The Daily Illini: Spring Sports Guide 2022

THE

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SPRING SPORTS GUIDE

January 26, 2022

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

THE

DI

Feb

presents

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at LSU Tiger Classic

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Razorback

Feb

18

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SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

12

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15 Mar

22 Mar

25

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Indiana State

22

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Minnesota

27

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Illinois State

29

Apr

Red & Black

at Challenge Louisvillle, Kentucky

at Tiger Invitational Missouri

at (Braggin’ Rights) St. Charles, Missouri

Apr

06 Apr

08 Apr

13 Apr

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SIUE

15

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Purdue

19

Apr

Apr

May

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Wisconsin

03

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Northwestern

04

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Rutgers

06

May

May

vs Louisiana - Laffayette

May

12

Iowa

at

DePaul

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Indiana

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vs

vs Western Illinois

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Penn State

Big Ten

Championships

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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SWIM & DIVE

Making waves: Seniors pioneer program to success

By Jonathan Alday Staff Writer

After a turbulent and shortened 2020-2021 season, the Illinois swim & dive team found itself at a crossroads.

How would the team react to the adversity and challenge of handling competition during an everchanging global pandemic?

Its response: The Illini have had a historic 20212022 season, sitting at 5-3, one of their most successful seasons in recent records.

While the success can be attributed to a collective dedication to the team, there is one group of individuals who have been putting in the work for four years: the swim & dive senior class.

For Abby Cabush, Sidney Kennedy, Emily Bolger, Abby Martin, Taylor Shegos, Lauren Partridge, Caroline Hippen, Maddy Crosby and Kaylee Heimes, their collective vision for the program began as early as their recruitment trips.

“I was drawn to (Illinois because of) the improvement factor,” Shegos said. “All the coaches were inspired to change the program and get on the map as a team.”

While that recruitment class all had the same goals, the most looming obstacle at the time was meeting the other commitments.

Each senior had a memory of their first interactions with teammates during official visits and their first week on campus as freshmen.

From first impressions of Cabush’s energy to Heimes’ wide-eyed excitement to be an Illini to reactions to Kennedy’s swimming motion, each swimmer and diver presented a unique and diverse identity to the team.

While participating in physicals, a popcorn party at Memorial Stadium, watermelon-eating contests and the Block I class photo, the group quickly bonded and embraced their responsibilities and expectations as a class.

The culture that developed has been clear since then, athletically and academically.

“I picked Illinois because (head coach) Sue (Novitsky) has, as well as the school, a great balance between academics and swimming,” Cabush said. “There is an expectation of excellence in everything.”

There are key points of program growth over the last three seasons: the Illini’s win over Nebraska last year and the overall growing confidence of the team.

“We hadn’t beaten Nebraska in our time here,” Kennedy said. “It was extremely close; it really showed us that we can be competitive in the conference.”

Being able to prove your competitiveness, especially in a conference like the Big Ten, is paramount for post-season success in the Big Ten and NCAA Championships.

“I know that as a freshman I came in wanting to go to NCAAs, but I never felt like I could vocalize that,” Cabush said. “Being a senior now, the dynam-

LOGAN HODSON THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois swim and dive seniors pose for a photo with flowers in hand during senior day at the ARC on Saturday. ic of the team is different. Even the freshmen are saying, ‘We want to go to NCAAs.’” Leading by example has been a key to this shift.

Seniors began staying on campus throughout the summer, training, bonding and competing together. This model for success has been paramount in developing this revamped culture.

“The dancing thing became a hallmark of the end of warmups as a way to have fun and loosen up,” Kennedy said.

These developed traditions of dancing at the end of warmups, traveling together and supporting other athletic programs from afar, has grown their confidence in themselves and in each other.

Regardless of the outcome of the rest of the season, each senior is proud of the gains the team has made and knows that there’s so much they have left to give to the program.

“This group of seniors wanted to leave a legacy,” Partridge said. “We’ve done a good job of building this team from the bottom.”

They all recognized, however, that their success isn’t without help.

They all thanked their parents, Sara Hurst from the Federation of Christian Athletes, Anne Danbury and the rest of the sports medicine and nutritional staff for supporting them througout their careers.

“I have, sadly, had a lot of time with the sports medicine department,” Kennedy said. “I’m very thankful for all the people I’ve worked with there.

I would not be swimming right now without them.”

They thanked teammates, past and present, for their impact on their growth as teammates and leaders, as well as coaches, professors and athletic administrators.

“It’s been an indescribable opportunity to represent Illinois,” said Martin, a fourth-generation Illini.

While the seniors reminisce over the last four years and look ahead to futures in law, higher education, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and more, the team knows that their season is just getting started.

“We’re a loaded gun right now,” Heimes said. @JonathanAlday7 jalday2@dailyillini.com

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

MEN'S TENNIS

`New challenge' awaits revamped roster After 4 seniors graduate, Illinois defends its Big Ten championship

By Drew Friberg Staff Writer

SYDNEY LAPUT THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois men's tennis Alex Brown prepares to receive the ball during his singles match against Chicago State on Jan. 22.

SYDNEY LAPUT THE DAILY ILLINI

The Illinois men's tennis team stands on the bench watching and cheering on their teammates during the meet against Chicago State on Jan. 22.

Illinois men’s tennis accomplished what many teams can only dream of doing in the 2021 spring season.

Everything from their upset against No. 1 Southern California in February to its Big Ten Championship victory over Ohio State in May showed just how special of a group this Illinois team was.

A lot of this group’s discipline and success can be attributed to the leadership qualities displayed by the four seniors at the time: Zeke Clark, Aleks Kovacevic, Noe Khlif and Vuk Budic.

Losing four seniors for any team hurts, but these four were more than just ordinary seniors for the program.

“It’s a group of legends,” said head coach Brad Dancer. “It’s just a great group of talented individuals, tough individuals, leaders and great models.”

In his senior season, Kovacevic played every singles match at the No. 1 position and boasted an impressive 14-2 record, earning a ranking as high as No. 35 in the country for singles.

Clark in his senior season also impressed, playing at the No. 1 position in doubles for the majority of the year and picking up the final point needed for the Illini to close out their Big Ten Championship win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The majority of Khlif’s matches were played at the No. 6 position in singles, as he put up a 17-2 record on the season, including a win over his opponent in the match against Ohio State.

Budic’s senior season was in more of a coaching role for the team, but he was still instrumental to his team’s success through his great leadership qualities, always pushing his team to do better.

The Illini go into this spring season looking to replicate some of the magic produced last year, but the team knows it will be harder than it was last year, as the roster has much less experience this year.

“It’s always a new challenge,” Dancer said. “The tricky part of it is due to COVID. Guys who have been here a few years now, maybe last year would have been their time to start their lead-

ership process, and they didn’t get a chance because we had all of those fifth-year people back.”

With this lack of experience that this Illinois roster is facing this season, current upperclassmen are seeing this as an opportunity to guide the team to victory.

“Really no day-to-day things have changed,” said graduate student Alex Brown. “In terms of experience, just the role to lead by example has changed for me.”

Brown had spent his past four years playing alongside this special group of athletes and even ranked at No. 14 in doubles with Clark as his partner in the spring 2021 season. If anyone on this Illinois roster knows how to lead by example, it would be Brown.

To combat this lack of experience, Dancer and his team have also been working to bring in new faces. Graduate student Olivier Stuart has joined this Illinois lineup after playing four seasons at Mercer. Stuart is the oldest member of the team and is no stranger to tough competition, having made it to the final eight of the singles bracket in ITA Midwest Regionals back in November. He also will be instrumental in helping guide this team to success.

While there’s no sure way to fill in the gaps left by last year’s seniors, Illinois is using the boost from its successful season last year to prepare for future seasons by giving lots of experience to young guys, who are taking advantage of this opportunity.

Redshirt junior Lucas Horve has started his spring season off going undefeated in singles play at the Illini’s most recent tournament. Sophomore Hunter Heck and freshman Gabrielius Guzauskas are getting big wins and important matches under their belt going into the Illini’s tough spring schedule.

The Illini’s road to success this season will not be a straightforward one, as many challenges will need to be overcome as the season progresses.

However, this season is sure to breed future leaders for this Illinois tennis team. friberg3@dailyillini.com

The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Illini experience ups, downs during first half of season

By Will Payne Assistant Sports Editor

For any great college sports program, one of the clear markers of success is consistent winning seasons over a long period of time. For Illinois women’s basketball, it is tough to say they’ve established a winning culture in Champaign.

The Illini’s last winning season came during the 2012-2013 campaign when they finished 19-14. A slew of losing seasons and less than optimal roster followed. Illinois now finds itself multiple games under .500 record and sits in the bottom half of the Big Ten standings as it continues conference play.

On the surface, the Illini’s losing record would not bring smiles to the faces of the Illinois faithful in State Farm Center, but there have been moments of brilliance this season.

In a campaign full of ups and downs, here are some of the pivotal performances so far.

Kendall Bostic's 22-rebound game Undoubtedly the best performance of the Illini’s year so far has come from sophomore forward Kendall Bostic against Eastern Kentucky. The Illini had just come off a hard-fought loss to the No. 25 Florida State Seminoles and needed to bounce back versus the Colonels.

At this point in the year, Illinois was just under the .500 mark at 3-4 and had seen a balanced effort in many of their victories. Junior guard Jada Peebles and sophomore guard Aaliyah Nye were shooting the ball well, but the Illini were due for a big game from one of their forwards.

Bostic transferred from Michigan State and saw her role drastically increase. She was now starting every game for head coach Nancy Fahey.

Bostic rewarded Fahey’s faith in her, putting up 12 points and a whopping 22 rebounds against Eastern Kentucky.

The sophomore transfer had this game pinned on her schedule and knew it would be important for her to play and rebound well if Illinois wanted to come away victorious.

“This was a team we really needed to rebound against,” Bostic said. “We spoke about how a lot of the girls on this team liked to rebound. So, I knew it would be a point of emphasis today,

LOGAN HODSON THE DAILY ILLINI

Forward Kendall Bostic goes for a layup during the game against Purdue on Jan. 20. Bostic gave the team its best performance of the season so far during the Eastern Kentucky game, recording 12 points and 22 rebounds in the Illini's 71-57 win on Dec. 5. and that if we wanted to win, we needed to board.”

Poor results in the Big Ten The Big Ten is one of the strongest conferences in the country when it comes to women’s basketball. Indiana, Michigan, Maryland, Ohio State and Iowa are the five ranked teams from the Big Ten and have all proved to be tough opponents.

Illinois has learned this the hard way, as it currently is several games below .500 in conference matchups. On Dec. 9, the Illini kicked off Big Ten play against the Michigan State Spartans, a game in which Illinois lost 75-60. Although the game against highly touted Maryland was postponed, Illinois has had doubledigit losses to Ohio State, Penn State

and Purdue.

The Illini’s saving grace this year has been their strong performances in nonconference play, especially during the early part of the season. However, every single game for the rest of the regular season will come against Big Ten foes. Illinois must be ready to weather the storm.

Aaliyah Nye's emergence When former guard Jeanae Terry and former forward Kennedi Myles transferred, it raised many question marks about where the Illinois offensive output would come from this season. New faces in the locker room were necessary, and certain members of the team from the 2020-2021 campaign needed to step up.

Nye has been a pleasant surprise, as

she leads the team in scoring. During her freshman year, Nye was a contributor on offense at 8.1 points per game, but she did not contribute nearly as much as she has this season.

In the season opener against North Carolina Central, the East Lansing native dropped 23 points on 9-16 shooting. Nye was happy to kick off the year with such a great shooting performance and knew that her role on the team was going to be much bigger during her sophomore season.

“I knew we had to get something; I knew we could not let them keep going on runs,” Nye said. “Whoever got the ball had to take care of it and make that shot. I did feel like I had to make shots, but everyone helped out as well.” @WillPayne33 wpayne2@dailyillini.com

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Illinois sees improved shooting, declining production

By Christian Jones Staff Writer

This current iteration of the Illinois men’s basketball team might be the greatest collection of shooters the school has ever seen. Emphasis on “might.”

Some stats are in their favor, but they’ve got stiff competition with the 2004-2005 team. That year the Illini shot 39.9% from three, good for 15th in the nation, on nearly 22 attempts per game in the regular season. This year’s squad has made 38% of their threes, while taking 25 per game — a slightly lower percentage. But that’s coming on more attempts. When you compare the 2021-2022 team to last year’s team, however, the difference is more obvious.

In the 2020-2021 season, the Illini attempted just 17.5 threes a game, their lowest average in over a decade. They connected on 37.6% of those attempts.

Despite losing two of their reliable 3-point weapons, current Chicago Bull Ayo Dosunmu and Louisiana State’s Adam Miller, the Illini have managed to improve drastically from beyond the arc.

Much of this improvement can be attributed to transfer graduate student guard Alfonso Plummer. Plummer played two years of community college basketball at Arizona Western before making his NCAA debut with Utah in 2019.

Two years later, in his first season with the Illini, Plummer has put himself in the conversation for the best shooter in the country. Plummer is one of four players who rank inside the top-25 for 3-pointers made per game while playing in a Power Six conference (Power Five and the Big East).Among the four, Plummer is third in 3-point percentage.

Other players have contributed to the turnaround as well. Graduate student guard/forward Jacob Grandison has shot a ridiculously high 46.8% from deep on nearly five attempts per game.

Fifth-year senior guard Trent Frazier has attempted a career-high 6.8 threes a game, two more than last year, while increasing his 3-point shooting percentage by 0.5 percentage points.

At 46.8%, Grandison sits firmly in second place for 3-point percentage in the Big Ten behind only Purdue forward Mason Gillis, who attempts just two threes a game.

Grandison’s improvement is probably the most surprising. He attempted just one deep ball per game last season, and

MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois graduate student guard Alfonso Plummer rises up to shoot a basket during the game against Arizona on Dec. 11 at State Farm Center.

Plummer has become one of the best shooters in the country since transferring to Illinois. in his best shooting year at Holy Cross, where he played prior to joining Illinois, he shot 36.5% from deep.

Frazier, on the other hand, has taken over the closer role, which Dosunmu occupied before leaving for the NBA. Frazier’s ability to create space late in games is rivaled only by his stellar onball defense. The fact that most of his threes come on step-backs and dribble pull-up jumpers makes his 36.7% from deep even more impressive.

Shooting struggles for sophomore forward Coleman Hawkins and fifth-year senior guard Da’Monte Williams haven’t hurt the team’s percentages much, due to the fact that both attempt just two a game. Solid shooting from freshman guards R.J. Melendez and Luke Goode, in very limited minutes, has helped some.

Contrary to what one might think when seeing such improvement from

behind the arc, the Illini offense has not improved since last year. In fact, it has gotten worse.

This season, Illinois is scoring just 79.3 points per game, compared to 81.4 last season. The Illini’s overall field goal percentage has fallen from 50% last season to 46%. Despite taking two more shots per game this year, the Illini are scoring fewer points and getting to the free-throw line less often.

The cause of the lack of offensive power could be seen clear as day when Illinois played Maryland on Friday. When junior center Kofi Cockburn isn’t on the court, the offense falls apart. Last year head coach Brad Underwood had Dosunmu and sophomore guard Andre Curbelo to rely on when the big man wasn’t playing well. This year, he’s had neither.

Curbelo has brought exactly what the Illini had been missing since he’s returned: an offensive engine when Cock-

burn is refueling on the bench.

Cockburn’s concussion, sustained the Sunday before the team played Purdue and worsened by an elbow from Purdue’s Zach Edey, may keep him out for several games. Just as the Illini saw a chance to put things together, another piece was taken away.

This offense can’t be judged without Cockburn on the court, but the Illini may be able to fix something as Curbelo works his way back into the fold.

If the Illini catch a break before the NCAA tournament starts, they may be unstoppable. But with the ways things have gone so far, it’s hard to be optimistic.

They’ve dealt with a suspension, a load of COVID-19 infections, a flu outbreak, various minor injuries and two concussions.

What’s next? Health? We can only hope. @JonesChristianT ctjones3@dailyillini.com

The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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Feb

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Kansas

Corpus Christi, Texas

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08 Mar

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at Middle Tennessee

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Eastern Illinois

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Conway, South Carolina

Feb

26 BASEBALL SCHEDULE

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at Coastal Carolina

Conway, South Carolina

Feb

27 Mar

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at UNC Wilmington

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Notre Dame

Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Minneapolis, Minnesota Mar

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Minneapolis, Minnesota

15 Mar

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Bradley Michigan State

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St. Louis, Missouri

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06 May

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Indiana State

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Maryland

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Big Ten

Championships JONAH OZER THE DAILY ILLINI

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

13

WOMEN'S TENNIS

Underclassmen Duong, Heuser dominate at No. 1 doubles

By Jackson Janes Sports Editor

Opposites attract.

Though typically associated with personalities, the same concept can be applied to the playing styles of Illini women’s tennis sophomore Kate Duong and freshman Megan Heuser, who have taken control of the team’s No. 1 doubles position.

“We’re kinda opposites,” Duong said.

“She’s really good at the net and then I’m pretty solid on the baseline, so when you put two and two together, it just works. I can set her up really well, and I think that’s how we win most of our points.”

Duong and Heuser took command of playing Court 1 doubles early in the winter, earning the spot during Illinois’ first dual match of the season against No. 11 Baylor on Jan. 16.

Though their debut match resulted in a narrow 7-5 loss and a 6-1 overall defeat to the Bears, the Illini bounced back the next day with a 5-2 win over Brigham Young.

The Illinois pair trailed 5-2 in doubles play, though results on other courts clinched the doubles point for the Illini.

While both players fell in three sets to Baylor in singles action the night before, they each bounced back with singles wins against BYU. In their first doubles win of spring competition, Duong and Heuser cruised to victory, winning 6-1 against Harvard duo Maxi Duncan and Iveta Daujotaite at Atkins Tennis Center on Thursday night.

“I think it just shows you how confident we are,” Duong said. “The freshmen and myself included, we’re not afraid to play the big players. We’re not afraid to go after them, and that’s just elevating our game even further. That’s gonna help us in the long run for sure.”

Heuser credits both her own and Duong’s serving abilities and overall presence at the net for their first doubles win together.

“I think we work so well just because we both serve really big, and when we’re on our first serve, even if we hit second serves we can still pull them out, and we set up our net so easily,” Heuser said. “It’s just a matter of making returns for us. I feel like that’s gonna really determine whether we win or lose. … We’re so good at putting balls away at the net and just complementing each other is amazing.”

Three freshmen were brought in and

SYDNEY LAPUT THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois women's tennis' sophomore Kate Duong celebrates during her doubles match with freshman Megan Heuser against Chicago State on Sunday. Duong and Heuser's strong partnership aids in the team's success in doubles.

“The freshmen and myself included, we’re not afraid to play the big players. We’re not afraid to go after them, and that’s just elevating our game even further.

That’s gonna help us in the long run for sure.”

Kate Duong have already stepped into the starting lineup, with Heuser, Kida Ferrari and Kasia Treiber all competing in singles and doubles play. Ferrari recorded her first career singles win in the loss to the Bears, while Treiber notched her first singles win against the Cougars on Jan. 17.

Still a sophomore, Duong has emerged

as a leader and has taken the freshmen under her wing despite having just one year of college experience. Going 14-8 in singles and 13-9 in doubles play last season, Duong has taken on the Illini’s No. 1 court spot in both singles and doubles play.

“She just leads by example,” said head coach Evan Clark. “Last year she was a

freshman and didn’t quite have a voice but was still leading by example. This year, she’s gotten more of a voice, more comfortable in her own skin. … She definitely leads by example and is just one of the best kids I’ve ever coached: attitude, effort, just never any issues.

“She just kinda puts her head down and works, and I think she’s just a great example for the rest of our team. Of course her playing No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles shows the team what you need to do to play at that level, and she’s been fantastic and we’re certainly happy to have her.”

After four seniors graduated following the 2021 season – Sasha Belaya, Emilee Duong, Asuka Kawai and Mia Rabinowitz, the Illini had to replace their production, and that stems from the team’s underclassmen, including Duong.

“It’s exciting for sure,” Clark said.

“We had a really good class that just left us last year, and when you bring in a lot of new kids, you never know how they’re gonna shake out, but our last couple matches have been just exciting to see how quickly they’ve adapted to the college game and more or less just how they handle themselves and their energy levels.”

Clark says he was initially unsure how the pair would click, though he is impressed with the way they have bonded and grown over the course of a short few weeks.

With Duong’s strong freshman campaign and Heuser’s dominance at the juniors level, going 122-3 at Lakes Community High School, the talent was already there, and despite the uncommon nature of having two underclassmen playing together on Court 1, Clark says he has “been really pleased” with the partnership thus far.

With conference play on the horizon, Heuser expresses excitement and ambition for both individual and team success, both this season and beyond.

“It’s just so cool how deep we are and our team being young, and that it’s not just the seniors and juniors playing at (Court) 1; it’s the freshman and sophomore playing at one,” Heuser said.

“That shows a lot and what we could do in the future because we’ll be together for three years at least.

“We can all play tennis, we all have a game style, we all got here for a reason (and) we’re all here for a reason.” @JacksonJanes3 janes6@dailyillini.com

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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MEN’S GYMNASTICS presents

Jan

29 Feb

05 Feb

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GYMNASTICS SCHEDULE

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vs vs

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05 Mar

Oklahoma

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Winter Cup at vs

Nebraska & Minnesota

Mar

19 Apr

01 Apr

Michigan

15

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Air Force

Big Ten

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WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS Jan

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06 Feb

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18 Big Five Meet 10

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at Michigan State

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Central Michigan, vs Boise State, Northern Illinois

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vs Bowling Green Missouri, at Lindenwood, Iowa State

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Championships

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022

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MEN'S BASKETBALL

`I could've cried' Curbelo reflects on his recovery, return

By Jackson Janes Sports Editor

On Monday, Andre Curbelo made the walk from the Illini bench to the scorer’s table, the same short walk he’s made countless times before.

This time was different.

After an 11-game absence, Curbelo made his long-awaited return against No. 4 Purdue in front of a sold-out State Farm Center crowd and was greeted with a loud ovation that fans have been eagerly awaiting for weeks.

“I could’ve cried,” Curbelo said. “I was crying on the inside, just happy tears, just so proud and so thankful to be back on the court.”

Having last played on Nov. 23 against Kansas State, Curbelo did not seem to skip a beat against No. 4 Purdue, recording a season-high 20 points on 53% shooting, six rebounds and three assists while playing 26 minutes and recording zero turnovers in the Illini’s 96-88 double-overtime loss.

The journey to return to the court wasn’t easy for the 2021 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. Though he’s had concussions in the past, this one was the most severe.

“It was scary, man,” Curbelo said. “I mean I’ve had concussions before, but nothing like this one. It’s scary when you don’t really have a lot of answers and you don’t have a lot of knowledge of what’s going on.”

Head coach Brad Underwood deflected questions pertaining to Curbelo’s status for weeks, though he recognized the difficult journey the Puerto Rico native has had to get back on the court after his impressive freshman campaign and early-season setback.

“He wants to win, he wants to compete, he wants to play, and yet there’s tremendous appreciation for what he went through, the tremendous challenges he continues to go through, the severity,” Underwood said. “My hat’s off for him having the passion to want to get back and compete and to fight through some things that weren’t easy.”

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Andre Curbelo walks off the court at halftime during the game against ASU on Dec. 11.

Curbelo looks back at his journey from his injury to his return to the lineup after missing 11 games.

Andre Curbelo shoots a floater during No. 17 Illinois' game against No. 4 Purdue at State Farm Center on Jan. 17.

Known for his high energy and charismatic personality, Curbelo was unable to be on the court physically, but that didn’t stop him from being a presence on the bench.

The sophomore guard routinely ran onto the court to help guys up off the floor, had conversations – some more friendly and two-sided than others – with referees and remained vocal in huddles and on the sidelines.

Continuing to give his all despite not being cleared to play, Curbelo admits he grew frustrated with the length of the recovery process and that he got headaches “literally every single day.”

“It was tough emotionally not being able to be out there with my guys,” Curbelo said. “Definitely one of the toughest times of my life. … It was such a tough time that I was frustrated almost every day, getting headaches literally every single day, but I battled.”

While Curbelo played 26 minutes against Purdue, he still needs to get back to full fitness. Underwood admitted postgame on Monday that he had not planned on playing Curbelo for as long as he did.

But with the crafty guard now back in the rotation, the Illini, who have seen Curbelo and potential National Player of the Year contender Kofi Cock-

PHOTO COURTESY OF ILLINI ATHLETICS

burn play limited minutes together, look geared up to finish the conference schedule, defend their Big Ten tournament title and make a deep postseason run.

“I was dying to be out there with the guys,” Curbelo said. “So many great expectations coming in for the team, personally, for other guys, too, so I was just very excited for this year, and I still am and I still believe things that I said before the season.

“I believe we’re that team; I know it for a fact.” @JacksonJanes3 janes6@dailyillini.com

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The DI · Wednesday, January 26, 2022