Currently on a three game losing skid, how big of a game is this for Illinois and is it considered a must win?
It's an important game for Illinois because they go to Penn State next week. Illinois needs a win in one of these two games or a 5 game losing streak is the result.
What’s the feeling like among the team and fanbase heading into this game against Rutgers?
The fanbase is a little bit shocked due to the way they lost their last two games at home and the loss of Ayo Dosunmu. The one thing about this team is that they never seem to be out of it mentally, they are locked in especially on the road.
Looking at the numbers, Kofi Cockburn has been pretty quiet lately posting games of 11/8, 9/4 and 6/6. Is the season just wearing on him or are team’s locking him down?
Kofi is seeing more double teams and has hit a bit of a well. His energy is down overall and he is struggling to catch the ball against physical play, losing the ball to guards digging and missing easy interior shots. He needs to play well for Illinois to have a shot.
What’s the status on Ayo Dosunmu and how big of a loss is this?
Ayo is day to day, and he made the trips, but it is unlikely he plays this soon after his injury. It's huge, especially since Illinois has used him as the closer late in close games. Now, they have to find a different identity.
Now that Dosunmu is likely out, where will the scoring come from?
I expect that it will be spread around, but Frazier, Feliz and Griffin have to pick up the slack. Frazier has to be more aggressive and Feliz is the one guy that can get to the basket consistently.
Finish the sentence. Illinois will win this game if………They win the rebounding battle and second chance points.
It's an important game for Illinois because they go to Penn State next week. Illinois needs a win in one of these two games or a 5 game losing streak is the result.
What’s the feeling like among the team and fanbase heading into this game against Rutgers?
The fanbase is a little bit shocked due to the way they lost their last two games at home and the loss of Ayo Dosunmu. The one thing about this team is that they never seem to be out of it mentally, they are locked in especially on the road.
Looking at the numbers, Kofi Cockburn has been pretty quiet lately posting games of 11/8, 9/4 and 6/6. Is the season just wearing on him or are team’s locking him down?
Kofi is seeing more double teams and has hit a bit of a well. His energy is down overall and he is struggling to catch the ball against physical play, losing the ball to guards digging and missing easy interior shots. He needs to play well for Illinois to have a shot.
What’s the status on Ayo Dosunmu and how big of a loss is this?
Ayo is day to day, and he made the trips, but it is unlikely he plays this soon after his injury. It's huge, especially since Illinois has used him as the closer late in close games. Now, they have to find a different identity.
Now that Dosunmu is likely out, where will the scoring come from?
I expect that it will be spread around, but Frazier, Feliz and Griffin have to pick up the slack. Frazier has to be more aggressive and Feliz is the one guy that can get to the basket consistently.
Finish the sentence. Illinois will win this game if………They win the rebounding battle and second chance points.
