Former Illini Dain Dainja gets revenge on UConn

It was a pleasant site for Illini fans on Monday afternoon. After winning 17 straight games, including a 25-point drubbing of Illinois in the Elite Eight, the UConn Huskies have finally lost a game. The Memphis Tigers beat the Huskies 99-97 in an overtime thriller at the Maui Invitational. One of the key contributors for the Tigers was former Illini center, Dain Dainja, who just recently transferred to Memphis this past offseason. Dainja came off the bench and provided 14 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes. Through the four games prior, Dainja was averaging 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game.

Dainja will likely be the top frontcourt option for the Tigers alongside fifth-year center, Moussa Cisse.

Dain Dainja with the SLAM‼️

Dainja has 4 PTS and 3 REB as Memphis is tied with #2 UConn, 24-24 with 7:36 left in the first half. pic.twitter.com/gyttz3myLR

— Hitmen Hoops (@HitmenHoops) November 25, 2024

A wise move for both sides.

So far, the former Illini big man is certainly in a larger role at Memphis.  Despite playing a key role in the run to the Elite Eight, Dainja was contributing 15-20 minutes at most. He also did not necessarily fit the perimeter-oriented, three-point-heavy Illini offense that Brad Underwood seems to want to run. In all, Dainja provided two quality years as an Illini. His move to Memphis made complete sense and he is now contributing at a high level. As someone who played in that game vs UConn as an Illini, it was definitely nice for Dainja to get some revenge this year.

Lol Dain Dainja almost fought someone vs UCONN today. (He also had a really good game; 14 pts, 5 rebounds in a win) pic.twitter.com/3NVb4pwWtH

— Armchair Illinois (@ArmchairIllini) November 26, 2024

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