Cockburn, Plummer lead Illinois past Notre Dame 82-72
Kofi Cockburn flushes powerful jam for Illinois
Kofi Cockburn crashes the offensive glass and slams home a vicious dunk to extend Illinois' lead over Notre Dame.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- — Kofi Cockburn scored 28 points, Alfonso Plummer added 21 and Illinois defeated Notre Dame 82-72 on Monday night in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Cockburn, a preseason All-American and player of the year candidate, leads the nation in scoring at 26.6 points per game. He did not take a shot in the first 12 minutes but finished the first half with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting. For the game, he was 11 of 16 from the field and made 6 of 9 free throws.
Cockburn scored eight points early in the second half and his dunk with 14:50 remaining gave the Illini a 56-43 lead. Jacob Grandison's 3-pointer extended the lead to 59-43.
At that point, the pace slowed down for Illinois and Notre Dame drew within 67-62 when Cormac Ryan hit a 3-pointer with just under six minutes to go.
Illinois (4-2) pushed the lead to 71-63 at the final official timeout then made 11 of 12 free throws in the final three minutes, including 8 for 8 by Plummer.
Freshman Blake Wesley led Notre Dame with a season-high 24 points off the bench. Dane Goodwin had 15 points and Nate Leszewski scored 13 for the Fighting Irish (3-3).
The matchup paired two of the top 15 schools in all-time victories. With 1,840 wins, Illinois is 15th on the list and Notre Dame is eighth with 1,918 wins.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Larry Scirotto
- D.J. Carstensen
- Keith Kimble
2024-25 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Stanford | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| NC State | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Notre Dame | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Florida State | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| Wake Forest | 0-0 | - | 5-1 |
| California | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Clemson | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| SMU | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Boston College | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Duke | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Syracuse | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Virginia | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Louisville | 0-0 | - | 2-1 |
| North Carolina | 0-0 | - | 2-1 |
| Miami | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| Virginia Tech | 0-0 | - | 3-2 |
| Georgia Tech | 0-0 | - | 2-2 |
2024-25 Big Ten Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 0-0 | - | 6-0 |
| Iowa | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Oregon | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Penn State | 0-0 | - | 5-0 |
| Indiana | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Rutgers | 0-0 | - | 4-0 |
| Maryland | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Michigan | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Michigan State | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Minnesota | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Northwestern | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Ohio State | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Purdue | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| UCLA | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| USC | 0-0 | - | 4-1 |
| Illinois | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Nebraska | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
| Washington | 0-0 | - | 3-1 |
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