#23/22 LLINOIS (20-9, 12-6) at #19/19 Ohio State (20-9, 10-8)
Date	Thursday, March 5, 2020 | 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET)
Location	Columbus, Ohio | Value City Arena (18,809)
Tickets	OhioStateBuckeyes.com
Television	ESPN (Jason Benetti & Dan Dakich)
Live Stream	WatchESPN.com & ESPN App
Radio	Fighting Illini Sports Network | Audio | TuneIn  | Sirius/XM-84 / Streaming-84
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Printable Notes	Illinois | Ohio State | Big Ten
2019-20 Stats	Illinois | Ohio State | Big Ten
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Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 155-75 (.674), 7th year
At Illinois: 46-48 (.489), 3rd year
Big Ten: 23-33 (.411)

Series Notes vs. Ohio State

Record: Illinois leads 106-78
Streak: Illinois W-1
Record at Columbus: Ohio State leads 48-42
Streak at Colubmus: Illinois W-1
Last Season's Meetings:
     #19 Ohio State 77, Illinois 67  //  Dec. 5, 2018 at Chicago | Box Score
     Illinois 63, Ohio State 56  //  Feb. 14, 2019 at Columbus | Box Score
Underwood vs. Ohio State: 1-2

Opening Tips

• Currently one-half game out of first place in the Big Ten standings, Illinois plays its final road game of the season on Thursday night at No. 19 Ohio State (6 p.m., ESPN).

• Illinois has won five league road games, tied with Maryland for second-most in the Big Ten behind Michigan State (6), and the most by an Illini team since also winning five in 2010.

• Illinois carries a four-game winning streak into Columbus and has won two straight on the road. That includes its last game against a ranked opponent, a 62-56 win at No. 9 Penn State on Feb. 18.

• Illinois is one of 14 teams with at least four Quad 1 road wins, and the lone team in the country with four road wins over teams in the top 35 of the NET.

• Illinois (+10.0) owns the largest turnaround this season among schools from the six major conferences, and is tied for seventh across all of Div. I for most improved teams.

• Illinois currently has 12 Big Ten wins, its most in the last 15 seasons, since claiming the 2005 conference title outright with a 15-1 record.

• Illinois leads the Big Ten in scoring defense during league play, allowing 63.2 ppg. 

• Looking ahead to next week's Big Ten Tournament, Illinois can clinch a top-4 seed with one more win, and currently has a seed range of 1 through 7 (following Tuesday's games). 

Player Trends

• Sophomore Ayo Dosunmu is averaging 20.0 points (80) and shooting 53.4 percent from the field (31-58) over the last four games after returning to the lineup.

• Dosunmu is averaging 17.9 points (233), 4.4 rebounds (57) and 3.5 assists (46) over his last 13 games. 

• During his last 13 appearances, Dosunmu has scored at least 15 points 11 times and has been the Illini's leading scorer eight times.

• Over the last six games, freshman Kofi Cockburn is averaging 12.8 points (77) and 9.0 rebounds (54) and shooting 56.9% (29-51).

• Cockburn has had double-doubles in three of the last six games while scoring in double figures all six times.

• Sophomore Alan Griffin is averaging 11.9 points (83) and 5.9 rebounds (41) over the last seven games while shooting 53.1% from 3-point range (17-32) and making an average of 2.4 treys.

• Griffin has scored at least nine points in six of the last seven games, reaching double figures three times. 

• Senior Andres Feliz carries a 3.3 assist/turnover ratio over the last five games, dishing out 20 assists while committing just six turnovers in 159 minutes of play. 

Underwood Extended Through 2026; Staff Through 2022

Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced Monday a three-year extension for head coach Brad Underwood through 2026 and extensions for his coaching staff through 2022, pending approval by the UI Board of Trustees at its March 12 meeting. The new agreement keeps Underwood, who signed his original six-year contract in 2017, at Illinois through at least the 2026 season.

Underwood is on the Naismith Award Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List and is a Big Ten Coach of the Year candidate with the Illini's accomplishments to date this season:

• Illinois currently owns the largest turnaround (+10.0) among schools from the six major conferences, and stands tied for seventh across all of Div. I for most improved teams

• Illinois is in second place in the Big Ten entering the final week of league play, after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason media poll

• Illinois has improved 54 spots in kenpom rankings from last year (84) to this year (30), the largest increase of any Big Ten team

• Illinois' 8-spot improvement in the Big Ten standings from last year's 10th-place finish to its current position of second marks the largest jump in school history

• Completely revamped defensive system has the Illini ranked second in the Big Ten in kenpom defensive efficiency (97.2) during league play after ranking 11th last season (106.6)

• In all games, Illinois ranks 28th nationally in kenpom defensive efficiency (92.8), an 80-spot improvement over last season's rank of 108th (101.1)

• Illinois leads the Big Ten in scoring defense during conference play (63.2 ppg)

• Illinois has reached 20 wins in the regular season for the first time since 2013

• Illinois has gone from seven Big Ten wins last year to 12 this year with two games remaining

• Illinois' 12 Big Ten wins is its most since 2005

• Illinois has secured its first winning record in conference play since 2010

• Illinois is one of just 14 teams with at least four Quad 1 road victories and is tied for 19th with five Quad 1 wins

• Illinois is the only team in the country with four road wins over teams currently ranked in the top-35 of the NET

• Riding a four-game win streak, Illinois has returned to the Associated Press poll this week at No. 23

• Illinois reached as high as 20th in kenpom ratings Feb. 1, the team's best ranking since the end of the 2011 season 

• Illinois won seven straight Big Ten games from Jan. 5-30, the longest league win streak for the program since 2005

• Illinois notched its first win over a top-5 team since 2013 and first road win over a top-10 Big Ten team since 2008

• Illinois won at Purdue for the first time since the 2009 season, at Wisconsin and at Michigan for the first time since 2010, and at Penn State for the first time since 2014

Illini Items

• During its four-game win streak the Illini defense has allowed 61.8 points on 40% from the field and 31.4% from 3-point range. 

• Illinois has been a team of streaks in 2020. After dropping the first game of the New Year, Illinois went on a seven-game win streak, its longest in league play in 15 years. The Illini then lost four in a row but have responded with a current four-game winning streak.

• Illinois is six games above .500 in Big Ten play for the second time this season (8-2). 

• The Illini have five Quad 1 win on the season, four of which have come on the road: at Michigan (24), at Wisconsin (27), at Penn State (30) and at Purdue (33). Illinois defeated Michigan (24) at home as well.

• Illinois' total of five Quad 1 wins is tied for 19th nationally.

• The Illini also have four Quad 2 wins – all at home – over Rutgers (32), Purdue (33), Minnesota (45) and Indiana (54).

• Illinois played five-straight Quad 1 games from Feb. 2-18, finishing off a stretch with 12 out of 13 Quad 1 (9) or Quad 2 (4) games since the start of 2020. 

• Illinois' two remaining games are both Quad 1 (at Ohio State, vs. Iowa). 

• Illinois was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for five straight weeks from Jan. 13-Feb. 10. It marked Illinois' longest streak since appearing in eight straight AP polls from Nov. 26, 2012-Jan. 14, 2013.

• Illinois is averaging just 10.0 turnovers over the last 17 games, tallying single digits nine times.

• Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth in the NCAA in rebound margin (+8.3).

• Illinois ranks third in both defensive field goal percentage (.406) and defensive 3-point percentage (.314) during Big Ten play.

• Illinois has outrebounded its opponent in 21 of 29 games, and 12 times by double digits.

• Illinois ranks eighth nationally in offensive rebound rate (35.9%) and is averaging 12.1 second-chance ppg. 

• Illinois is 12-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points, with the lone loss to Miami, 81-79, on Dec. 2. 

• The Illini are 18-1 this season, and 38-3 in the Underwood era, when shooting better than the opponent.

• Illinois' bench has outscored the opposing bench in 12 of 18 Big Ten games.

• Illinois has made 39 more free throws than its opponents have attempted on the season, and are currently outscoring foes by an average of 5.3 points per game at the foul line.

• Illinois is No. 10 in the nation in defensive free throw rate at 22.9% (FTA/FGA), a complete contrast from last season when the Illini defense ranked 338th out of 353 teams in that same category (42.4%).

• Illinois is seeing a 10-point swing in points off free throws this year (+5.3) compared to last year (-4.7). 

SFC Sellouts

Momentum on the court has carried over to the Illini fan base. Illinois has played in front of sellout crowds at State Farm Center in four of the last five games, vs. Minnesota, Maryland, Michigan State and Indiana. 

Senior Night against Iowa on Sunday has sold out as well, with the total of five sellouts the most at Illinois since the 2012-13 season. 

Inside-Outside Power Duo

• Ayo Dosunmu is on pace to become just the second player in school history to lead the team in scoring in back-to-back seasons as a freshman and sophomore. The first was Cory Bradford in 1999 and 2000.

• Dosunmu leads the team and is fifth in the Big Ten in scoring at 16.4 ppg. He has reached double digits in 24 of the 28 games he's played in, with seven 20-point performances.

• Dosunmu has scored in double figures in 18 of his last 19 games, including a career-long active streak of 13 straight appearances.

• Dosunmu is the top guard in the Big Ten field goal percentage listings, shooting 48% to rank sixth.

• Dosunmu is shooting 53.7% on twos (153-285). 

• Kofi Cockburn has 12 double-doubles, doubling the previous Illinois freshman season record and ranking fourth among all freshmen nationally.

• Cockburn's 12 double-doubles are the most by an Illini since Mike Davis had 15 in 2010.

• Cockburn ranks 62nd in the NCAA in rebounding – and No. 4 among freshmen – averaging 9.0 rpg. 

• Cockburn's rebounding average is the highest by an Illini since Mike Davis grabbed 9.2 rpg in 2010.

• Cockburn is 27th nationally in offensive rebound percentage (14.2) and is averaging 3.3 offensive rebounds over the last 14 games (46).

• Cockburn has scored in double figures in 23 of 29 games, with five 20-point outings.

• Cockburn is 56th nationally in fouls drawn (6.2 rate) and 61st in free throw rate (58.9).

Closing Time

Sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu has been Illinois' closer, making key plays down the stretch in a number of wins during conference play:

• At Wisconsin – Hit a runner with 1:25 left that gave Illini a 1-point lead, then made a stepback 3-pointer with 46 seconds left to put the Illini up by four  … Directly involved in Illinois' final 14 points of the game, assisting on three consecutive 3-pointers before scoring Illinois' last five.

• Rutgers – Broke 46-all tie by scoring Illinois' last eight points in the final two minutes … Made two free throws with 1:34 left to put the Illini up two, then a layup with 50 seconds left to push the lead to four … Grabbed defensive rebound on ensuing possession and made two more free throws with :37 left to extend lead to six … Sealed win with two final free throws with 18 seconds remaining. 

• Northwestern – After Wildcats pulled within three, drained a crossover jumper with shot clock expiring to put the Illini up by five with 18 seconds remaining … Made two free throws with six seconds left to put the Illini up four and clinch the victory.

• At Purdue – After the Boilermakers cut the deficit to single digits with under five minutes to play, swished back-to-back pullup jumpers at 4:18 and 3:41, thwarting any attempt of a Purdue comeback.

• At Michigan – Scored career-high 27 points, making a career-best 11 field goals … Made bucket with 2:41 left to tie game at 60 … Went 1-on-1 on game's final play with the score tied, hitting a crossover pull-up jumper from just beyond the free throw line over the outstretched arm of Zavier Simpson for the winner with :00.5 left.

• Minnesota – Made a foul shot with 46 seconds left to give the Illini a two-possession lead (55-51) … And after a defensive stop, added two more free throws with 36 seconds left to make it a six-point game (57-51).

• At Penn State – Leading 58-56, made a floater in the lane with 16 seconds left to put the Illini up by four.

• Indiana – Hit 3-pointer with 1:28 left to put Illini up by five (65-60) … Clinched game by hitting a pair of free throws with 4.5 seconds left to put the Illini up by four (67-63).

» Complete Illinois-Ohio State Game Notes (PDF)