CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a week filled with upsets, Trent Frazier and Ayo Dosunmu made sure the No. 24 Illinois wasn’t up next.
The Illini (13-5, 5-2) just outlasted their in state rival Northwestern (6-11, 1-6) 75-71, on Saturday afternoon at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
Illinois didn’t look like it had a week to prepare for this game. The offense seemed to recover from a terrible shooting performance against Rutgers, but the defense looked sluggish and occasionally would look lost and give up open looks at the basket.
The Illini struggled at times to get Kofi Cockburn touches.