Champion, ill - improbably and almost unimaginably, Michigan basketball had a chance to take the lead.
With less than seven minutes left in a game, on paper, Juwan Howard's team had no commercial wins. Not without the team's best player, Hunter Dickinson, or its backup center, Brandon Johns Jr., both were dismissed less than an hour before tipoff at the State Farm Center. Not without normal practice for more than a week as the Wolverines, whose last two games were postponed due to COVID-19, could not field enough players for five-on-five practice.
Yet here Michigan was buoyed by its dire conditions, scouring with one of the best teams in the Big Ten. The Wolverines were one point behind when the ball landed with point guard DeVante Jones after the Illinois turnover, and the transfer from Coastal Carolina slipped to the rim.
But Jones' layup swung in and spun out, before turning the rim in agony and came closer. Illini pushed the ball to the other side and found star center Kofi Cockburn for a powerful two-hand slam that ignited the crowd, regained momentum and knocked underman Wolverine on the knee. Cockburn's dunk scored a late 7–0 run that gave Illinois (13–3, 6–0 Big Ten) a 68–53 win over UM (7–7, 1–3 Big Ten) in a night. Point out this season.
Taking advantage of Michigan's undersized front line, Cockburn finished with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. Illini got 15 more points from 3-pointers in the second half and advanced in the last minute. Jones led the Wolverines with 17 points and six rebounds.
"We went out and we competed because people love to play against their opponents and go out there and represent this great institution," Howard said. "I'm always at odds with this group. I'm very proud of how they faced these unfortunate situations. Trust me, trust the staff, trust the medical (personnel) - but still out with passion Come and fight."
After a pair of adjournments (against Michigan State and Purdue) any enthusiasm about Michigan's return to the court was ended about 20 minutes before tipoff when word came from the athletic department that Dickinson and Johns would play. were unavailable.
Both players traveled with the team after testing negative for COVID-19 but were unable to practice much in the buildup to Friday's game. Johns took part in a pre-game warmup for the Wolverines, while Dickinson remained in the locker room for moments before tipoff.
"The medical (staff) approved (them) and said they are in good health," Howard said. "I didn't feel comfortable taking them out in a game without practice time because all that's going to do is put them in a tough position where they possibly can - and thank god that didn't happen - you Never know how the situation will end. But overall, they are here to support their brothers, and it's great to see support at all levels."
The conditions were decidedly sore for Dickinson, who expressed his enthusiasm for another crack at the Illini in mid-October during Big Ten Media Day, when he finished his six-game run in a 76-53 defeat at the Chrysler Center last March. Sorry for the point effort. , Dickinson told reporters that Illinois fans bombarded his Twitter and Instagram accounts with messages reminiscent of the poor performance—a byproduct of high-end games, which Dickinson, the team's lead scorer (16.1 points per game), and Said the rebounder (8.8 per game). finds it amusing.
Friday's game was billed as a marquee matchup between two of the league's best centers at Dickinson and Cockburn, who entered the game with eight consecutive double-doubles averaging 22 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. Instead, Wolverine had only one scholarship player left with a 7-foot, 285-pound behemoth to defend.
That responsibility fell to freshman Moussa Diabet, who has a listed weight of 210 pounds. But Diabet was fearless and attacked Cockburn on Michigan's first two offensive properties, scoring on the right side of the lane after tossing an air ball from the left. It was at the defensive end where he lacked the girth, strength and shoulder width to prevent Cockburn, the second leading Big Ten scorer, from working in dangerous places. Cockburn scored eight of his team's first 12 points as Diabet was whistled for two fouls in the first five minutes.
"He's big," Diabet said. "It was tough, I'm not going to lie. It's challenging. But I'm a basketball player at the end of the day. I'm just trying to compete every day and I love those kinds of matchups. That's what I'm looking for." and it makes me better."
Diabet's initial foul prompted Wolverine to improvise, first by bringing in walk-on Jaron Foulds to play backup center and then, in a move that expressed Juwan Howard's chant as "all hands on deck". did, which turned out to be small forward Jess Howard. As an emergency option. At 6-7 and 225 pounds, Jess Howard clawed for every inch against Cockburn in front of the Illinois Star for refusing an entry pass, while coaching staff requested a three-second violation. Each successful defensive possession prompted a blast from the U-M bench, which pulsated with energy as Michigan enjoyed its role of shorthand underdog in a raucous environment.
That fiery defense kept Howard's group afloat while the teams combined missed their first 12 shots from a 3-point boundary. Unusual lineup combinations and raw aggression from Michigan interrupted the Illinois offense, which settled for tricky shots and ignored Cockburn several times in the latter stages of the first half. Illini shot just 40% off the ground and missed eight of nine 3-pointers en route to a 26-22 lead at the break. Jones accounted for 50% of U-M's scores with floaters, layups and a timely 3-pointer.
"He played harder than tonight," said Illinois coach Brad Underwood, "which doesn't get me very excited and doesn't happen very often."
Along the second half there was an incentive from Howard to run whenever possible, as Wolverine, whose half-court offense was understandable, tried to score points at the break faster. Ever the matador, Howard waved his team to the floor after each turnover or miss shot by Illinois, and his players obliged: a floater from the glass by Jones; A transition layup for Diabet, who defeated Cockburn at the rim; A Coast-to-Coast Trimming by Freshman Kobe Bufkin; A transition foul, pulled by Jess Howard, sank both free throws to pull U-M to within 43-41, with 8:57 to spare.
But without Dickinson, the offense lacked direction in critical moments, and Michigan swung the ball four times in the final six minutes. Howard's team had given their all, but the motivational effort was still short. The losing streak extended to three.
"I'm so proud of these guys, man," Jones said. "They fought to the very end. Every one of them, from top to bottom. And that's what we want from this group. Obviously we didn't get the results we wanted, but I know that going forward in the season, the confidence Going up right now. I can't wait for the next game."