Talk about your comebacks.
After being left for dead after the Wisconsin badgers defeated the Purdue Boilermakers earlier in the week and earning at least a share of the men’s basketball B1G Championship, Illinois trailed by a game going into Sunday’s play having to defeat the hottest team in the league – Iowa – and praying for a miracle at Wisconsin, who played last-place Nebraska in Madison.
In the early afternoon, the Illini’s prayers were answered, as Nebraska somehow upset the Badgers by a point, 74-73.
That opened the door for Illinois.
But as the evening game progressed, it looked like the door was slowly shutting again.
Illinois got behind by as much as 15 points in the first half, as Iowa’s momentum from a 5-game winning streak looked to be continuing.
But a 9-0 run to close the first half left the Illini down just 7, kindling hope among Illini nation.
The second half was largely all Illinois, with contributions from Kofi Cockburn (21 pts, 14 rebs), Alfonso Plummer (15 pts, 1 reb), and surprise starter Coleman Hawkins (9 pts, 11 rebs). The Illini gradually caught up and methodically built a 6-point lead with 3:05 to go.
Then came the counterattack. Given the opportunity by some shaky Illini ballhandling and poor shooting, the Hawkeyes scrapped back to within 1 point with 11 seconds remaining and Illini with possession. Iowa fouled DeMonte Williams just after the inbound, and Williams made 1 of 2, giving the Illini a perilous 2-point lead with 10 seconds to go.
After an Iowa timeout, the Hawkeyes drove to the free throw line, kicked the ball out to Tony Perkins at the 3-point line, who then whipped the ball to the corner for an attempted 3 by Kris Murray, who rimmed it. The rebound was challenged, with Trent Frazier eventually retrieving the ball and racing downcourt to run out the clock.
The mayhem that followed was epic, as the Orange Kush student section swept the floor and teammates embraced.
It is the first B1G regular season championship for the Illini since the magic season of 2005. Let’s hope that same magic applies this year.
