Final: No. 4 Illinois defeats No. 2 Michigan 76-53
Final: No. 4 Illinois 76, No. 2 Michigan 53
With star Ayo Dosunmu on the bench with an injury, No. 4 Illinois soldiered on to blitz No. 2 Michigan 76-53, handing the Wolverines their first home loss of the season, their first loss in more than a month and just their second loss overall. Guards Trent Frazier (22 points, four rebounds) and Andre Curbelo (17 points, six rebounds) led the way for the Illini, while Kofi Cockburn added 12 points and seven rebounds. Cockburn also held Michigan center Hunter Dickinson in check, limiting him to six points on 1-for-8 shooting.
llinois' defense was dominant, holding Michigan to 17-for-49 shooting (34.6 percent) and just 2-for-7 from behind the arc.
Illinois leads 71-47 at the under-4 timeout in the second half
Trent Frazier hits falling layup, gets fouled
Michigan calls timeout after Adam Miller's deep three puts Illinois up 16
Jacob Grandison hits straightaway 3-pointer
Halftime: No. 4 Illinois 33, No. 2 Michigan 22
After a low-scoring, defensive-minded opening 10 minutes, the scoring picked up and Illinois pulled ahead of Michigan at home to lead 33-22 at halftime. Freshman Andre Curbelo leads the Illini with 11 points off the bench, while seven of the eight Wolverines who played in the first half scored.
Illinois shot 40.6 percent from the field in the first half, compared to 32.1 percent for Michigan.
Trent Frazier gets a steal, Kofi Cockburn finishes at the other end
Kofi Cockburn scores, draws foul on Hunter Dickinson
Eli Brooks assists on a Brandon Johns Jr. layup from a ground
Illinois-Michigan is underway
Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu will not be active tonight
Illinois at Michigan: Preview
For the first time all season, No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Illinois will meet, as the regular season comes to a close. Both schools are a projected No. 1 seed in Andy Katz's latest NCAA tournament predictions and the Wolverines and Illini each boast an elite level of balance, with Michigan ranking No. 4 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 5 offensively, while Illinois ranks in the top 20 in both.
The Wolverines have only lost once all season (back in mid-January against Minnesota) and they're undefeated at home, including a 22-point win against Iowa last week. Meanwhile, Illinois, has won nine of its last 10 games, despite not having star Ayo Dosunmu for its last two games.
No. 4 Illinois at No. 2 Michigan: Date, time, how to watch
Two of the top five teams in the country and the top two teams in the Big Ten standings will meet on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. No. 4 Illinois (18-6, 14-4 Big Ten) will visit No. 2 Michigan (18-1, 13-1 Big Ten) in a matchup between two projected No. 1 seeds in March Madness correspondent Andy Katz's latest NCAA tournament predictions.
Date: Tuesday, March 2
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN