Hopefully, this is just the beginning of getting to say, “this season marks the first since 2005” for the Illini basketball fan. The #16 Illinois Fighting Illini, thanks in part to a really unexpected last-minute assist from Nebraska, are Big Ten champions in men’s basketball, for the first time in 17 years.
They’ll share the crown, their 18th in school history, with Wisconsin who clinched a share of the title on March 1 with a home victory over Purdue. Illinois won the only head-to-head meeting with Wisconsin this season, so they’ll be the #1 seed in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament this week/weekend.
With #24 Iowa ahead, 63-57 with nine minutes remaining last night, Illinois outscored Iowa 17-9 to end the game and claim the 74-72 victory in what easily an instant classic. The Illini were led by Kofi Cockburn in scoring, who finished with 21 points to go along with 14 rebounds, three blocks and two assists.
The 15 Big Ten wins is tied for the second-most in Illini basketball history behind only last year’s 16. The Illini also won 15 league games in the conference title years of 1984 and 2005. Illinois basketball coach Brad Underwood has the top two, and three of the best seven, single season conference win benchmarks in Illinois basketball history.
“Not take anything away from the banner, but these guys (Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams) are special, they’re winners,” said Kofi Cockburn.
“These guys are going to go out as winners and champions.”
They are the league’s winningest team in conference play over the last three seasons with a 44-16 mark, and 47-16 when including the 2021 B1G tourney championship.
Illini basketball is also a transcendent level 29-6 in its last 35 versus the rest of the league.
Williams said in postgame that winning the league was the impetus for why he chose to become a part of Illini basketball:
“That was my initial reason why I was coming here, me & Trent, we talked about it. When guys wanted their release, to take it back a long time from now, that was just our whole main focus. Just get Illinois basketball back to how it used to be.”
Illini Basketball Big Ten Championships
1915
1917
1924
1935
1937
1942
1943
1949
1951
1952
1963
1984
1998
2001
2002
2004
2005
2022
“Imma sleep good tonight,” Cockburn smiled and said as he left the postgame presser.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.