No. 4 Illinois handed No. 2 Michigan only its second loss of the season Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. The Illini improved their record to 19-6 overall, 15-4 in Big Ten play, and claimed arguably the best road win in program history.
With All-American Ayo Dosunmu on the bench, the Illini opened Tuesday’s night game as the 8.5-point underdog. After a slow start by both offenses, Curbelo sparked the Illini scoring with an 8-0 run as soon as he touched the floor. Michigan battled bringing the lead under five multiple times, but the Illini were too hot and took a 33-22 lead into the break.