CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As the NCAA Tournament approaches, award season is also heating up in college basketball. Illinois still has its sights set on bigger team goals, but it got some nice individual news on Monday.
The Big Ten named Illinois center Kofi Cockburn the conference's Freshman of the Year and named guard Ayo Dosunmu to the First-Team All-Big Ten.
Cockburn is averaging 13.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on the season. Cockburn is the fourth Illinois player to win the conference's Freshman of the Year Award, and the first to do it since 2010.
Dosunmu was named to the First-Team All-Big Ten by the media after averaging 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Dosunmu is the first Illini to be named First-Team All-Big Ten since Demetri McCamey in 2010.
Cockburn and Dosunmu have helped lead Illinois to a 21-10 regular season record and fourth place finish in the Big Ten.
