Iowa @ Illinois: Review, Whats Next for the Illini

In what was an electric atmosphere in Champaign, The Illinois Fighting Illini took on the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big-Ten regular season finale. This was no ordinary game with the crowd consistently yelling, emotions flaring between the teams, technical fouls being given, and over 150 points being scored.

The Fighting Illini were able to seek revenge against head coach Fran McCaffery and the Hawkeyes with a 78-76 victory on Senior night.

Here are three takeaways from the Illini victory.

Kipper Nichols provided a spark

Nichols, one of the four Seniors honored on Senior night, had his best performance of the season. Nichols was scrappy every second he was on the court, grabbing 3 offensive rebounds and scoring a season high 10 points. Nichols also played great on the defensive end, contesting many shots.

Balanced scoring

Illinois is usually known for their stellar defense. Tonight, it was their balanced offense that carried them to a win. The Illini had four different players score in the double-digits, as they shot 49.2% from the field. Ayo Dosunmu led the Illini with 17, Andres Feliz with 14, Kofi Cockburn with 12, and Kipper Nichols with 10.

Ayo Dosunmu was the difference. Again.

Despite shooting only 20% from beyond the arc, the Sophomore guard hit a key jumper to give the Illini a four-point lead with 31.1 seconds remaining. Dosunmu led the Illini in points and assists as he finished the night with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and a steal.

The Fighting Illini finish with a 21-10 regular season record and a 13-7 Big-Ten record.

Whats next?

Illinois has earned the double-bye as they enter the Big-Ten tournament as the 4-seed. The Illini will play the winner of Iowa vs Minnesota/Northwestern.