Illinois basketball outlasts gritty Ohio State to win Big Ten Tournament

Illinois basketball won the Big Ten Tournament championship for the first time since 2005.

There may be no hotter team in college basketball outside Gonzaga than the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Brad Underwood’s team has won seven straight to enter March Madness as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big Ten Tournament.

Led by Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo, the Illini have the look of a team that could make cut down the nets in April. That Illinois trio each scored 16 points to lead the Illini past Ohio State, 91-88 in overtime.

Illinois basketball has its best team since the 2005 national runners-up

The Big Ten has been the toughest conference in college basketball this year and they outlasted Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa to prove their case as a Final Four threat and national championship contender.

This is the best Illinois basketball team since the 2004-2005 team that lost to North Carolina in the national championship game. That team led by Deron Wiliams, Dee Brown and Luther Head is regarded as one of the best to never win a title.

Could this team win it all? It’s possible with the way the team has played down the stretch.

Credit Ohio State basketball for coming back from several deficits throughout and forcing overtime. The Buckeyes are a great team in their own right and could have a Final Four run of their own coming in the next few weeks.

The Buckeyes were led by Duane Washington Jr who scored a game-high 32 points and Justice Sueing who had 22 more. E.J. Liddell had a cold night from the field, shooting 3-of-16 from the field and scoring 15 points.

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