Ky McKeon
After battling through the always-brutal Chicago traffic and a wintry mix of precipitation on I-57, I arrived in beautiful Champaign, the home of the Illinois Illini. Despite living just 2.5 short hours away from campus, I had never been to game at the arena once known as (and still called?) Assembly Hall. A matchup with nationally ranked Ohio State was too good to pass up.
The Venue
State Farm Center rocks. The arena is dome-shaped with a pleated ceiling. The seats form a circle around the court. I’m a sucker for a good dome / circular environment. The setting feels so intimate despite the venue being the 23rd largest in DI basketball.
The Students
As hoped, the students were out in full force, lined up outside in the cold about two hours before tip. The entire arena was filled, a sell-out made even more obvious by the “orange-out” theme. Illinois does it right – the student section is featured and given plenty of space. Students surround three-quarters of the court, filling in primarily on the sideline behind the benches and behind the basket on the opponent’s bench side.
Ohio State Chris Holtmann, Illinois coach Brad Underwood, and the three Illini players who spoke in the post-game presser all raved about the environment created by the students and the rest of the crowd. I have to echo their sentiments – when Illinois made a late run in the second half, State Farm Center turned into one of the loudest arenas I had ever been in. It was truly an awesome experience.
The Game
First Half
The first 12 minutes were all Illinois. I even thought to myself, “great, this is going to be a blowout”. Alfonso Plummer hit four of his record-tying eight 3s in the game’s first nine minutes. He was a man on fire like Denzel Washington in the movie Man on Fire. Trent Frazier said post-game that Plummer is the best shooter in the country. I’ve been saying this all season and nothing about what I saw tonight changed my mind.
Kofi Cockburn was throwing OSU big Zed Key around like a ragdoll in the early going. If you have ever seen the 6’8” 245-pound Key in person, you might think this is simply not possible, but rest assured Kofi bullied him with ease.
Illinois got up by as much as 10 in the first half and led 23-17 at the under-8 timeout before the Buckeyes started to wake up. National Player of the Year candidate EJ Liddell, who was questionable to play following a bout with the flu, started to come alive after a tough start littered with near misses.
OSU started to heat up in the final six minutes of the half, matching Illinois’ efficiency from deep. At halftime the Illini led just 37-36 despite it feeling like they outplayed the visiting Buckeyes. OSU’s tough shot-making would be a prominent theme that carried into the second half.
First Half Takeaways
OSU’s Kyle Young was incredible this half and the entire game. He did literally everything on the floor – he hit triples, did an admirable job guarding and boxing out Kofi, and scored off the bounce when his team needed a bucket. He played a perfect game from a role player perspective and created huge matchup issues for the Buckeyes when he shared the floor with Liddell. OSU could play 5-out and pull Cockburn away from the rim, rendering him useless.
Andre Curbelo played a niche role tonight with Frazier being a defensive menace and Plummer hitting six 3s in the first half. I like Curbelo, but I have one gripe: Curbelo tries to make every pass the greatest, fanciest pass in the world. Sometimes it works but other times it leaves you scratching your head asking, “why not just make the simple pass or take an open shot?”
EJ Liddell showed a boat-load of poise this game. He had a tough start but he finished the half strong and later dominated the game. He did this in spite of a super hostile crowd that multiple times chanted, “EJ SUCKS” at the top of their lungs. Liddell is an East Saint Louis / Belleville native. Illinois fans are still butthurt at his college decision. Holtmann said in the post-game presser he was incredibly disappointed with the Liddell chants, though they were extremely uncalled for.
Second Half
Ohio State flipped the script (side note: OSU wore white script jerseys, which might be the best jerseys in the country) from the opening of the first half. With 14:21 to play, OSU found itself up 13 points, fueled by multiple scoring runs and a scoring drought from Illinois that lasted well over three minutes.
OSU’s run was due to two primary factors: 1) the Buckeyes’ shot-making was unbelievable and 2) Cockburn was missing close-proximity shots. On point 1 – OSU made turnarounds, fadeaways, tough 3s, tough drives, you name it. Freshman guard Malaki Branham went Super Saiyan mode, showing that he is going to be a force to be reckoned with in March. Branham had 21 of his 31 points in the second half.
On point 2 – Kofi was harassed all night long by OSU. Credit Holtmann for an excellent game plan. Every single time he touched the ball, the Buckeyes collapsed and hacked and made it difficult for him to score. Young did his best with the initial defense, but Liddell was excellent as a help-side defender / shot-blocker. Cockburn’s gravity caused issues for OSU at times, as Illinois found plenty of open looks, but his inability to score was paramount to OSU’s success.
Cockburn must have slid into the refs’ wives’ DMs before the game because he was targeted the entire night. I have no dog in this fight – I am an impartial observer – but the reffing on Cockburn on both ends was abominable. Every time Cockburn caught it in the post he was fouled – it was rarely called. On the defensive end, Cockburn picked up ticky-tack after ticky-tack foul, sending Underwood and the crowd into a rage.
Underwood picked up his first technical with about 13 minutes left to play. It followed yet another no-call on an OSU Kofi hack. He said in the post-game he deserved the tech and was trying to get it.
Underwood picked up his second technical just two minutes later. The crowd went into a frenzy as Underwood got his money’s worth on his way out and did the “get up” motion to pump up the fans. It was quite a moment. In the post-game presser Underwood thought his second tech was undeserved. C’est la vie.
When Underwood was ejected, OSU had a 13-point lead. After a trading of triples and some more impressive Branham drives / buckets, that lead extended to 16 (74-58) with just under 6:00 to play.
Then Illinois put the full-court press on, which changed the entire dynamic of the game.
OSU was frantic against the press. The Illini made them uncomfortable the way they flew all over the court. Their aggressiveness took the Buckeyes off their game and led to a major run.
Illinois big man Coleman Hawkins was immense down the stretch. Kofi fouled out with 3:41 to play forcing Illinois to play Hawkins at the 5. That turned out to be a blessing as the Illini could go 5-out offensively and really dig into the Buckeyes defensively all over the floor.
Plummer hit his 8th 3 of the game to cut the lead to nine with 3:06 to play. Hawkins then drew a charge. Frazier was then fouled on a 3PA and hit all three FTA. 78-72, the crowd was UP.
Hawkins stole an inbounds pass under the Buckeyes’ basket and then converted an excellent shot-fake and drive into a dunk on the other end. Illinois stole the ball on the next possession and got a layup, cutting the lead to 78-76 with 1:49 to play. This is when the environment became “holy shit” incredible.
Senior leader Da’Monte Williams committed a VERY stupid foul in the backcourt which killed some momentum and sent OSU to the line. Liddell was nails from the FT line down the stretch, and he continued hitting tough fadeaway and turnaround mid-range jumpers. The lead vacillated between 2 and 4 until Frazier hit an unreal 3 off a savvy wheel move, cutting the lead to 84-83 with 14 seconds left.
Young went 1/2 from the line after an Illini foul setting up a game-tying opportunity. Frazier drove and appeared to have gotten fouled, but nothing was called (Underwood said it was a foul in the post-game presser). The ball went out of bounds and back to OSU. After another free throw, the game was over. OSU had won 86-83.
Second Half Takeaways
Just one: MALAKI BRANHAM. This guy is a star, plain and simple. The Buckeyes needed a go-to scoring guard this season after Duane Washington left, and they found one in Branham. Watch out for him in March, he could be a One Shining Moment darling.
Post-Game Presser
Chris Holtmann
Holtmann complimented the students and the fans of Illinois, but his highest praise he heaped on Trent Frazier. Holtmann called Frazier one of the elite clutch shot makers in all of college basketball. He said Frazier doesn’t get enough national credit. Said Holtmann (paraphrasing): Frazier impacts winning at such a high level, he competes defensively, he guards the best player, he never panics, he makes tough shots.
Holtmann’s second half game plan was to get Branham coming off ball screens more, a goal his team executed with perfection. With Branham attacking and Liddell and Young spacing the floor, there was little the Illini could do to stop them.
Trent Frazier, Alfonso Plummer, and Coleman Hawkins
I came away impressed with Frazier. He was poised after the game and had a fantastic attitude and perspective about the result despite the loss. It’s clear why he is a leader on this team.
Hawkins likes playing the 5. He’s comfortable there and thinks he can impact (I agree). Hawkins discussed the adversity he overcame recently with his performance and low minutes; said he had a heart-to-heart conversation with Underwood that has done wonders.
Brad Underwood
“Malaki Branham, not EJ Liddell, is the best player in our league”.
Those were the words Underwood uttered at the beginning of his presser. That’s quite a statement, but last night it was tough to argue. Branham destroyed Illinois and was about as efficient as you can get.
Underwood was asked about his time in the locker room after his ejection. He said it was less fun than being on the sidelines, but he was watching his team on TV, pacing the floor. He was proud how his guys fought and came back late.
Underwood was glad to take away a new wrinkle, a new way to play from this game: 5-out basketball. He said one of the reasons he failed in the Tournament last season was that he was too set in his ways, didn’t add anything new. This year he is hunting for new curveballs to bring into his pitching arsenal. The 5-out offense is one of those curveballs, the full-court press another.
Underwood shrugged off Cockburn’s performance, hinted it was an anomaly. He admitted OSU gave his team severe matchup issues when they went 5-out. He thought RJ Melendez would have been a big help on Branham. He complimented Curbelo and Frazier. Underwood said Frazier needs to have the mindset to get 30 points every night.
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