryland

CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 in the Big Ten with a 76-64 win over Maryland Thursday night in Champaign. It wasn’t easy. After his team squandered a 14 point first half lead, head coach Brad Underwood entered the team’s locker room at halftime. “It was very professional, very businesslike. And

Illinois men dominate Minnesota 76-53

MINNNEAPOLIS — The Illinois men’s basketball team blew the doors off ‘The Barn’ in Minneapolis Tuesday night, coasting to a 76-53 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood says he was relieved to find his team competitive after returning from a pause due to positive COVID tests on