Cockburn Leads Illini Into Big Ten Final

In the 82-71 win in the semifinals of the Big Ten Conference Tournament in a domed football stadium on national television, Kofi Cockburn, the Illinois sophomore center took his game to a new level.  For the first time in his career against Iowa, Cockburn left the playing floor as the most dominant big man following a performance that included a game-high 26 points, eight rebounds in just 24 minutes.

In his previous three matchups versus Iowa, Cockburn averaged just nine points and nine rebounds. From the opening tip, Cockburn proved to be the most impressive player in the paint by scoring 18 of his 26 points in the first half that saw Illinois take a 45-37 lead into the halftime locker room.