No. 1 Seed Illinois Takes Care of No. 16 Drexel

Schedule | Roster | Stats

By Brendan Ross
FightingIllini.com

INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 1 seeded Illinois Fighting Illini defeated the No. 16 Drexel Dragons 78-49 on Friday afternoon to advance to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. The Illini were led by junior Ayo Dosunmu’s 17 points 11 rebounds and six assists as well as sophomore Kofi Cockburn’s 18 points and five rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting.

After a slow start from both sides offensively, the Illini jumped into the driver’s seat following a 10-0 run midway through the period and never looked back. Senior Trent Frazier got hot shooting to ignite the Illinois offense and finished with nine first half points.

TEAM STATS

The Orange and Blue took a 39-21 lead into the locker room at halftime. Their defensive intensity was palpable, holding Drexel to only 21.6% shooting from the field on 8-of-37. Highlighting the opening half was a monster Kofi slam lobbed by Dosunmu all over the Drexel defense.

The second half was more of the same, with Illinois extending their lead and closing out the 29 point victory. On a national stage, the Illini proved why they were awarded a number one seed in the tournament and put their exciting offense and stifling defense on full display. They held the Dragons to only 30.6% shooting on the day while dominating the offensive statistics in the box score.

Frazier finished the day with eleven points and paced the Illinois defense all game.

OWN THE PAINT

The game may have been played at neutral Indiana Farmers Coliseum but the painted areas were all Orange and Blue on Friday. The Illini outscored Drexel in the paint by a margin of 58-16, dominating the glass and protecting their rim. Cockburn added two big blocks in his defense of the Illini basket.

ALL-AMERICAN DUO

Dosunmu and Cockburn proved to the country why they were each awarded All-American honors earlier this week in the Illini’s win. Dosunmu flirted with a triple-double, and added three steals to go along with his 17 points 11 rebounds and six assists.

Cockburn was unstoppable in the post, putting up 18 points and five rebounds as well as two blocks and an assist.

FLASHY FIGHTING ILLINI

Led by freshman Andre Curbelo, Illinois displayed their flashy side Friday afternoon. Curbelo finished with eight points and five rebounds, including a beautiful find to Cockburn between a Drexel defender’s legs. The team had 19 total assists.

In addition to the masterful passing Illinois totaled eight dunks.

NEXT UP

Illinois will advance in the NCAA Tournament to the round of 32 to play the winner of No. 9 Georgia Tech vs. No. 8 Loyola Chicago. The game will be played on Sunday, March 21 and time, location, and broadcast information will be released in the coming days.

NOTES

• Illinois has won eight straight and 15 of its last 16 games.
• Illinois advanced to Sunday’s second round and will face the winner of Loyola Chicago and Georgia Tech.
• Illinois shot 57.1% from the field (36-63), making the fourth-most shots in an NCAA Tournament game in Illinois history (36).
  • 39 vs. Louisville, 3/24/89
  • 38 vs. North Carolina State, 3/22/51
  • 37 vs. Syracuse, 3/26/89
  • 36 vs. Drexel, 3/19/21
• Illinois had only five turnovers, tied for the third-fewest by an Illini team in NCAA Tournament history.
  • 4 vs. Cincinnati, 3/21/04
  • 4 vs. Fairfield, 3/14/86
  • 5 vs. Drexel, 3/19/21
  • 5 vs. Alabama, 3/16/86
• Illinois did not allow Drexel to score any points off of turnovers.
• Illinois outscored Drexel in the paint, 58-16.
• Illinois outscored Drexel on fastbreaks, 19-4.
• Illinois is a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time, owning a record of 13-3 all-time.
• Illinois is making its 31st NCAA Tournament appearance. The Illini are 41-31 all-time in the Tournament.
• Illinois is playing in Indianapolis in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time, and first since 2005. The Illini are 6-1 all-time in the NCAAs in Indianapolis (first six games played at the RCA Dome).
• Illinois is 23-8 when playing its opening game of the NCAA Tournament.
• Illinois is 30-14 as a higher (better) seed in the NCAA Tournament.
• Ayo Dosunmu had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six rebounds, the 26th double-double in Illinois’ NCAA Tournament history.
• Dosunmu passed Nick Weatherspoon (1970-73) and Efrem Winters (1983-86) on Illinois’ all-time scoring list to move into 12th place with 1,495 career points. Dosunmu's 1,495 career points is the second-most ever by an Illini through three seasons, behind only Deon Thomas’ 1,581 points from 1991-93.
• Kofi Cockburn had a game-high 18 points on 8-11 shooting and five rebounds.