Ayo Dosunmu Leads No. 6 Illinois Past No. 10 Duke in ACC/ Big Ten Challenge

The No. 6 Illinois Fighting Illini earned a win that will resonate on their resume well into March.

Illinois defeated the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils 83-68 on Tuesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, notching some bragging rights for its conference in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn led the way in a balanced effort for the victors, who improved to 4-1 and bounced back from their loss to Baylor.

Duke fell to 2-2 with its second loss to a Big Ten team this season after dropping an earlier matchup to Michigan State.

Notable Player Stats

• Ayo Dosunmu, G, ILL: 18 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST
• Kofi Cockburn, C, ILL: 13 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK
• Andre Curbelo, G, ILL: 12 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST
• Matthew Hurt, F, Duke: 19 PTS, 7 REB
• Jeremy Roach, G, Duke: 13 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB

Balanced Effort Gives Illinois Important Win

It isn't too often the opposing team is the one with the star power in a contest featuring Duke, but that was the case for Tuesday's showdown.

With Dosunmu, Cockburn and Adam Miller, the Fighting Illini were the ones with the notable playmakers in this one. That looked to be exactly the case when the visitors jumped out to a 17-4 lead in the opening seven minutes behind multiple three-pointers from Miller.

Illinois being in full control with a 14-point halftime lead while Dosunmu had just eight points was a recipe for disaster for the Blue Devils, although it was also a testament to the guard's ability to impact the game in a number of ways.

His facilitating led to a handful of open looks for his teammates, and he controlled the boards to help his side turn defense into offense.

The Fighting Illini's star player completed his double-double in the second half, mixed in a nice floater along the baseline and was part of a balanced and methodical effort. Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Andre Curbelo also provided an offensive spark off the bench, and Cockburn's ability to protect the rim and challenge shots took away a number of easy looks for Duke on the other end.

Throw in the big man's soft touch around the rim and the outside shooting of Trent Frazier and Damonte Williams, and six Illinois players scored at least 10 points.

The Big Ten is going to be a battle every night in league play with Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin on top and contenders such as Ohio State, Rutgers, Indiana and Michigan posing challenges, but the version of the Fighting Illini on display Tuesday against a Top 10 team on the road is a championship contender. 

They have the star go-to player, contributors off the bench, outside shooting and Cockburn anchoring the defense and glass down low. The formula was good enough for a marquee win and should lead to plenty more.

Poor Shooting Ends Overmatched Duke's Chances

What the Duke offense looked like was a major storyline coming into this one, especially after it shot an ugly 32.3 percent from the field during the loss to Michigan State.

That was the team's only true test in the opening three games, and it appeared as if it had a Big Ten problem when it shot a mere 38.7 percent from the field and missed all seven of its three-point attempts while scoring just 29 points in the first half on Tuesday.

It's not as if Illinois is a dominant defensive squad either, as it entered play a middling 41st in the country in Ken Pomeroy's pace-adjusted defensive ratings. Yet the Blue Devils struggled to create many open looks and didn't connect when they did.

The only real bright spot for long stretches of the game from Duke's perspective was Matthew Hurt, but he found himself in foul trouble and watched Illinois' lead extend from the bench. An already ineffective offense was seemingly lost without him, and his inability to play with aggression when he returned with the foul issues hurt the home team's defense.

It is a credit to the Blue Devils they remained within striking distance for much of the second half, and Hurt's bucket down low cut the deficit to 10 at the under-four-minute timeout.

Still, battling back from 19 down in the second half while shooting just 5-of-22 from three-point range is a nearly impossible task. If Duke continues to shoot like that in the remaining big games on its schedule, it could be a rare disappointing season for Mike Krzyzewski's team.

So far, it failed its first two tests of the season.

What's Next?

Both teams are in action Saturday when Illinois is at Missouri and Duke hosts Charleston Southern.