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Ayo Dosunmu jumper gives No. 21 Illinois 64-62 win at Michigan (VIDEO)

Ayo Dosunmu, Brandon Johns Jr.

Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu, left, is defended by Michigan forward Brandon Johns Jr., right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

AP

Ayo Dosunmu did it again.

Illinois’ sophomore star and leading scorer finished with 27 points, none of which were bigger than the final shot of the game as Dosunmu hit a foul line jumper over Zavier Simpson with 0.5 seconds left on the clock to beat Michigan in Ann Arbor:

It’s the sixth straight win for the Illini, who have climbed all the way up to No. 21 in the AP poll, and no one has been more influential in that run than Dosunmu. He’s averaging 19.0 points and 5.4 assists over the last five games, and in a conference where winning road games is notoriously difficult, the Illini have won at Wisconsin, at Purdue and at Michigan during that stretch.

For the time being, Illini sits in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten regular season standings, a half-game in front of Michigan State; the Spartans play at Minnesota on Sunday afternoon.

So soak it in, Illini fans. This is what you have been waiting for, and this is why your school hired Brad Underwood. The list for National Coach of the Year is long, but there are not many that, as of now, should find themselves listed above Underwood. This team is not a fluke. Dosunmu and Trent Frazier are playing as well as any backcourt duo in the league, and the fact that every team in the Big Ten has a star big man on their roster means that there are not many teams that will be able to take advantage of the slow-footed Kofi Cockburn.

This team is fun.

At the same time, there are some real concerns that we can take away from Michigan. For starters, Isaiah Livers is clearly not back to 100 percent. He started and scored seven points on Saturday, but midway through the second half he landed awkwardly after being fouled on a dunk attempt and aggravated the injury. He left the game after making two free throws. He went back to the locker room at one point, and did not return to the game until there were 0.5 seconds left; he was the inbounder.

Without Livers, Michigan has an entirely different dynamic. He’s the perfect fit as a playmaking four. He can make threes, he’s the leading scorer in the program and he has the size and athleticism to guards threes or fours. It’s not a coincidence that Michigan is 1-4 in Big Ten play since he got injured.

The other part of it is that the Wolverines really should have won this game. They missed five free throws, including a front-end, with the score 62-60 in the final two minutes. Then, with 52 seconds left on the clock, Juwan Howard opted not to go two-for-one, and it allowed Illinois to have the final possession of the game. Those are critical errors that good teams cannot and will not make.

And on Saturday, it cost Michigan.