Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your day by day dose of faculty basketball information from Illini beat author and AP Prime 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll provide up insights each morning on Brad Underwood’s group:
We’ll maintain off on the nearer have a look at this week’s Related Press Prime 25 for tomorrow. It is not each day, in any case, that two Illinois gamers wind up as late season finalists for a nationwide participant of the 12 months honor. That was Monday’s information for Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu and heart Kofi Cockburn, with their inclusion on mentioned checklist for the Wood Award.
The Illinois duo have been two of 20 gamers on the watch checklist. An inventory that trended closely towards the Large Ten with seven of the 20 gamers from the convention. I am going to do the mathematics for you. That is 35 p.c of the candidates.
Dosunmu is among the many nation’s scoring leaders and certainly one of simply two gamers nationally averaging not less than 21 factors, six rebounds and 4 assists. At 21.9 factors per sport, Dosunmu is tied for fifth within the nation in scoring together with Coastal Carolina junior guard DeVante Jones.
Cockburn is averaging a profession greatest 16.9 factors and 10.3 rebounds this season. The Illini 7-footer can be in a four-way tie for the nationwide lead with 11 double-doubles on the season. The opposite three gamers are Western Kentucky’s Charles Bassey, Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor and Little Rock’s Ruot Monyyong.
The duo of Cockburn and Dosunmu makes Illinois certainly one of simply three faculties with a number of gamers on the late season Wood Award watch checklist. The opposite two are Gonzaga (Corey Kispert, Drew Timme and Jalen Suggs) and Villanova (Collin Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl).
The total watch checklist is as follows:
- Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
- James Bouknight, Connecticut
- Jared Butler, Baylor
- Marcus Carr, Minnesota
- Justin Champagnie, Pittsburgh
- Kofi Cockburn, Illinois
- Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
- Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
- Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
- Luka Garza, Iowa
- Collin Gillespie, Villanova
- Quentin Grimes, Houston
- Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
- Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
- Carlik Jones, Louisville
- Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
- Evan Mobley, USC
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova
- Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga
- Drew Timme, Gonzaga
