Whether it wins Sunday’s Big Ten tournament title game in Indianapolis against No. 9 Ohio State, No. 3 Illinois has likely clinched a No. 1 seed for next week’s NCAA Tournament. An 82-71 win over No. 5 Iowa Saturday in the semifinals was the Fighting Illini’s 12th Quad 1 win of the season — more than any other Division I team. And with a 1-2 punch of Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn, it’s easy to forget this is a program that was spinning its wheels for about a decade before coming to life last year. “When I came on my (official) visit, I saw this program as a losing program,” Cockburn said Saturday after scoring 26 points. “They lost to a really bad team when I came here. I keep saying that every time because that motivated me to come here and be a part of this change.” With 13…
Continue Reading: No. 3 Illinois tangles with No. 9 Ohio State to decide Big Ten
