Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Analyzing each team’s overall offense for 2020-21 season

By Trevor Sinodhinos

ANN ARBOR, MI - FEBRUARY 08: Isaiah Livers #2 of the Michigan Wolverines in action in the first half of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Crisler Arena on February 8, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - FEBRUARY 08: Isaiah Livers #2 of the Michigan Wolverines in action in the first half of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Crisler Arena on February 8, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 27: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
EVANSTON, ILLINOIS – FEBRUARY 27: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

Illinois Fighting Illini

2019-20: 66.1 ppg in Big Ten play

Arguably no other fan base was more excited at the NBA Draft Withdrawal Deadline than the “Orange Krush”. When Ayo Dosunmu (16.6 ppg) and Kofi Cockburn (13.3 ppg) decided to return to Champaign, it was a reason to pop some bubbly, for the students who are of legal drinking age.

Dosunmu and Cockburn will be joining their three other teammates who started over 20 games; point guard Trent Frazier (9.1 ppg), guard DaMonte Williams (2.8 ppg), and power forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili (6.8 ppg). Andres Feliz (11 ppg) and Alan Griffin (8.9 ppg) are the two offensive contributors that Coach Brad Underwood succeeded in replacing.

Dosunmu will be coming off stagger screens from freshman shooting guard Adam Miller and center Cockburn with Bezhanshivli in the weak corner, so Dossunmu can get to the paint and draw help as he comes off Cockburn’s secondary ball screen. Coach Underwood will have options when allowing Dosunmu the opportunity to read and react.

Underwood runs a set, where Dosunmu will get the dribble hand-off from Miller in the slot, as Miller opens up beyond the arc Frazier and Bezhanishvili will set a staggered screen for Dosunmu as he drags dribbles to the opposite side. In one of the screens, Dosunmu’s man gets caught, forcing Bezhanshivili’s man to help as Miller’s man recovers, thus leaving Miller alone.

Cockburn will continue to be able to dominate on the inside, as his teammates attack from the wings to draw his defender or to execute the post entry pass,  so Cockburn can seal off to the inside. His back-up, Jermaine Hamlin is not a threat to score in the post, so expect him to stay weak side block to leave the backdoor cut available when the three-guard set handoff dribble above the arc when Williams who started 22 games comes off the bench.

Austin Hutcherson redshirted last season but will become more valuable off the bench. At 6’6 he can guard the small forward as Williams guards in the backcourt. if Coach Underwood goes with a similar ‘small ball’ line up that had Andre Feliz at 6’6″ as the tallest player. The Fighting Illini are going to be in contention for the Big Ten title, but that does not mean they will be offensive juggernauts.

As much as their other options are going to contribute, it will still come down to Dosunmu attacking the basket, where he is unstoppable in the open court, and Cockburn in the middle.  Expect them to score more points, as the better players on other Big Ten teams are being replaced by freshmen, but just because Dosunmu and Cockburn are back, they are not a different team. If anything, they are the same team that averaged 66 points last season.

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