CHAMPAIGN — They call him “Logo Dos.”
An alter ego of sorts for Ayo Dosunmu when he launches from deep beyond the three-point line. As in within sight of the logo at the center of the court. Shots the Illinois guard takes and makes on a regular basis in practice both at Ubben Basketball Complex and State Farm Center.
Northwestern coach Chris Collins didn’t mind that Dosunmu took two deep three-pointers during the final 90 seconds of Tuesday night’s game. Dosunmu’s jumper has improved this season, but giving up deep threes are still preferable than allowing the potential All-American to rip past defenders on his way to the basket and an easy layup.
The only problem Tuesday night — at least for the Wildcats’ chances of pulling off a come-from-behind upset against the fifth-ranked Illini — was the fact Dosunmu drilled them both. The proverbial nail in the coffin.
Nails, actually. Two big ones.
With enough confidence to start heading back the other direction on defense on one of them before the ball had even reached the basket.
“Yeah, I knew it was going in,” Dosunmu said. “Nah, I’m just playing. I’m not psychic. I just believed in my shot and tried to follow through. It felt good, though. I work on those shots every day.”
Dosunmu was enjoying himself in the aftermath of Illinois’ 73-66 win against Northwestern. And why not? It wasn’t the cleanest of victories for the Illini (15-5, 11-3 Big Ten), but it got the job done.
Six straight wins. Each a little different.
Each instructive for a team hoping to string together exactly that many come March and into April in the NCAA tournament.
A national championship, after all, takes six wins in a row.
“You have to find ways to win,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “This grind, this is chiseling us. This is making us a team that’s got to find out different ways. It was a night we didn’t shoot the ball well and missed free throws and just had a tough go of it for stretches. Yet you’ve got to find a way to win.”
Illinois did that Tuesday against Northwestern (6-13, 3-12) in what’s become a rather familiar way. By leaning on its stars.
Kofi Cockburn turned first-half foul trouble into his 15th double-double, and Dosunmu book-ended a strong start with an even stronger finish, mostly erasing his mid-game struggles in the process.
“Ayo does what he does,” Underwood said.
What Dosunmu does is make the plays to help the Illini win games when they’re not at their collective best. Winning time remains his time.
“I’m a winner,” Dosunmu said succinctly. “I look for the win at the end of the day. I try to just go out there and play as hard as I can and try to get the win. You saw when it was time to win the game, that’s when my closing mentality and that closing instinct kicked in.”
Collins isn’t unfamiliar with that version of Dosunmu. He recruited the Illinois guard out of high school. He’s seen the growth that’s meant Dosunmu making clutch plays to beat his team. Twice, actually, with a similar late-game performance last season in Champaign.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of him,” Collins said of Dosunmu. “I’ve been watching him play since he was a freshman in high school. He’s a great kid. He works really hard. That’s why he produces in game situations. He’s worked at his game and really become this player. You’ve got to tip your hat to him.
“You can’t spot a team like Illinois 18 points and play uphill the whole way, but we got it to one. We had our chances. Give them credit. They made their plays down the stretch and did enough to beat us. … They made two, we had a couple good looks and missed them and that was the ball game there.”
That Illinois had to fend off Northwestern just like it fended off Nebraska four days prior is just more preparation for that potential NCAA tournament. The grind of the Big Ten is comparable to the grind of March Madness.
“The Big Ten’s the best conference in the world,” Dosunmu said. “You’re not going to see a lot of 30-point, 40-point wins. The people who think that are people who really don’t watch basketball. Night in, night out, it’s a hard-fought battle and a hard-fought game.
“We executed late. That’s what’s going to be needed in the NCAA tournament and where we want to get to accomplishing our dreams and aspirations. In the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, there’s not going to be a lot of blowouts.”
Scott Richey is a reporter covering college basketball at The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).
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