Illinois 8-2 in last 10 top 10 matchups
Jan. 5—Friday night's game at Purdue will be Illinois' first against the No. 1 team in the country since Tyler Griffey's game-winner against Indiana in 2013. Top-10 matchups including the Illini have happened a bit more frequently, and beat writer Scott Richey has the breakdown on the last 10:
March 14, 2021
No. 3 Illinois 91 No. 9 Ohio State 88 (OT)
The Illini needed an extra five minutes to win their first Big Ten tournament title in 16 years. Andre Curbelo scored six of Illinois' 14 overtime points, and Ayo Dosunmu and Da'Monte Williams made their free throws in the final seconds to knock off the Buckeyes for the second time in eight days. Illinois secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament as it cut down the nets in Indianapolis.
March 13, 2021
No. 3 Illinois 82 No. 5 Iowa 71
A much-anticipated showdown between Kofi Cockburn and Luka Garza lived up to the hype. The Illini center finished with 26 points and eight rebounds to the eventual national player of the year's 21 and 12, while Dosunmu flirted with a triple-double (18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds) in the double-digit victory.
March 6, 2021
No. 4 Illinois 73 No. 7 Ohio State 68
Trent Frazier celebrated the Illini's victory in their regular-season finale by holding up a yellow legal pad with "B1G Champions" written on it. A not-so-subtle jab to Michigan and the rest of the conference. The five-point win in Columbus, Ohio, helped Illinois finish 16-4 in the conference but in second place via winning percentage in the COVID-affected season.
March 2, 2021
No. 4 Illinois 76 No. 2 Michigan 53
Michigan had the ladders courtside at a mostly empty Crisler Arena ready to be used to cut down the nets. A win would have secured the Big Ten title the Wolverines were ultimately awarded despite playing three fewer games than Illinois. The Illini at least made sure the celebration didn't happen that night with Frazier going off for a game-high 22 points.
December 8, 2020
No. 6 Illinois 83 No. 10 Duke 68
Calling the Illini's 15-point win at Cameron Indoor Stadium a team effort might not go far enough. Dosunmu led six Illinois players in double figures with 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, and Adam Miller came within a single point of making it seven. The Illini knocked down 64 percent of their three-pointers in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge victory.
December 2, 2020
No. 2 Baylor 82 No. 5 Illinois 69
Illinois' first Jimmy V Classic appearance of the Brad Underwood era was relocated from New York City to Indianapolis because of the pandemic. For one half, the game lived up to the top-five matchup it was on paper. Then, Baylor started cooking after halftime. The Bears made five three-pointers and shot 55 percent overall in the second half to finish off their 13-point win.
January 5, 2006
No. 6 Illinois 60, No. 7 Michigan State 50
Illinois was ranked in the Top 10 just once between the 2006-07 season and 2019-20 season (and lost in Braggin' Rights to No. 12 Missouri in 2012). The end of the Dee Brown era still had some juice, though, and the fan favorite guard went off for 34 points to beat Michigan State. It's the game Brown got his name to the top of the record book (at least a tie) with seven made three-pointers.
April 4, 2005
No. 2 North Carolina 75 No. 1 Illinois 70
The national championship game was basically "Foul on Arch: Part II" with James Augustine playing the role Robert Archibald filled in the 2001 Elite Eight loss to Arizona. Augustine, who was averaging 11 points and 10.4 rebounds in the NCAA tournament, went scoreless with two rebounds in just nine minutes against North Carolina and fouled out with 6:49 to play.
April 2, 2005
No. 1 Illinois 72 No. 4 Louisville 57
It was a Luther Head and Roger Powell Jr. takeover in the second half of Illinois' Final Four win against Louisville. Powell scored 18 of his 20 points after halftime following first-half foul trouble, and Head knocked down four three-pointers and scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half. A three-point halftime lead turned into a 15-point victory and a spot in the national title game.
March 26, 2005
No. 1 Illinois 90 No. 9 Arizona 89 (OT)
Greatest game in program history? If not, it certainly has to be the greatest comeback the Illini have ever produced. Illinois trailed Arizona by 15 with 4:04 to play before the three-headed monster of Head, Brown and Deron Williams sparked a 20-5 run to force overtime before the Illini finished off the comeback with Williams standing out by scoring 22 points and distributing 10 assists.
