Northwestern looks to rebound against No. 12 Illini
So much has changed since the last time Illinois visited Evanston Feb. 27, 2020 - just a couple weeks before the pandemic derailed the sports world, including canceling March Madness.
The Illini won that night 74-66, completing a season sweep of the Wildcats that also included a hard-fought 75-71 win in Champaign.
Their leading scorer in Evanston was Alan Griffin off the bench with 24 points. He has transferred to Syracuse.
While it's hard not to imagine the impact Griffin could have on this year's Illini, who return to Evanston at 8 p.m. Thursday (BTN), it's clear Illinois is doing pretty well without him.
The No. 12 Illini (8-3, 4-1) entered Wednesday in second place in the Big Ten, a half-game behind Michigan.
In the first NET rankings released Monday, a metric that helps seed the NCAA tournament, Illinois was No. 4. Stay there the next two months and the Illini are a possible No. 1 seed.
There's a long way to go against a brutal Big Ten schedule, which included 6 of the top 16 teams in this week's Top 25. And the Illini still have their own inconsistencies to work on, which includes letting Purdue go on a 19-0 run in their most recent win, 66-58 on Saturday.
Coach Brad Underwood took a minute Wednesday to appreciate those high marks.
"We always pay attention to the NET as coaches because there's so many analytics in that," Underwood said. "It rewarded us for strength of schedule. It's a good place because it's what actually the selection committee uses in terms of evaluation."
Despite missing all six of his free throws, sophomore center Kofi Cockburn paced the Illini with 14 points against Purdue. He dropped to 54.3% on the season at the line after he shot 68% as a freshman.
"He's been working at it. I don't expect a repeat performance," Underwood said. "It's not often you go 9 for 22 free throws (as a team), have a 19-0 run against you, and find a way to win. We will have to play better than that vs. Northwestern."
The Wildcats (6-3, 3-2) are improved, tied for fifth in the Big Ten after losses at Iowa and Michigan last week that followed their first 3-0 Big Ten start since 1967.
Juniors Miller Kopp (14.4 points per game) and Pete Nance (11.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) lead an offense averaging 81.7 points. Sophomore Boo Buie, averaging 11.4 points and 5.4 assists, will try to bounce back after scoring 2 and 0 points on 1-of-14 shooting against the Hawkeyes and Wolverines, respectively. Chase Audige averages 12.6 points.
After cracking the Top 25 at No. 19 last week, the Wildcats dropped out Monday.
Illinois at Northwestern
When/Where: 8 p.m. Thursday at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston
Scouting NU: Northwestern (6-3, 3-2) has won two of its four games against ranked opponents. The Wildcats are 5-0 when they score at least 74 points. Their offense has recorded a turnover on only 14.8% of their possessions, 13th best in the country.
Scouting Illinois: Illinois (8-3, 4-1) has moved to No. 12 in the AP rankings. Junior guard Ayo Dosunmu has carried the Illini much of the season, averaging 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists a game on 51.4% shooting but is coming off one of his lowest outputs of the season Saturday when he scored 12 points against Purdue.