Kofi Cockburn in battle of bigs as Illinois Basketball battles Loyola Chicago

1. Feed Kofi Cockburn, and limit Cameron Krutwig

I thought this went hand in hand with Illinois defeating Loyola Chicago in the second round. As we all know, Kofi Cockburn is an absolute stud inside on both ends of the floor. Cockburn has scored in double figures in 28 out of 30 games this season so far.

The sophomore big man also has had a double-double in 16 out of 30 games as well. In half of the Illini’s losses, Cockburn did not record a double-double. Feeding Kofi Cockburn and having him stay out of foul trouble is a proven key factor in their success this year so far.

Star center Cameron Krutwig has been the anchor for the Ramblers these last few years. The senior big man did have 10 points, and recorded five rebounds against Georgia Tech, but will need to have a huge game if Loyola Chicago is going to pull off the upset over Illinois. Whether it’s Kofi Cockburn or Giorgi Bezhanishvili, both need to stay on the floor and out of foul trouble. The Ramblers have other scorers, but limiting Krutwig overall will go a long way in taking down Loyola Chicago in this in-state battle.

Porter Moser is a really good coach and has the Ramblers playing really good basketball. Coming into this matchup Loyola Chicago has won 18 of their last 19 games. After Sunday, I believe it will still be 18 wins, but out of 20 games.

Illinois just seems to have the “it” factor this year, kind of like what Loyola had a few years ago in their Final Four run. Too much Dosunmu and Cockburn as Illinois is onto the sweet sixteen.

Prediction: Illinois 80, Loyola Chicago 71