ANN ARBOR, Mich. – If there were any questions about the legitimacy of the Illini’s national championships dreams, this is a great time to file them away.
Playing without a leading contender for national player of year, the Illini sent a message to the other 67 lines in the NCAA bracket later this month. To win the championship, somebody has to beat these Illini, who forced themselves into the conversations as a favorite to win the national championship with a dominant performance while pounding No. 2 Michigan 76-53 Tuesday.
Guard Ayo Dosunmu didn’t play while still working through concussion protocol from the cheap shot he took to the face in East Lansing last week, but the Illini were confident, skilled, aggressive and nasty in earning the first road win against a top two team in the national rankings in school history.
“We play hard every night,’’ said Illini guard Trent Frazier. “Tonight, we had a chip on our shoulder. The past month with everything going on with these two teams, we wanted to make a statement.
“We’re the hardest playing team in the country. That’s our statement even without our best player. It’s just special to see the kind of basketball team we are.’’
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