During Saturday’s Illinois at Indiana game, Jacob Grandison saw a three-point shot ricochet off the rim after center Kofi Cockburn passed out of a double-team to a wide-open Grandison.

But Cockburn was able to gather the offensive rebound while getting fouled before going to the free throw line. Prior to Cockburn shooting the free throw, he saw Grandison clap to himself in frustration for missing the open look.

He looked at him with both of his hands raised above his head and two thumbs raised to the sky while saying ‘Bro, you’re good.’

This short anecdote from the Illini’s impressive 74-57 win over the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall, in which they outscored Indiana 40-21 in the second half to overcome a two-point halftime deficit, is a microcosm for the way Illinois has played on the road in Big Ten play over the last two calendar years.

Dating back to Feb. 18, 2020, when Illinois beat No. 9 Penn State 62-56 in Happy Valley after Ayo Dosunmu hit a floater with his right hand before the clock expired, the Illini have won 14 of their 19 road games in Big Ten play, including four wins over teams that were ranked in the top-25 and they have a 13-2 record in their last 15 Big Ten road games.

“There’s no shortcuts to road success,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said on Monday. “I really believe that. You have to hit the speed bumps and identify what those are and address those. We do that by being very honest, very critical of those situations. Try to learn from them.

Demand a little more than they think they can give, can do. Because, obviously, when you are losing those games, it’s not good enough. You have to get them to a point where they believe because of what they go through, how they do it and how hard it is to win.”

The success that the Illini have had on the road in close to the last two calendar years is a far, far cry from the struggles that the Illini had on the road during Underwood’s first two seasons – when they were victories just twice in true Big Ten road games. In Underwood’s first season, it was a road win over Rutgers in the final game of the regular season and in his second season, it was when Dosunmu buried a deep right-wing triple at Ohio State to give Illinois a 63-56 win over the Buckeyes.

“It’s experience a lot of times,” Underwood said of the change in fortune that Illinois has had on the road in the last two seasons. “Nobody wants to hear about losing, yet it’s a big part of the growth of the winning as there is. You have to have some of those experiences to manufacture winning. It just doesn’t happen. … We went through all those speed bumps and it's good players who have experience.”

Two current players – Trent Frazier, 23, and Da’Monte Williams, 23, – were part of the two Illinois teams that won just two Big Ten road games over two seasons and their experience in road games has helped the Illini achieve a 5-1 record in Big Ten road games this season.

“It’s a sign of a veteran team,” Underwood said. “Da’Monte is in the huddle saying, ‘We’re good. We can get through this.’ There’s always a calming effect in the huddle with those guys.”

But Illinois also has three other players who are at least 22 years old on their current roster that have turned into regular starters. Cockburn, 22, Grandison, 23, and Alfonso Plummer, 24, all have played at least two seasons of high-major college basketball. The average age of the Illinois starting lineup is 23 years old – one of the oldest teams in the country.

“I think it just comes from having a bunch of old guys – me, Kofi, Jake, Monte, Plummer – late game we’re on the floor together,” Frazier said after the Illini win over Indiana on Saturday. “We’re all guys who have been in these situations. We knew there was going to be a lot of energy, emotion. We knew the fans were going to be into it. We tried to stay poised, stay connected even though we knew there were going to be a bunch of runs.”

Frazier did that against the Hoosiers in a tough environment after air balling a three in the second half. Frazier responded by hitting a pair of treys later in the half, one of which led to an Indiana timeout to stop an Illinois run.

“Trent, for instance, he had an airball today and you could look to the side and nobody’s hanging their head,” Cockburn said after the Indiana game. “Everybody’s saying, ‘Shoot the next one.’” Stuff like that. It gives you confidence. No matter what happened, my brothers got my back and I got their back. Just that brotherhood and that connection that we have. Nobody matters but us. It’s all about us and winning.”

Of course, all of this matters because the Illini will face likely their toughest road environment of the last two years on Tuesday inside Mackey Arena against No. 3 Purdue (20-3, 9-3). With a win, Purdue would move into a tie with No. 13 Illinois (17-5, 10-2) atop the Big Ten standings. Earlier this season, Purdue beat Illinois 96-88 in a double-overtime classic in Champaign.

“These guys, they have seen it, know what coming and identify it and we move on,” Underwood said. “Yet, there is an intensity level of which they do things, which translates.”

Mackey Arena is known as one of the toughest places to play in the Big Ten. Over the last five seasons, Purdue has a 65-8 home record including a 15-0 record at home in 2018-19. But the Illini were one of five teams to travel to West Lafayette and top the Boilermakers in 2019-20 behind 22 points and 15 rebounds from Cockburn when he was a freshman.

But that .890 home winning percentage Purdue has over the last five seasons doesn’t matter to the Illini and their experienced group. The noise doesn’t bother them. The chants from opposing student sections? Yeah, neither do those.

“It just doesn’t matter,” Grandison said. “We don’t care. … Nothing can penetrate our circle.”

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