Bracketology 2021: Ohio State, USC, and St. John’s among big winners

Illinois

Even with the cancellations that are commonplace in today’s game, the Big Ten continues to give us numerous exciting battles on a weekly basis. It’s no surprise that there continue to be numerous Big Ten teams in the weekly winners, and once again we have another team that has really earned it with their recent play.

Illinois has looked like one of the best teams in the entire nation at times this year, and they showed off their talent this week. Coming off last week’s thrilling win against Iowa, they won a thriller at Indiana on Tuesday in overtime. Kofi Cockburn shined with 23 points and 14 rebounds against #19 Wisconsin on Saturday, while Ayo Dosunmu had the third triple-double in program history.

Now 13-5, the Illini sit at 2nd place in the Big Ten with their 9-3 record. They’ve won four straight games and have looked like a true national contender these past few weeks, with two of those wins coming against ranked foes. Few teams, Big Ten or otherwise, can boast a pair of players as talented as Dosunmu and Cockburn, and when Illinois is on, this team is extremely potent.

Looking ahead, there are some tough games on the schedule, including road rematches against Wisconsin and Ohio State. If this team continues to grow and play like they have these past two weeks, you’re going to see Illinois with a 1 or 2 next to their name on Selection Sunday.