Skip to main content
Illini now

3-2-1 RECAP: Illini ‘D’ Suffocates Purdue 63-37

Illinois blows out Purdue by holding the Boilermakers to a program-worst 25 percent shooting.
Matthew Stevens|
3-2-1 RECAP: Illini ‘D’ Suffocates Purdue 63-37
3-2-1 RECAP: Illini ‘D’ Suffocates Purdue 63-37

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Purdue has been playing basketball for 123 years and Sunday night Illinois forced them to record its worst-ever shooting percentage.

In a 63-37 win over the offensively-challenged Boilermakers, Illinois (10-5, 2-2 in Big Ten Conference) held an opponent under 40 points for the first time in nearly a decade. Less than 48 hours after the Illini suffered one of the worst shooting performances of the Brad Underwood era, the Illinois defense completely shut down a Purdue team that was coming off a double-overtime win.

“When we’re locked in defensively, we’re incredible,” Illinois guard Trent Frazier said.

Purdue (9-6, 2-2) has one of the strangest home/road splits in the country as the Boilermakers are averaging 20 more points per game away from West Lafayette and its shooting is nearly 10 percentage points lower in road games.

“Obviously if I had the answer, we wouldn’t be 3 of 17 (from 3-point range),” Purdue head coach Matt Painter said.

Alan Griffin, who was lauded by his head coach for the last week for his bench production, led the Illini with his first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The 6-foot-5 wing player had six offensive rebounds and was called “the best player on the floor tonight” by Painter.

Illinois freshman center Kofi Cockburn was effective, with 12 points, against Purdue’s twin tower lineup of Matt Haarms and Trevion Williams and led to Illinois in getting 17 second-half points.

Purdue didn’t have a single player in double figures and Painter criticized his team for “getting outworked and getting outplayed the entire night”.

In a bit of irony, the last time Illinois held a team under 40 points was Feb. 18, 2009 in a disappointing 38-33 loss to Penn State. This version of the Illini team was finally able to replace that offensively challenged 40-minute game.

Illinois will now turn around in three days to play at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin for a matchup against the Badgers in the hope of getting its first road win against a power program this season for an 8 p.m. tip.

Here are the three major takeaways from this loss for the Illini.

1) Illinois brought its consistent defense, Purdue brought its putrid road offense

Coming into the game, Purdue’s offensive home/road splits were amazing in how completely different they were. And it didn’t get any better Sunday night.

The Boilermakers are averaging 20 more points per game away from West Lafayette and its shooting is nearly 10 percentage points lower in road games.

Purdue shot its worst percentage (25 percent) in school history and they’ve been playing basketball at that school for quite a long time. After giving 81 points and 59.3 percent shooting on its home court in a loss to Miami on Dec. 2, the Illini defense had responded over the last six games. That stretch included strong competition, featuring three Big Ten teams ranked in the top 15. 

The Illini have allowed an average of 63.2 points on 40.8% shooting, including 30.3% from 3-point range. Sunday night’s blowout win was the first time in nearly a decade Illinois held an opponent under 40 points in a 40-minute game. Less than 48 hours after one of its most putrid shooting performance at Michigan State, Illinois allowed the defensive end of the floor to jumpstart a much-needed victory in front of 12,153 desperate fans in Champaign.

“When we’re locked in defensively, we’re incredible,” Illini guard Trent Frazier said.

2) Alan Griffin was, once again, a difference-maker

Think about this, the opponent’s head coach called the “best player on the floor” Illinois’ seventh rotational player. Alan Griffin led all scoring and rebounding with his first career double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds) in just 19 minutes of action.

“His motor and energy coming off the bench is phenomenal,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said. 

Griffin came into Sunday night averaging 14.5 points in 20.8 minutes off the bench over the last four games. In his first minute, the sophomore wing player already had two offensive rebounds and a 3-pointer to increase the momentum of what was already an 11-0 start for the Illini.

The only knock about Griffin’s stat line was he only got 20 minutes of playing time and Underwood shouldered all the blame for that one.

“I looked down at the sheet and it says he only got 19 minutes and so he needs to be getting 25 to 30,” Underwood said. “That’s his coach’s fault but he plays so hard in the time he gets.”

3) Purdue bigs were no match for Illinois’ 'Monster'

Kofi Cockburn didn’t have one of his all-time performances Sunday night but he didn’t need to. More importantly, neither did Boilermakers 7-foot-3 forward Matt Haarms or 290-pound center Trevion Williams. Cockburn outscored the Purdue duo by himself 12-11 and Purdue’s insistence to double the Illini big man on the glass.

The attention of Cockburn allowed Griffith to grab 12 rebounds, Ayo Dosunmu to get seven rebounds and the Illini to still get 17 second-chance points when the 7-foot, 290-pound “Monster” as he’s been nicknamed by his teammates had just four rebounds. 

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Matthew Stevens
MATTHEW STEVENS

Home/Basketball