Brad Underwood's Message to Ayo Didn't Change: 'Be the best guard in America'
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- So much for those slow starts from Illinois’ best player.
Before then-No. 7 Iowa arrived in Champaign on Friday, the first half numbers of Illinois junior guard Ayo Dosunmu in recent games didn’t translate to the “best guard in America” tag given to him by his admittedly biased head Brad Underwood.
Dosunmu, who was a consensus preseason All-America selection, was having disappointing first-half performances in each of the last four games where Illinois went 2-2 in those contests. Dosunmu says he enjoys letting the defense dictate what his actions will be in early-game situations before he’s famously turned into the team’s game-changing closer.
“I pretty much always have the same mindset to come out there and make the right play,” Dosunmu said. “
In a 69-60 victory over Indiana on Dec. 26, Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu finished with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting and 4-of-5 from three, marking his second straight 30-point outing. Dosunmu took over in crunch time once again, scoring 18 in the final 9:19, including 16 in the final 6:06.
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Despite being one of only two players in the nation averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and four assists along with being eighth in nation in scoring at 21.7 points per game, folks began to shake their heads at Dosunmu’s numbers in the first 20 minutes of a game. In the last four games, Dosunmu was 6 of 27 from the field with just eight assists and only 18 points.
While some coaches might have tried to intentionally figure out a way to get their best scoring guard going in the right direction, Underwood immediately scoffed at the idea that something was wrong with Dosunmu.
The game versus rival Iowa, which Dosunmu’s comments last year of “we just don’t like them” immediately showed that when Illinois’ 6-foot-5 guard sees an opportunity to take over a game, there’s not a defense or an opponent that can likely stop him without having to devote more than one defender in his direction.
“(Against Iowa) I felt like I had it going early because the way they were guarding me and I was able to get in the lane and use my speed,” Dosunmu said. “So, I just come out and approach the game however I see it and then, just adapt from there.”
Dosunmu, who had 25 points and four assists in 36 minutes during a 80-75 win over the Hawkeyes on Friday, is one of 10 candidates for the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. The Chicago product displayed an impressive array of scoring ability in transition, with his improving perimeter jump shot and also shut down Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon to a six-point effort.
“When Ayo Dosunmu locks in and guards like that tonight, he’s the best player in college basketball in my opinion,” Underwood said after the win over Iowa. “He was phenomenal in the first half. To be honest, Ayo had his best week of practice on the defensive end in some time.”
Dosunmu's effort against Iowa allowed him to be named Big Ten Player of the Week. Dosunmu earns his third weekly conference honor of the season and fourth of his career after starring on the national stage against a Top 10 opponent.
Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu was named Big Ten Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday after scoring a game-high 25 points with four assists and two rebounds in Illinois' 80-75 victory over No. 7 Iowa.
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Dosunmu and sophomore center Kofi Cockburn were named to the late season Top 20 watch list for the Wooden Award on Monday and No. 12 Illinois (11-5, 7-3 in Big Ten Conference)is one of just three schools nationwide to have multiple student-athletes featured in the late season list for the Wooden Award, which has been awarded annually since 1976 to the nation's most outstanding college basketball player.
Dosunmu is on pace to become just the third player in Big Ten Conference history since 1993 to average 20 points, six rebounds and four assists and joining two Conference Players of the Year in Indiana's Brian Evans (1995-96) and Ohio State's Evan Turner (2009-10) with that distinction.
The Illini will need Dosunmu to be at his absolute best from the moment of the opening tip tonight as they approach its first road test in nearly a month when they arrived at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., to take on an Indiana team that was leading the Illini with 10 minutes to go in its previous meeting this season. Indiana has had a four-point or better lead with nine minutes to go in losses to Northwestern, Illinois and Wisconsin.
“When you get in this time of the year and you get into games like this, you have to find a winning mentality and find some way, any way to win a game,” Underwood said. “The ball doesn’t always go in and so how are you going to win that way?”
One of the few things Underwood, Dosunmu and Cockburn have failed to do in this resurgent Illini program turnaround is defeat the Hoosiers on the road. Illinois has lost seven straight at Indiana and is looking for its first win in Bloomington since 2010. With the Illini still two games behind Michigan, which is still on COVID-19 pause, for the Big Ten Conference lead, a win at Indiana will be critical to a potential league title.
“I think (the Iowa win) was a statement for us to get a big win and allow us to still have our dreams of a Big Ten championship still intact,” Dosunmu said. “We know every game in this league is a grind and a fight for 40 minutes.”