NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - LOYOLA CHICAGO VS ILLINOIS

March 21, 2021

Ayo Dosunmu

Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Illinois Fighting Illini

Postgame Media Conference

Loyola Chicago 71, Illinois 58

Q. What did Loyola do defensively against you guys?

AYO DOSUNMU: They're a well-coached team. Credit to them. I just think we had a great game plan to really get after what we like to do, where we like to get the ball at, and I just think they did a good job there.

Q. Can you just describe the end of the game. You went right over to Andre Curbelo, you were giving high fives to people, what kind of message were you trying to send there even though I'm sure your feelings must have been disappointed?

AYO DOSUNMU: Oh, definitely. At the end of the day I'm disappointed in myself. I'm disappointed in the way I played. I don't think I played to my standards. I don't think I played nowhere near how I wanted to play to help my team win. I understand that, you know. Life comes with adversity. It's not what you do when it happens, it's what you do after it happens.

So I just tried to tell them, I told my team, keep your heads high. We didn't win. We wanted to win this game. We didn't get it done, but at the end of the day you've got to take your medicine. That's what I'm doing now, I'm taking my medicine. All the good that's been coming this season, we were at a high and we played well, even how we were feeling when we won the Big Ten championship. The Lord just had different plans for us now, and it's all about taking your medicine.

Q. How much do you feel like they took you out of even the adjustments you guys tried to make throughout the game?

AYO DOSUNMU: I just think we didn't get in a rhythm offensively. What did we shoot from the field? 22-for-49, yeah. I don't know. Yeah, I don't think we really got in a rhythm how we wanted to be, how we'd normally be. Like I said, credit to them. They had a great game plan. They executed the game plan well. Yeah, credit to them.

Q. Loyola doesn't allow teams to really get out in transition that much. How much did they hurt you guys with a lot of what you've been able to do offensively this year was pushing the tempo and getting out in transition?

AYO DOSUNMU: I mean, they're just solid. They're a solid basketball. They followed their coach's game plan, and they did a tremendous job at that. At the end of the day I think we still had good looks, we just couldn't throw a penny in the ocean. You know, it is what it is. I'm disappointed, definitely, but like I said, it's all about the response, what are you going to do after this, are you going to hold your head down or are you going to go to work? That's all you can do is get in the gym and work harder. I have a photogenic memory of the feeling I felt after the game, and just want to go in the gym, get better, keep praying, the sun is going to shine tomorrow. Just try to keep it positive.

When I go through times like this I try and think of the positives. It's easy to think about these last 40 minutes of how we didn't play how we wanted to play, but I try to focus on the hours, the millions of hours with my teammates, all the adversity we overcame, just the good part about it, the good side about it.

But they did a great job getting back in transition. They're just a well-coached team. Like I said, they followed their game plan.

Q. About the last five points of the first half, a couple of dunks from Cockburn and it seemed like you got a little bit of momentum there. What were you thinking at halftime and why were you not able to carry it over to the second half?

AYO DOSUNMU: I mean, we were just thinking to come out and win the game, and that's what we were thinking. We were just trying to get out and get stops, trying to keep the game close and try to win it.

Q. I know this is kind of a sour end to everything, but how do you hope this team and you are remembered here at Illinois?

AYO DOSUNMU: I'm hopefully remembered as the guy that really helped turn this program around. That's what it's all about. When I came here to Illinois, I came here to of course try to win a National Championship, but my main goal was to help get this program back on the map, help get this program back as one of the national powerhouses. We didn't get it done today, but at the end of the day this group of guys, there's no one on the team I want to go to war with. All season long, COVID protocols, able to play every game, not having any positive tests. I just think we sacrificed so much to get in this position, and I'm extremely proud of the guys, Coach Underwood.

I definitely felt like I let my team down today, but I can take it. I can take the criticism. I can take whatever my come, I can take it. I've been through it all. It's another bump in the road. Get back, get some rest, get back at it.

Q. What made it tough to get stops defensively? What were they doing on offense that really challenged you guys?

AYO DOSUNMU: I mean, they run a good offense. They run a lot of pin-downs, a lot of curls. They have a big man who can facilitate and uplift his teammates, so yeah.

Q. What was it like going up against your old buddy Lucas Williamson today?

AYO DOSUNMU: It was nice. It was nice going up against him.

Q. I know there's a lot probably going through your mind, but as you take off your jersey one last time, what kind of emotions was that like for you?

AYO DOSUNMU: It was definitely a hurtful feeling. With you I try to take -- I try to take the good with the bad. I definitely thought about how poorly I played today, but I try to think about all the work I put in, all the hours I put into the gym, all the last three years, the difference we made -- the difference I made as a player and the difference the whole program made. I try to just, you know, remember the good times.

At the same time I try to be in the moment, seize the moment. I always tell you I seize the moment when things are going well. I'm trying to seize the moment when things go bad, also. So I'm just soaking it all in, remembering this feeling. It's definitely not a feeling that I want to feel, but it's only going to make me stronger. That's the only way you can get better is having the ability to be able to take it, your medicine, when you don't perform how you want to perform.

Same how I feel about when I'm playing well and making game winners or hitting daggers, the same how I've got to take it now when I didn't play so well. It's all about taking it, getting better, trying to enjoy my teammates, keep talking to them, keep uplifting them because it's bigger than this one game. This one game doesn't define you at all. All the greats had to overcome adversity to get to where they were at. Michael Jordan lost to the Detroit Pistons in multiple years. Kobe Bryant, airball in playoff games. LeBron had to go through adversity. So all the greats had to go through adversity, so it was all about the next step, what you're going to do, and I'm just trying to keep my head high and just soak it all in.

Q. What are the thoughts running through your head right now?

AYO DOSUNMU: Thoughts? Right now I'm thinking about how it's over, definitely. I'm just -- it's a lot of things racing through my mind, but I'm really mainly thinking about all the work that we put in to get to this day. Now that it's over, I'm not sad. I'm looking at it as I'm enjoying all the good times we had. I'm trying to think about all the great times that we got together as a team, how we overcame adversity, all the tough practices we had. Not even this year but last year, also. I'm just thinking about my whole time at Illinois and how we overcame so much to get to where we're at today. You know, the score didn't show it, but I love my guys. I love this program. I love everything about it. So I'm just thinking about just trying to enjoy everything and trying to just remember the good times.

Q. We always see the side of Brad Underwood that pushes you guys and gets after you guys, and we saw maybe the other side a few minutes ago where he's feeling for this team. How much does that maybe mean to you and the team, just where you know the coaches kind of have your back in any instance?

AYO DOSUNMU: I mean, I always know Coach Underwood has my back. I definitely want to give a shoutout to Coach Underwood because no matter what, through the ups and downs, he's always been there for us. I definitely want to shout out to Coach Underwood. He knows I love him dearly. I know he loves us dearly.

We didn't get it done. We didn't play how we need to play to win a game, and now it's about taking our medicine, and I also want to thank -- shoutout all the media who covered me and covered this team for my last three years. It's been a great ride, a great journey. We didn't get it done. We definitely had bigger aspirations, winning a National Championship, trying to get to a Final Four, cut down some more nets, but God had other plans, but I definitely want to thank the media for being there with us, being there with me my whole journey. It's been a great time doing media with you guys. So just thank you guys for that.