Illinois is not going to go quietly into the night against Michigan.

Entering Tuesday’s game, the Illini knew they would be without do-everything guard Ayo Dosunmu. He remains sidelined after sustaining a broken nose in the loss to Michigan State.

Going up against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Illinois has not batted an eye. Freshman guard Andre Curbelo has filled in admirably for Dosunmu and was a key spark for the Illini early on.

In the first half, Curbelo scored 11 points to go with five rebounds and two assists. Unfortunately, Curbelo did head to the bench with two fouls, though Illinois did carry a 33-22 lead into the break.

Also in foul trouble in the first half were Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson and forward Franz Wagner. Both Wolverine stars picked up two early fouls and struggled shooting from the floor.

In fact, the defense of Illinois was a big storyline to the first-half action. The Illini held Michigan to 9-for-28 (32.1%) shooting from the floor and 22 first-half points. That is not the kind of performance the Wolverines wanted with a shot to clinch the regular-season B1G title Tuesday in Ann Arbor.

Can Michigan turn it around in the second half, or will Illinois pick up a signature win on the road? Catch the action on ESPN.