Two Illinois stars declared out for Tuesday night contest against Michigan State

Illinois will be without two star players against Michigan State on Tuesday night, as star center Kofi Cockburn and guard Andre Curbelo have been ruled out, according to Jon Rothstein.

Cockburn leads No. 24 Illinois in several statistical categories through 14 games played; his 21.1 points per game makes him. the leading scorer, his 11.8 rebounds makes him the leading rebounder, and he’s also added 1.0 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Cockburn is shooting 58.9 percent from the field, as well as 67.6 percent from the free-throw stripe. Through his 14 games played, Cockburn has emerged as a legitimate candidate for both Big Ten Player of the Year and national player of the year.

Curbelo, a guard, is averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest. While Cockburn is still battling concussion protocols, Curbelo is out due to health and safety protocols.

Cockburn missed Illinois’ Friday night game against Maryland due to concussion protocols. Without Cockburn, Illinois — which entered the game 13-4 overall and 6-1 in conference play — did not look like its Big Ten-leading self. The Fighting Illini fell 81-65 to the Maryland Terrapins, a program that has fired its head coach and at the time of the Illinois game was just 9-9.

Earlier this week, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said that he was expecting Cockburn to play for Illinois, and he suggested that the 7-foot big man is a substantial task to gameplan for.

“It’s a tough prep,” Izzo said, via MLive. “Not sure if Kofi will play or not. I think he will.”

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood, on the other hand, did not give a definitive answer on Cockburn’s status as of Monday, leading to doubt that the star big would play.

“I coach the guys who show up,” Underwood said, per MLive. “When (medical staffers) tell me they can play, they can play.”

Illinois has been a legitimate Big Ten contender since the onset of the season, as the Fighting Illini hope to build upon their 2020-21 season; Cockburn contributed to a historic turnaround, as the previously dormant program went 14-7 overall and earned the No. 2 overall ranking in the final AP Poll. Illinois also managed to earn a No. 1 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, but the Fighting Illini lost in the second round.