Tournament title validation for Illini | Sports | news-gazette.com – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette - thehoarder

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Sunday, March 14, 2021

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Tournament title validation for Illini | Sports | news-gazette.com – Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

INDIANAPOLIS — Ayo Dosunmu was the last player to climb the ladder and cut down a piece of the net to commemorate Illinois’ Big Ten tournament championship win against Ohio State on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Dosunmu paused before he took scissors to net. The news on the videoboard in the northeast corner of the stadium grabbed his attention.

B1G Tourney Championship: Illini vs. Ohio State

Illinois beat Ohio State 91-88 in overtime in the championship game of the Big Ten basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, March 14, 2021.

The Illini had secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and would face Drexel in the first round. Dosunmu pointed to the screen and to the Illinois fans that had flooded to the lower level of the stadium to celebrate with the team as much as social distance allowed.

It was only fitting the two moments were synonymous. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player grabbing his piece of history as the program he helped put back on the map was rewarded for its best season in nearly two decades.

“It was crazy,” said Dosunmu. “I’m still in an unreal feeling just sitting here thinking about all the things we accomplished. Knowing how when I came on my visit I told Coach (Brad) Underwood these are things we could accomplish here. To be on top of that ladder, cutting the net down and seeing the No. 1 seed there was just an unreal feeling.”

The celebration after Sunday’s 91-88 overtime win against Ohio State got emotional for Illinois. Athletic director Josh Whitman crushed coach Underwood in a bear hug — one of many embraces going around as players, coaches, staff and managers reveled in the victory.

Underwood was reflective in that moment, too. Back four years. To where the journey started to reach this point.

“You think I’ve forgotten the Eastern Illinois exhibition game?” Underwood said about that ignominious 80-67 Illini loss ahead of the 2017-18 season. “Then to be standing on the ladder, Big Ten champions, in the best league in the history of college basketball, you take all that in. … What a great moment. What a great feeling.”

Meanwhile, the celebration continued. Andre Curbelo jumped on assistant coach Orlando Antigua’s back, getting a short piggyback ride before the 6-foot-7 Antigua put the 6-1 Curbelo on his feet and enveloped the freshman guard he helped bring to Illinois in a hug.

The Illinois players were then called to the stage set up at center court, recognized one by one by public address announcer Gene Honda. The Big Ten tournament championship trophy was presented and the parade up the ladder commenced.

Trent Frazier was the first to climb. It wasn’t necessarily planned that way, but it was only fitting. The senior guard was part of Illinois’ rebuild from day one — a John Groce recruit that stuck around when Underwood was hired and stayed around through two rough season and a third whose end was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think he wanted to be (first), and he deserved to be,” Underwood said about Frazier climbing the ladder. “He’s the young man that was sitting on the bench at the end of the Eastern Illinois game wondering if he could play at this level. That’s a pretty dramatic turnaround in a young man’s career. He deserved that.”

Frazier had 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in Sunday’s tournament championship win. Frazier was one of six Illini in double figures, and they needed it all.

Getting to celebrate Sunday in Indianapolis didn’t come easily despite how rough Ohio State looked to start the game. Illinois built a 17-point first half lead, taking advantage of missed shot after missed shot by the Buckeyes.

Not that a top 10 team from the Big Ten would go out like that. Ohio State rallied. Illinois held strong.

“Just an elite college basketball game,” Underwood said. “Both teams played hard. Both teams were amped and geared up for a championship game.”

Dosunmu called Illinois finding a way to win — again — came down to will. A will to win that meant an unbeaten run through the Big Ten tournament and 11 wins in 12 games to end the regular season, including a final three all on the road and all against ranked opponents.

Sunday’s win against Ohio State to cap that run through the Big Ten was validation for how far the program had come.

“What really hits me is remembering the days we weren’t good. The days where I would see people on Twitter talk about how we weren’t good and talk about Coach Underwood.

“To get this (trophy), this is what it all means. We put all the work in to grab this trophy right here. I was just thinking of all the people that have doubted us and also thinking about all the true fans who have been there supporting us through it all. To know that we really earned this — this is ours — it feels good.”



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