Brad Underwood discusses Illinois' tough win, contending for B1G title entering final week
Illinois kept pace in the B1G title race Sunday, taking down Michigan with some big plays and a strong finish in Ann Arbor.
The deciding blow came with less than a minute to go. Trent Frazier provided a big stepback three that was clean to give Illinois a 7-point cushion as the team rolled to the finish line.
Kofi Cockburn and Alfonso Plummer led the way with 27 and 26 point, respectively, but Frazier proved to be incredibly efficient in the game. He went 6-for-11 from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range for 17 points in the victory.
After the game, head coach Brad Underwood called Frazier “a dude” who rose to the occasion.
#Illini Brad Underwood on Trent Frazier’s shot: That was a dude making a play.
— Joey Wagner (@mrwagner25) February 27, 2022
With the win, the Illini improved to 13-5 in conference play and are one game behind Wisconsin in the B1G standings. Illinois and Purdue are tied for 2nd place in the conference entering the final week and are within striking distance of the Badgers with 2 games to play.
Underwood indicated after the game he is happy where his team is at.
#Illini Underwood: To be in contention (for a conference title) in the best league in the country in the last week of the season, I’ll take that every year.
— Derek Piper (@DPiper247) February 27, 2022
Illinois will finish the season with home games vs. Penn State and No. 25 Iowa this week. Wisconsin and Purdue face each other in Madison this week before the Badgers finish the season at home vs. Nebraska. It should be an exciting final week in the B1G.