Last Updated 9:32 PM, March 02, 2021
Andy Wittry

Final: No. 4 Illinois defeats No. 2 Michigan 76-53

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2021 NCAA tournament: March Madness bracket predicted by Andy Katz
2:45
2:02 am, March 3, 2021

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.

1:53 am, March 3, 2021

Illinois leads 71-47 at the under-4 timeout in the second half

Illinois is putting the finishing touches on arguably the most impressive win of the men's basketball season to date, as the Illini are poised to beat No. 2 Michigan and give the Wolverines just their second loss of the season and first home defeat.
1:27 am, March 3, 2021

Trent Frazier hits falling layup, gets fouled

Trent Frazier took Michigan's Eli Brooks off the dribble, then split Brooks and center Austin Davis, and he laid the ball of the glass, while drawing a foul, and he finished the three-point play the old-fashioned way to put Illinois up by 20 points, 52-32.
1:19 am, March 3, 2021

Michigan calls timeout after Adam Miller's deep three puts Illinois up 16

One possession after Illinois big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili made a layup, freshman Adam Miller hit a deep three from the right wing to put Illinois up 16, 45-29, forcing Michigan to call a timeout.
1:16 am, March 3, 2021

Jacob Grandison hits straightaway 3-pointer

After Illinois swung the ball, Jacob Grandison hit a straightaway 3-pointer to put the Illini ahead 40-29 for an 11-point lead.
12:52 am, March 3, 2021

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.

12:46 am, March 3, 2021

Trent Frazier gets a steal, Kofi Cockburn finishes at the other end

Trent Frazier ran down the floor with a head full of steam after swiping the ball away from Michigan's Hunter Dickinson and he laid the ball up to the rim but missed, but Kofi Cockburn ran the floor to finish the play, putting Illinois up 25-18.
12:39 am, March 3, 2021

Kofi Cockburn scores, draws foul on Hunter Dickinson

After Andre Curbelo drove into the lane, he fed teammate Kofi Cockburn, who used his position on the right block to score and draw a foul against Michigan's Hunter Dickinson to put Illinois up 21-14.
12:14 am, March 3, 2021

Eli Brooks assists on a Brandon Johns Jr. layup from a ground

Michigan guard Eli Brooks, kneeling on the ground after scooping up a loose ball, found a cutting Brandon Johns Jr., who scored to cut Illinois' lead to 16-12.
12:08 am, March 3, 2021

Illinois-Michigan is underway

No. 4 Illinois at No. 2 Michigan is now underway.
11:57 pm, March 2, 2021

Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu will not be active tonight

Illinois junior guard Ayo Dosunmu, who's an All-American candidate, will not play tonight against Michigan. He was seen in regular clothes during warmups.
8:11 pm, March 2, 2021

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.

8:08 pm, March 2, 2021

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