Michigan faces another big issue in Illinois freshman Kofi Cockburn

Ann Arbor — There is no such thing as a night off for big men in the Big Ten.

From Maryland’s Jalen Smith and Minnesota’s Daniel Oturu to Ohio State’s Kaleb Wesson and Iowa’s Luka Garza, the conference is filled with talented post players at nearly every turn.

And that was before a new name had even burst onto the scene: Illinois freshman Kofi Cockburn.

“It’s another big body,” Michigan senior center Jon Teske said Tuesday. “In the Big Ten, you play against good centers every night. He’s another one. We’ve got to be ready for him. He’s a very big, physical big man down there and we’ve just got to hold our own.”

Heading into Wednesday night’s contest at Illinois, Cockburn (7 feet, 290 pounds) has made an immediate impact with the Fighting Illini and has produced quite the resume over the first month of the season.

He leads Illinois in scoring at 15.4 points per game and already has three 20-point outings under his belt.

He averages 10.7 rebounds per game, which is tops among all freshmen, and ranks No. 2 in the nation in offensive rebound percentage (20.1 percent).

He recorded five double-doubles through the first seven games, the third most by a freshman over the last 10 seasons behind Kentucky’s Julius Randle (seven in 2013-14) and LSU’s Ben Simmons (six in 2015-16).

He ranks in the top 30 in the nation in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.2) and field-goal percentage (61.6 percent).

Simply put, he’s the center of attention for an Illinois team that leads the nation in rebound margin (plus-15) and leads the Big Ten in scoring (83.9 points).

“He’s going to get his looks, he’s going to get his touches and he’s going to score points,” Teske said. “We’re not going to shut him out, but … we’ve got to limit what he does.”

It’s the latest test for Michigan’s interior defense one outing after Garza used an array of post moves, hook shots and mid-range jumpers to rack up an astounding 44 points in a losing effort last week.

While the Wolverines played Garza straight up most of the contest and focused on taking away Iowa’s outside shooting, they still had no answer for him down low.

Teske, sophomore center Colin Castleton and redshirt junior center Austin Davis were thrown at Garza, and all three struggled to stop him. Castleton took an errant elbow to the face that left him bloodied and requiring stitches in his lip, while Teske and Davis had trouble defending without fouling.

“I’ve got to stay out of that (early foul trouble) and try to be another big body down there and make them score over me,” Teske said.

“You can still be aggressive. You just can’t have some dumb, silly fouls. I know I had one in the first half against Garza where I poked at the ball. I’ve got to keep my hands away and not throw my body at them.”

Coach Juwan Howard was impressed by what he saw on film from Cockburn, who already has earned three Big Ten freshman of the week honors.

Yet, Howard added the Wolverines have been fortunate to face big men who are similar to Cockburn in Garza and North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, so Wednesday’s encounter won’t be anything new.

“Strong, tough, physical inside presence. Plays extremely hard. Very good on the low block,” Howard said of Cockburn. “Another thing that stands out, excellent offensive rebounding. Built a lot of toughness and his frame just breeds toughness all over him. We have to, of course, match his toughness and our guys are competitive. They're not afraid. They love competing against any big that steps on the floor.”

Cockburn just so happens to be another in what will be long line of them this conference season.

“Any time you’re playing in the Big Ten,” Teske said, “there’s a different challenge every night.”

Michigan at Illinois

► Tip-off: 9 p.m. Wednesday, State Farm Center, Champaign, Ill.

► TV/radio: BTN/950

► Records: No. 5 Michigan 8-1, 1-0 Big Ten; Illinois 6-3, 0-1

► Outlook: Michigan has won 14 of 16 in the series, including the last four meetings. … Illinois lost its last two games to Miami (Fla.) and Maryland by a combined three points. The Fighting Illini lead the country in rebounding margin (plus-15.7 per game) and are led by freshman center Kofi Cockburn (15.4 points, 10.7 rebounds).

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @jamesbhawkins