2014-15 illinois #1

Bryan Fuller/MGoBlog

For a distressingly long time, it appeared Jim Harbaugh's homecoming day would be slightly tarnished by another basketball loss. Then an unlikely hero emerged.

Aubrey Dawkins—a freshman from Palo Alto, because it's a day for poetry—came into today's game with 15 points on the season. He'd made just two of his 11 three-point attempts. But Michigan could not lose today, and Dawkins made sure of it, leading all scorers with 20 points and drilling six of seven triples. His final three was a dagger, giving the Wolverines a four-point lead with under two minutes left in overtime.

It looked remarkably unlikely that Michigan would even make it that far. After a listless first half that ended with a boneheaded foul to allow Illinois a three-point play, the Wolverines fell behind by as many as 13 in the second half. Then the offense found life. Dawkins sunk shot after shot. A previously stone cold Zak Irvin hit back-to-back threes to halve the Illini lead. Caris LeVert and Ricky Doyle worked the pick-and-roll with an effectiveness unseen so far this season.

Consecutive buckets by Doyle gave Michigan their first lead since the early going with just 1:13 to play, but Illinois' Malcolm Hill—who finished with a team-high 19—grabbed it right back with a pair of free throws. Doyle drew a foul on the next possession and split his pair, giving the Illini a chance to win it with the shot clock turned off. Rayvonte Rice bricked a contested 20-footer and Zak Irvin's miracle heave attempt was just a bit long, and the teams headed to overtime.

From there, Michigan's momentum continued. Dawkins and Irvin combined for ten of Michigan's 14 overtime points, with LeVert providing critical support with a pivoting pull-up in the final minute. Illinois struggled to crack a 2-3 zone that the Wolverines increasingly went to as the game wore on. In front of a raucous, capacity Crisler Crowd, M was able to run the clock out without too much stress.

The much-needed victory capped off a banner day for Michigan fans, who were treated to a brief halftime speech from Jim Harbaugh. The ovation for Harbaugh was as loud as Crisler has been this season.

That didn't last long, however. Dawkins caught fire, Crisler rocked, and the faithful who paid a pretty penny to see Harbaugh's first public appearance went home happy.

THE ESSENTIALS

Right: At halftime, a special magic show. Or something.

THE LINEUP CARD

Projected starters are in bold. %Min and %Poss figure are from this season now—yes, there will be a fair amount of noise in these numbers for a while. The "Should I Be Mad If He Hits A Three" methodology: we're mad if a guy who's not good at shooting somehow hits one. Yes, you're still allowed to be unhappy if a proven shooter is left open.

Pos.	#	Name	Yr.	Ht./Wt.	%Min	%Poss	SIBMIHHAT
G	3	Ahmad Starks	Sr.	5'9, 170	60	19	Not Really
Nice assist:turnover, middling shooter, almost never gets to hoop.
G	25	Kendrick Nunn*	So.	6'3, 190	59	18	No
Very good outside shooter, less efficient inside arc, solid defender
G	24	Rayvonte Rice*	Sr.	6'4, 230	69	26	No
Stocky, high-usage slasher now hits threes. Team's best def. rebounder.
G	21	Malcolm Hill	So.	6'6, 230	64	25	No
Great midrange game, solid around hoop, can step out and hits threes.
C	32	Nnanna Egwu*	Sr.	6'11, 250	67	15	Yes
Good shot-blocker, offensive rebounder, def. rebounds still low.
G	11	Aaron Cosby	Jr.	6'3, 205	60	21	Kinda
Lost starting job to Nunn with eFG% hanging around 40.
G	1	Jaylon Tate	So.	6'3, 170	40	16	Yes
High assist and turnover rates. Almost never shoots. More FTA than FGA.
F	12	Leron Black	Fr.	6'7, 220	38	21	Very
Decent finisher, not connecting outside paint. Best all-around rebounder.

*returning starter

THE RESUME

Illinois is off to one of the better starts among Big Ten teams by virtue of not having a crippling non-conference loss. (Or two. Sigh.) Two of their three losses have been to teams Michigan has faced: #7 Villanova and #66 Oregon. The Illini also fell on the road to #78 Miami (YTM).

Aside from an admittely impressive eight-point triumph over #19 Baylor, however, they lack quality wins; their next-best victory came against #143 American, and no other team they've beaten sits within the top 170 on KenPom. Only Mizzou kept it even remotely close among those teams, however, so the Illini are at least thumping the teams they should.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the preview.]