:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70431842/1237869911.0.jpg)
Update 6:10 p.m. Cockburn and Andre Curbelo will both be out for Tuesday’s game against Michigan State, according to Jeremy Werner of 247 Sports. This will be a big loss for Illinois and should make the Spartans heavy favorites in this contest.
Update 5:03 p.m. Still no word on Cockburn’s status less than two hours before tip-off. He remains a game time decision, so we should know more in warm-ups.
The No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini would move into a tie for first place in the Big Ten with a victory over the No. 10 Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday night, but they could be without big man Kofi Cockburn.
Cockburn played 22 minutes in last week’s double-overtime loss to the Purdue Boilermakers, and sat out of Friday night’s game against the Maryland Terrapins as he goes through concussion protocols.
Head coach Brad Underwood did not reveal Cockburn’s status on Monday, so news on his availability might not come out till right before game time on Tuesday night. Without Cockburn, Illinois struggled in the final minutes against Maryland their last time out as the Terrapins closed the game on an 11-0 run.
Cockburn missed four games this season with this injury and a three-game suspension to start the season, but he continues to put up monster numbers with 21.1 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.
Right now at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Illini are listed as a 4.5-point favorites. The line opened with Illini as a 6-point favorite. The total sits at 142.