2017-18 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL Game #5 // Illinois (4-0) vs. Augustana Ill. (3-0) Nov. 22, 2017 // 6 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center (15,544) Internet Stream: BTN Plus (stream to air State Farm Center videoboard feed with audio from Fighting Illini Sports Network radio feed) Radio: Fighting Illini Sports Network Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas (Analyst) ILLINOIS 2017-18 SCHEDULE & RESULTS Date Opponent time/result TV/Streak November (4-0) 10 SOUTHERN [1] W, 102-55 W-1 12 TENNESSEE-MARTIN [1] W, 77-74 W-2 17 DEPAUL [2] W, 82-73 W-3 19 MARSHALL [1] W, 91-74 W-4 22 AUGUSTANA (ILL.) 6 p.m. BTN Plus 24 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL [1] 6:30 p.m. BTN Plus 28 at Wake Forest [3] 8 p.m. ESPNU December (0-0) 1 at Northwestern [4] 8 p.m. BTN 3 MARYLAND 7 p.m. BTN 6 AUSTIN PEAY 7 p.m. BTN 9 at UNLV [5] 11 p.m. ESPN2 13 LONGWOOD 7 p.m. BTN 16 vs. New Mexico State [6] 7 p.m. BTN 23 vs. Missouri [7] 7 p.m. ESPN2 30 GRAND CANYON 3 p.m. BTN Plus January (0-0) 3 at Minnesota 8 p.m. BTN 6 at Michigan 11 a.m. BTN 11 IOWA 7 p.m. FS1 15 at Nebraska 8 p.m. BTN 19 at Wisconsin 8 p.m. FS1 22 MICHIGAN STATE 8 p.m. FS1 24 INDIANA 8 p.m. BTN 30 RUTGERS 6 p.m. BTN February (0-0) 4 at Ohio State 11 a.m. FS1 8 WISCONSIN 8 p.m. BTN 11 PENN STATE 6 p.m. BTN 14 at Indiana 7:30 p.m. BTN 18 NEBRASKA 2:30 p.m. BTN 20 at Michigan State 6 p.m. ESPN/2 22 PURDUE 6 p.m. FS1 25 at Rutgers 2 p.m. BTN F28-M4 at Big Ten Tournament [8] All Times Listed are Central BOLD CAPS - State Farm Center; Champaign, Ill. [1] Global Sports Invitational [2] Gavitt Tipoff Games [3] Big Ten/ACC Challenge [4] Allstate Arena; Rosemont, Ill. [5] MGM Grand Garden Arena [6] Dynegy Shootout United Center; Chicago [7] Bud Light Braggin Rights Scottrade Center; St. Louis [8] Madison Square Garden; New York ILLINOIS ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION Address: 1700 S. Fourth St., Champaign, IL 61820 Office: 217-333-1391 Basketball SID: Derrick Burson Email: burson@illinois.edu Office: 217-333-0933 // Cell: 217-766-7315 Twitter: @IlliniMBB Website: FightingIllini.com PROBABLE STARTERS (FROM THE LAST GAME) Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Other G 3 Te Jon Lucas 6-1 180 So. 4.8 1.8 3.0 1.5 SPG G 13 Mark Smith 6-4 225 Fr. 14.0 2.3 2.0 100% FT G 24 Mark Alstork 6-5 190 Gr. 6.3 5.3 2.5 2.5 OREB/G F 12 Leron Black 6-7 230 r-jr. 15.5 6.0 3.0 58.1% FG F 43 Michael Finke 6-10 235 r-jr. 11.5 5.0 2.3 56.3% FG OFF THE BENCH Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Other G 1 Trent Frazier 6-1 170 Fr. 7.3 1.5 1.5 45.5% FG F 2 Kipper Nichols 6-6 225 r-so. 12.8 4.8 0.8 37.5% 3FG F 4 Matic Vesel 6-10 215 Fr. 0.0 1.0 0.0 10 MIN G 10 Drew Cayce 6-1 175 r-so. 1.0 0.5 0.0 2-2 FT F 11 Greg Eboigbodin 6-9 225 Fr. 0.3 1.3 0.3 2 BLK G 20 Da Monte Williams 6-3 190 Fr. 4.5 3.5 1.0 5 OFF REB G 23 Aaron Jordan 6-5 210 Jr. 10.8 5.3 0.5 50% 3FG G 35 Samson Oladimeji 6-4 200 So. 0.0 0.0 0.0 1 STL F 45 Cameron Liss 6-6 220 r-jr. 0.0 0.0 0.0 1 STL OUT Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG G 32 Tyler Underwood # 6-1 165 r-so. 0.6 0.2 0.1 G 41 Clayton Jones @ 6-0 170 r-sr. 0.4 0.0 0.0 # Sitting out per NCAA transfer rules; 2016-17 stats at Oklahoma State listed @ Recovering from torn ACL; 2016-17 stats listed HEAD COACH BRAD UNDERWOOD Career Record: At Illinois: 113-27/.807 (5th year) 4-0 (1st year) SERIES NOTES VS. AUGUSTANA (ILL.) Record: Illinois leads 2-0 Streak: Illinois W-2 Record at Champaign: First meeting Streak at Champaign: N/A Last Meeting: Illinois 43, Augustana 27 // Dec. 11, 1937 at Rock Island, Ill. Underwood vs. Augustana: First meeting Opening Tips Wednesday s match-up with Augustana marks the third of four games in an eight-day stretch for the Illini. Illinois is looking to start 5-0 for the first time since winning its first six games of the 2014-15 season. Augustana advanced to the Div. III national championship game last season. Augustana head coach Grey Giovanine previously served at Lamar, where he coached current Fighting Illini assistant Ron Coleman. The Illini have been balanced on offense, with five players owning a scoring average in double figures. The Illini rotation currently has nine players averaging more than 17 minutes per game. All five UI starters are averaging at least two assists. Illinois 96 made throws ranks first in the nation among teams with four games played. Illinois 126 free throw attempts, meanwhile, is seventh-most in the NCAA among teams with four games. The Illini have grabbed at least 11 offensive rebounds in all four contests, averaging 15.3 per game. Illinois is averaging 28.0 points per game off of turnovers.
2017-18 ILLINOIS NUMERICAL ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown Notable 1 Trent Frazier G 6-1 170 Fr. Wellington, Fla. Florida Association of Basketball Coaches 2017 Class 9A Player of the Year 2 Kipper Nichols F 6-6 225 r-so. Cleveland, Ohio Averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds as a freshman in Big Ten play 3 Te Jon Lucas G 6-1 180 So. Milwaukee, Wis. Led Illini in assists as a freshman, averaging 3.1 apg 4 Matic Vesel F 6-10 215 Fr. Ljubljana, Slovenia Member of Slovenian National U20 Team 10 Drew Cayce G 6-1 175 r-so. Libertyville, Ill. Walkon sat out last year after transferring from Creighton. 11 Greg Eboigbodin F 6-9 225 Fr. Benin City, Nigeria Second-team Class A all-state by Detroit News 12 Leron Black F 6-7 230 r-jr. Memphis, Tenn. Illini s leading returning scorer (8.1 ppg) and rebounder (6.3 rpg) 13 Mark Smith G 6-4 225 Fr. Edwardsville, Ill. 2017 Illinois Mr. Basketball and Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year 20 Da Monte Williams G 6-3 190 Fr. Peoria, Ill. Son of former Illini point guard Frank Williams 23 Aaron Jordan G 6-5 210 Jr. Plainfield, Ill. Played in 24 games last season as a sophomore 24 Mark Alstork G 6-5 190 Gr. Dayton, Ohio Grad transfer averaged 19.0 ppg last year at Wright State 32 Tyler Underwood G 6-2 180 r-so. Champaign, Ill. Walkon sitting out this season as a transfer 35 Samson Oladimeji G 6-4 200 So. Rolling Meadows, Ill. Walkon appeared in seven games last season 41 Clayton Jones G 6-0 190 r-sr. Champaign, Ill. Walkon will miss season recovering from torn ACL 43 Michael Finke F 6-10 235 r-jr. Champaign, Ill. Averaged 6.9 points and led Illini in 3-point shooting at 41.1 percent 45 Cameron Liss F 6-6 220 r-jr. Northbrook, Ill. Walkon redshirted last season Head Coach: Brad Underwood (1st year at Illinois, 5th year overall) Assistant Coaches: Orlando Antigua (1st year), Ron Coleman (1st year), Jamall Walker (6th year) Assistant to the Head Coach: Geoff Alexander (1st year) Director of Operations: Joey Biggs (1st year) Pronunciation Video Coordinator: Patrick Schulte (1st year) LERON Black Graduate Manager: Grant Bale (1st year) Drew CAYCE Strength and Conditioning Coach: Adam Fletcher (3rd year) Greg EBOIGBODIN Athletic Trainer: Paul Schmidt (6th year) Michael FINKE le-ron KAY-see ee-boyg-bo-deen FEEN-kee Pronunciation TE JON Lucas TEE-zhahn Samson OLADIMEJI ho-lah-di-may-jee MATIC VESEL mah-teets vuh-seal DA MONTE Williams da-mon-tay RETURNING FOR THE ILLINI IN 2017-18 Category 16-17 Returning Lost Return Pct. Minutes 7,025 2,374 4,651 33.8% Points 2,508 752 1,756 30.0% Field Goals 898 279 619 31.1% 3-Pt. FGs 270 79 191 29.3% Free Throws 442 115 327 26.0% Rebounds 1,135 479 656 42.2% Assists 472 136 336 28.8% Blocks 83 17 66 20.5% Steals 197 71 126 36.0% RETURNING ILLINI LEADERS Category Player Statistic 16-17 Rank Minutes Te Jon Lucas 842 5th Points Leron Black 252 5th Points/Game Leron Black 8.1 4th Field Goals Leron Black 101 4th FG Pct. Michael Finke.483 3rd 3-Pt. FGs Michael Finke 37 4th 3-Pt. FG Pct. Michael Finke.411 1st Free Throws Te Jon Lucas 42 3rd FT Pct. Leron Black.722 3rd Off. Reb. Leron Black 55 2nd Def. Reb. Leron Black 141 2nd Tot. Reb. Leron Black 196 1st Reb./Game Leron Black 6.3 1st Assists Te Jon Lucas 95 2nd Blocks Kipper Nichols 7 4th Steals Te Jon Lucas 32 3rd Illini Nationally Through Four Games (via Kenpom) The UI defense ranks 29th in turnover rate, forcing turnovers on 24.8 percent of opponent possessions The Illini have grabbed 39.4 percent of their own misses, ranking 24th in offensive rebound percentage 27.3 percent of Illinois points have been scored at the free throw line, which ranks 19th The Illini rank 30th in free throw rate (48.8) Illinois stands 63rd in free throw shooting at 76.2 percent Illinois ranks 70th in defensive efficiency and 66th in effective field goal percentage defense Notes from the Marshall Game Illinois committed only six turnovers, outscoring Marshall 32-6 in points off turnovers. It was the UI s fewest turnovers in a game since recording three at Purdue last season (Jan. 17, 2017). For the second time in four games this season, the Illini had five players score in double figures (17-Black, & Nichols, 13-Finke & Smith, 10-Frazier). Illinois shot a season s best 46.7 percent behind the arc, draining a season-high seven treys in 15 attempts. The Illini recorded a season-high 19 assists on its 34 baskets. Illinois held Marshall to 74 points after The Herd had averaged 92.5 points entering the game. Illinois outrebounded Marshall, 45-39, with its 45 rebounds marking a season high. Illinois bench outscored Marshall s, 42-10. Sophomore Kipper Nichols recorded his first career double-double, setting career highs in both scoring and rebounding with 17 points and 11 boards. Junior Leron Black scored in double figures for the third time on season, tying Nichols for the team-lead with 17 points. Black was one rebound away from his first double-double of the season. Freshman Mark Smith tallied double digits for the third straight game, finishing with 13 points. Junior Michael Finke reached double figures for the third time on the season, netting a season-high 13 points while hitting 3-of-4 from 3-point land. Freshman Trent Frazier had 10 points, the first double-digit scoring game of his career. Smith Going Streaking Illini rookie Mark Smith is now a perfect 20-for-20 at the free throw line to start his career. He is the first freshman in the nation over the last six seasons to make at least 20 free throws while shooting 100 percent in his first four games. The last time it happened was in 2011-12 when Trey Freeman (Campbell) went 28-28. 2 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
ILLINI RECORD UNDER BRAD UNDERWOOD Plays at home 4-0 Plays on the road 0-0 Plays at neutral site 0-0 Plays at United Center 0-0 Big Ten record 0-0 Big Ten at home 0-0 Big Ten on the road 0-0 When Ranked (AP) 0-0 Plays a ranked (AP) opponent 0-0 Plays a Top-10 (AP) opponent 0-0 Wins the game before 3-0 Loses the game before 0-0 Leading at the half 4-0 Tied at the half 0-0 Trailing at the half 0-0 Shoots 45% or better 1-0 Shoots less than 45% 3-0 Opp. shoots less than 45% 4-0 Opp. shoots 45% or better 0-0 Shoots better/same than opp. 4-0 Shoots worse than opp. 0-0 Shoots more/same FT than opp. 4-0 Shoots fewer FT than opp. 0-0 Makes more/same FT than opp. 4-0 Makes fewer FT than opp. 0-0 Grabs more/same rebounds than opp. 4-0 Shoots fewer rebounds than opp. 0-0 Scores more/same bench points than opp. 3-0 Scores fewer bench points than opp. 1-0 Has fewer/equal turnovers than opp. 3-0 Has more turnovers than opp. 1-0 Scores 70 or more points 4-0 Has 15+ assists 3-0 Has a 20+ point scorer 2-0 Wears white uniforms 1-0 Wears orange uniforms 2-0 Wears blue uniforms 0-0 Wears gray uniforms 0-0 Wears throwback uniforms 1-0 Regular-season tournaments 3-0 NCAA Tournament 0-0 Big Ten Tournament 0-0 In November 4-0 In December 0-0 In January 0-0 In February 0-0 In March 0-0 Plays during the day 1-0 Plays at night (5 pm or after start) 3-0 Overtime 0-0 Margin is 5 points or less 1-0 Margin is 6-10 points 1-0 Margin is 11-20 points 1-0 Margin is more than 20 1-0 Scores 59 points or less 0-0 Scores 60-69 points 0-0 Scores 70-79 points 1-0 Scores 80-89 points 1-0 Scores 90-99 points 1-0 Scores 100+ points 1-0 On ESPN 0-0 On ESPN2 0-0 On BTN 1-0 On FS1 0-0 On ESPNU 1-0 On BTN Plus 2-0 Smith still has work to do, though, to challenge for a spot in the Illini record books for consecutive made free throws: 1. 39 Kiwane Garris, 2/1-2/22/1995 2. 32 Brian Cook, 12/14/2002-1/4/2003 32 Andy Kaufmann, 1/28-2/16/1991 32 Rob Judson, 2/3/1979-1/26/1980 5. 30 Efrem Winters, 12/7/1984-1/19/1985 Black s Big Start Forward Leron Black has had a great start to his junior campaign, opening with 14 points, six rebounds and a career-high four assists in just 15 minutes of action vs. Southern, followed by a career-high 23 points with eight rebounds and three assists vs. UT Martin. After foul trouble against DePaul limited to just 17 minutes (eight points), Black was back in double figures vs. Marshall, tying for the team lead with 17 points. Black currently leads the Illini and ranks 14th in the Big Ten in scoring at 15.5 points per game. That is nearly double his scoring average of 8.1 ppg last season. Black s assist numbers have been even more impressive, as he currently is tied for the team leads in that category at 3.0 apg. After not tallying more than two assists during the first 71 games of his career, he has opened the season with assist totals of 4-3-3-2. Through four games, Black s 12 assists are just one shy of his total of 13 assists set in 31 games last season. Ticket Information Tickets are available for every Fighting Illini men s basketball home game. Season and single-game tickets can be purchased online at FIGHTINGILLINI.com or by phone at 1-866-ILLINI- 1. Tickets for the Dynegy Shootout vs. New Mexico State (Dec. 16, United Center, Chicago) are available online at both TicketMaster.com and FIGHTINGILLINI.com while tickets for Bud Light Braggin Rights vs. Missouri (Dec. 23, Scottrade Center, St. Louis) are available online at FIGHTINGILLINI.com. TOP 25 NATIONAL RANKINGS ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL (NOV. 20) Rk. School Record Points Previous 1. Duke (54) 4-0 1,613 1 2. Arizona (11) 3-0 1,527 3 3. Kansas 3-0 1,504 4 4. Michigan State 2-1 1,390 2 5. Villanova 3-0 1,345 5 6. Wichita State 2-0 1,321 6 7. Florida 3-0 1,117 8 8. Kentucky 3-1 1,104 7 9. North Carolina 2-0 1,079 9 10 USC 3-0 1,055 10 11. Miami 3-0 918 11 12. Cincinnati 3-0 893 12 13. Notre Dame 3-0 857 13 14. Minnesota 4-0 754 14 15. Xavier 3-0 750 15 16. Texas A&M 2-0 618 16 17. Gonzaga 3-0 540 17 18. Purdue 4-0 527 19 19. Louisville 2-0 466 18 20. Seton Hall 4-0 370 22 21. Saint Mary s 4-0 344 21 22. Baylor 3-0 206 25 T23. West Virginia 2-1 191 24 T23. UCLA 3-0 191 23 25 Alabama 3-0 133 - USA TODAY COACHES POLL (NOV. 20) Rk. School Record Points Previous 1. Duke (29) 4-0 793 1 2. Kansas (2) 3-0 746 3 3. Villanova (1) 3-0 678 6 4. Arizona 3-0 677 5 5. Michigan State 2-1 670 2 6. Wichita State 2-0 616 8 7. Florida 3-0 583 7 8. Kentucky 3-1 559 4 9. North Carolina 2-0 532 9 10 USC 3-0 428 11 11. Miami 3-0 420 12 12. Notre Dame 3-0 406 14 13. Cincinnati 3-0 403 13 14. Xavier 3-0 363 17 15. Minnesota 4-0 343 15 16. Purdue 4-0 305 21 17. Gonzaga 3-0 280 19 18. Louisville 2-0 224 16 19. Texas A&M 2-0 193-20. West Virginia 2-1 190 10 21. Saint Mary s 4-0 185 22 22. Seton Hall 4-0 137 23 23. UCLA 3-0 136 18 24. Baylor 3-0 113 24 25. Virginia 4-0 77 - ILLINI WEEK-BY-WEEK RANKINGS AP Coaches Preseason - - Jan. 15 Nov. 13 - - Jan. 22 Nov. 20 - - Jan. 29 Nov. 27 Feb. 5 Dec. 4 Feb. 12 Dec. 11 Feb. 19 Dec. 18 Feb. 26 Dec. 25 March 5 Jan. 1 March 12 Jan. 8 Final AP Coaches 3 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
ILLINOIS CAREER TOTALS 2017-18 Career Double-Digit Scoring Games Michael Finke 3 24 Leron Black 3 23 Kipper Nichols 3 5 Te Jon Lucas 0 5 Aaron Jordan 2 4 Mark Smith 3 3 Mark Alstork 1 1 Trent Frazier 1 1 20+ Point Games Leron Black 1 2 Mark Smith 1 1 Michael Finke 0 1 10+ Rebound Games Leron Black 0 6 Michael Finke 0 2 Mark Alstork 1 1 Kipper Nichols 1 1 Double-Doubles Leron Black 0 4 Mark Alstork 1 1 Kipper Nichols 1 1 Michael Finke 0 1 5+ 3-Point FG Games Michael Finke 0 1 3+ Block Games Michael Finke 1 1 Kipper Nichols 0 1 3+ Steal Games Te Jon Lucas 1 2 Da Monte Williams 1 1 Leron Black 0 1 Michael Finke 0 1 Starts Leron Black 4 43 Michael Finke 4 28 Te Jon Lucas 4 19 Aaron Jordan 0 8 Mark Alstork 4 4 Mark Smith 4 4 Kipper Nichols 0 1 Leads Team in Scoring Michael Finke 0 6 Leron Black 2 4 Kipper Nichols 1 2 Mark Alstork 1 1 Aaron Jordan 1 1 Mark Smith 1 1 Leads Team in Rebounding Leron Black 1 22 Michael Finke 0 9 Kipper Nichols 1 3 Mark Alstork 1 1 Aaron Jordan 1 1 Te Jon Lucas 0 1 Jordan Breaks Out Junior Aaron Jordan has been a break-out contributor for the Orange and Blue. He has already exceeded his point total from all of last season, recording 43 points through four games after finishing his sophomore campaign with 23 points. Jordan erupted with a career-high 17 in the opener vs. Southern, then was in double figures again with 10 points vs. UT Martin. He had seven points with a career- and game-high nine rebounds vs. DePaul and most recently had nine points and five boards vs. Marshall Jordan is averaging 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds and has played aggressive, owning 17 free-throw attempts through four games compared to six attempts from the stripe last season. Smith Can Score Freshman Mark Smith has jumped straight in to the Illini lineup and provided a scoring punch, ranking second on the team at 14.0 points per game. After opening his career with nine points, he has scored at least 13 in each of the last three games. Double-figure scoring streaks have been rare by Illini freshmen in recent years. The last UI rookie to score four straight in double figures was Kendrick Nunn in 2014, while the last Illini freshman to net five straight in double digits was Brian Cook in 2000. Notes from the DePaul Game The Gavitt Games series between the Big Ten and Big East conferences allowed for the first Illinois-DePaul match-up in 60 years, with the Illini earning an 82-73 victory at State Farm Center. Illinois grabbed 19 offensive rebounds against the Demons, converting those in to 22 second-chance points. It marked the UI s highest total since corralling 25 offensive boards at No. 4 Wisconsin on Jan. 8, 2014. A total of 59 fouls were called, 32 on DePaul and 27 on Illinois. That is the most in an Illini game since the 2001 NCAA Elite Eight vs. Arizona also had a combined 59 fouls (36 Illinois, 23 Arizona). Freshman Mark Smith recorded his first 20-point game in just his third outing, scoring a game-high 21 points in 23 minutes. Smith shot 4-of-10 from the field and was aggressive throughout the night, resulting in perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Smith s 21-point performance was the most by an Illini freshman since Jalen Coleman-Lands scored 26 in a triple-overtime at Rutgers (Feb. 3, 2016). Sophomore Kipper Nichols had 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Junior Aaron Jordan continued his strong play with seven points, a career- and game-high nine rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes. Jordan made one of the biggest shots of the game after DePaul had cut the UI lead to five, draining a 3-pointer from the wing with 4:53 left to put the Illini up by eight. Junior Michael Finke had a solid all-around performance, finishing with nine points, five boards (three offensive), three assists and a career-high three blocked shots. Freshman Da Monte Williams had eight points and was big on the glass, totaling five rebounds including a game-high four on the offensive end. Notes from the UT Martin Game Illinois led for 35:59. The Illini broke open a close 2017-18 BIG TEN STANDINGS (THROUGH NOV. 20) Big Ten Overall Maryland 0-0 5-0 Penn State 0-0 5-0 Illinois 0-0 4-0 Minnesota 0-0 4-0 Ohio State 0-0 4-0 Purdue 0-0 4-0 Rutgers 0-0 4-0 Iowa 0-0 3-1 Michigan 0-0 3-1 Nebraska 0-0 3-1 Michigan State 0-0 2-1 Northwestern 0-0 3-2 Indiana 0-0 2-2 Wisconsin 0-0 2-2 CURRENT ILLINOIS STREAKS All Games At State Farm Center On the Road At Neutral Sites Big Ten Big Ten (Home) Big Ten (Road) vs. Ranked Opponents vs. Ranked Opponents (Home) vs. Ranked Opponents (Road) vs. Ranked Opponents (Neutral) vs. Ranked Big Ten Opponents vs. Ranked Big Ten Opponents (Home) vs. Ranked Big Ten Opponents (Road) Non-Conference (Home) Non-Conference (Road) Non-Conference (Neutral) 4 W 8 W 2 L 1 L 1 L 2 W 1 L 6 L 3 L 8 L 3 L 4 L 3 L 7 L 9 W 4 L 1 W 4 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
game by outscoring the Skyhawks 19-7 over the final 5:25 of the first half to take a 15-point lead into halftime. After UT Martin closed to within four midway through the second half, the Illini pushed the lead back to as many as 16 points with under four minutes remaining and still led by 11 with 1:53 left before the visitors late rally led to the UI s final victory margin of three. Illinois recorded 17 assists for the second consecutive game. Four Illini scored in double figures, led by Leron Black s career-high 23 points. His previous high was 21 set last year vs. Central Michigan (Dec. 10, 2016). Freshman Mark Smith registered double figures for the first time as an Illini, finishing with 13 points. Junior Aaron Jordan posted double digits in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, netting 10 against UT Martin after opening the season with a career-high 17 vs. Southern. Notes from the Southern Game Illinois rolled past Southern, 102-55, in the debut for coach Brad Underwood. The 47-point margin of victory was the largest in the modern era by an Illini coach in his debut. Illinois improved to 99-14 all-time in season openers, 33-2 all-time when starting the season at State Farm Center, and extended its active streak to 21 straight season-opening wins at SFC. With 102 points, Illinois reached the century mark - for the first time since last season s 112-65 win over McKendree (Nov. 15, 2016). - against a Div. I opponent for the first time since a 107-66 win over Austin Peay on Nov. 21, 2014. - in a season opener for the first time since a 103-84 win over American-Puerto Rico on Nov. 23, 1990. Illinois recorded 102 points despite making just four 3-pointers. The Illini did so by racking up points at the free throw line and in the paint. Illinois made 66.7 percent of its 2-pointers, hitting 28-of-42 from inside the arc. Illinois shot 91.9 percent at the line, connecting on 34-of-37 free throws. It marked the first time the Illini shot better than 90 percent from the stripe with at least 20 makes since the 2012 Maui Invite title game when the UI shot 95.2 percent (20-21). Illinois 34 made free throws were its most in a game since draining 37 against Arkansas on Dec. 8, 2001. Illinois forced 22 Southern turnovers, converting those extra possessions into 33 points. It was the Illini s 2017-18 FIGHTING ILLINI STARTING LINE-UPS Game G G G F F Record* Southern Lucas Smith Alstork Black Finke 1-0 UT Martin Lucas Smith Alstork Black Finke 2-0 DePaul Lucas Smith Alstork Black Finke 3-0 Marshall Lucas Smith Alstork Black Finke 4-0 Augustana (Ill.) N.C. Central at Wake Forest at Northwestern at Maryland Austin Peay at UNLV Longwood vs. N.M. State vs. Missouri Grand Canyon at Minnesota at Michigan Iowa at Nebraska at Wisconsin Michigan State Indiana Rutgers at Ohio State Wisconsin Penn State at Indiana Nebraska at Michigan State Purdue at Rutgers at Big Ten Tourn. * - Running total of Illinois overall record when this line-up is starting THIS WEEK IN THE BIG TEN (ALL TIMES CT) Monday, Nov. 20 Louisiana def. Iowa, 80-71 Maryland def. Jackson State, 76-45 Penn State def. Pittsburgh, 85-54 Baylor def. Wisconsin, 70-65 LSU def. Michigan, 77-75 Tuesday, Nov. 21 Iowa vs. South Dakota State // 11 a.m. Penn St. vs. Texas A&M // 5 p.m., ESPN2 Wisconsin vs. UCLA // 6:30 p.m., ESPN3 Bryant at Rutgers // 6 p.m., BTN Plus Michigan vs. Chaminade // 7 p.m., ESPN2 Alabama A&M at Minnesota // 7 p.m., BTN Wednesday, Nov. 22 Purdue vs. Tennessee // Noon, ESPN2 Arkansas State at Indiana // 6 p.m., BTN Augustana (Ill.) at Illinois // 6 p.m., BTN Plus Iowa vs. TBD // TBD Michigan vs. TBD // TBD Thursday, Nov. 23 Nebraska vs. UCF // 5 p.m., ESPN3 Michigan State vs. DePaul // 10:30 p.m., ESPN Ohio State vs. Gonzaga // 11 p.m., ESPN2 Purdue vs. Villanova/Western Kentucky // TBD Friday, Nov. 24 Minnesota vs. Massachusetts // 11 a.m. East Carolina at Rutgers // Noon, BTN Plus Oral Roberts at Penn State // 2 p.m., BTN Plus Eastern Michigan at Indiana // 3:30 p.m., BTN Nebraska vs. West Virginia/Marist // 4/6:30 p.m. North Carolina Central at Illinois // 6:30 p.m., BTN Plus Sacred Heart at Northwestern // 7:30 p.m., BTN Plus Milwaukee at Wisconsin // 8 p.m., BTN Maryland vs. St. Bonaventure // 8:30 p.m., CBSSN Michigan State vs. Connecticut/Oregon // TBD Ohio State vs. Florida/Stanford // TBD Purdue vs. TBD // TBD Saturday, Nov. 25 Maryland vs. New Mexico/TCU // 3/6 p.m., CBSSN Minnesota vs. Alabama // 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26 UC Riverside at Michigan // 3 p.m., FS1 Michigan State vs. TBD // TBD Nebraska vs. TBD // TBD Ohio State vs. TBD // TBD 5 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
ILLINOIS IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS (ALL GAMES THROUGH NOV. 20) Scoring Offense 4th 88.0 ppg Scoring Defense 9th 69.0 ppg Scoring Margin 6th +19.0 ppg Free Throw Percentage 1st.762 Field Goal Percentage 11th.453 Field Goal Percentage Defense 8th.401 3-Pt FG Percentage 13th.275 3-Pt FG Percentage Defense 5th.325 Rebounding Offense 10th 40.3 rpg Rebounding Defense 11th 33.5 rpg Rebounding Margin 9th +6.8 rpg Blocked Shots 12th 2.8 bpg Assists 5th 16.8 apg Steals 6th 6.8 spg Turnover Margin 3rd +6.3 Assist/Turnover Ratio 6th 1.3 Offensive Rebounds 2nd 15.3 rpg Defensive Rebounds 11th 25.0 rpg Defensive Rebound Percentage 9th.714 Offensive Rebound Percentage 4th.394 3-Point Field Goals 13th 5.5 avg. ILLINI PLAYERS IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS (ALL GAMES THROUGH NOV. 20) Scoring 14. Leron Black 15.5 ppg 18. Mark Smith 14.0 ppg 27. Kipper Nichols 12.8 ppg Rebounding N/A Field Goal Percentage N/A 3-Point Field Goal Percentage 6. Aaron Jordan.500 (7-14) Free Throw Percentage 1. Mark Smith 1.000 (20-20) 10. Leron Black.857 (12-14) Assists N/A Steals 9. Te Jon Lucas 1.5 spg 15. Aaron Jordan 1.3 spg 3-Point Field Goals 15. Aaron Jordan 1.8 avg. Blocked Shots N/A Assist/Turnover Ratio N/A Offensive Rebounds 9. Mark Alstork 2.5 rpg 13. Leron Black 2.3 rpg 13. Michael Finke 2.3 rpg Defensive Rebounds N/A Minutes N/A most points off turnovers in a game since also tallying 33 against Gonzaga on Jan. 2, 2010. Five Illini players scored in double figures and all 14 players who dressed entered the game. 10 players logged double-digit minutes and no player saw more than 26 minutes of action. Graduate transfer Mark Alstork registered a double-double in his Illini debut, scoring 17 points which tied for the team lead while grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Alstork also had four assists, one of five Illini to record multiple assists on the night. Junior Aaron Jordan set a career-high with 17 points in 18 minutes. His previous career best was 14 points against North Florida in the first game of his college career (Nov. 13, 2015). Junior Leron Black was efficient, netting 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Black also set a career high with four assists in just 15 minutes of play. It doubled his previous career best of two assists, set four different times. Sophomore Kipper Nichols had 14 points in just 16 minutes. Seven players made their Illini debut Alstork, true freshmen Mark Smith (nine points), Trent Frazier (seven points, three assists), Da Monte Williams (two points), Greg Eboigbodin (three rebounds, two blocks), and Matic Vesel (two rebounds) and sophomore walkon Drew Cayce (two points). Underwood Era Underway First-year head coach Brad Underwood is ushering in a new era of Fighting Illini Basketball. Underwood was hired in March after leading Oklahoma State to a 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance. That followed a dominant run at Stephen F. Austin where he led the Lumberjacks to Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles in each of his three seasons, compiling an 89-14 record and leading to three straight NCAA Tournament bids. Owning the third-most victories in NCAA history by a head coach through his first four years (109), Underwood is now employing his exciting systems of uptempo and positionless spread offense with pressure and deny defense in Champaign. Illini Sign Five-Star Point Guard The Fighting Illini inked five-star point guard Ayo Dosunmu (EYE-oh dough-sue-moo) of Chicago Morgan Park High School to a national letter of intent during the fall signing period. Dosunmu had a dominating junior season for the Mustangs, averaging 22 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and two steals. The first-team all-state selection led Morgan Park to the IHSA state championship in class 3A, despite an injury in the semifinals that kept him out of the title game. He also helped Morgan Park to the Public League Red South title. Dosunmu shined during the summer as well, excelling at the NBPA Top 100 camp and Nike Basketball Academy and on the AAU circuit with the Mac Irvin Fire. We feel we are getting the best point guard in the country in Ayo Dosunmu, coach Brad Underwood said. He possesses a number of traits that have elevated him to elite status. He is a proven winner, a great competitor, comes from a tremendous family, is a high-character young man, and has outstanding work ethic. Along with being a perfect fit for our system and style, Ayo embraces the power of Fighting Illini basketball and joining a program with such great history and tradition. It is extremely important to him to wear the I and represent our state. Following the commitment of 2017 Illinois Mr. Basketball recipient Mark Smith just six weeks after taking over in Champaign, Underwood has made another statement on the recruiting trail by landing the top 25-ranked Dosunmu, a McDonald s All-America Game candidate and the highest-rated guard to join the Fighting Illini program since Dee Brown signed in November 2001. 2017-18 PRESEASON NOTES Setting the Stage The Illini return just two starters and five scholarship players from last season s senior-laden team that compiled a 20-15 record and advanced to the NIT Quarterfinals. In fact, Illinois returns just 30 percent of its points, 42 percent of its rebounds and 34 percent of its minutes from the 2016-17 season. The Orange and Blue will need to replace its graduated top-three scorers in Malcolm Hill (17.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Maverick Morgan (9.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Tracy Abrams (8.6 ppg), along with Jalen Coleman-Lands (8.0 ppg). Black and Finke Lead Frontcourt A pair of fourth-year juniors in forwards Leron Black and Michael Finke are the Illini s top returners. Black started the final 27 games last season, ranking fourth on the team in scoring with an average of 8.1 points while leading the Illini in rebounds with 6.3 per contest (14th in Big Ten). The Memphis native recorded three double-doubles on the year including two during the NIT and scored in double figures 13 times. Always active around the basket, Black will look to increase his rebounding and scoring production this season. 6 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
Finke was the UI s sixth-leading scorer a year ago at 6.9 points per game. He also led the team in 3-point shooting at 41.1 percent. A tireless worker in the weight room, Finke now carries a muscular 235-pound frame. With his shooting ability and offensive skill set, he has the chance to excel in the pinch post. Lucas Emerges at Point The Illini s lone true freshman last season, Te Jon Lucas eventually took over the reigns at the point guard position. He started the final 15 games and ended up leading the team in assists on the season (3.1 apg). Lucas is a tenacious defender who provides energy on the court. He also will be counted on to provide leadership to his teammates. Nichols and Jordan Bolster UI Depth Kipper Nichols had a number of bright spots during his shortened redshirt freshman campaign last season. He averaged 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds during conference play, breaking out with 13 points in a home win over Michigan and scoring a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting versus Minnesota. Nichols is a strong, physical player who can guard multiple positions. Aaron Jordan had a great offseason and has worked hard to challenge for a spot in the rotation entering his junior season. Jordan has made gains in all areas of strength and conditioning and has the ability to knock down shots and defend. Grad Transfer Alstork a Proven Scorer One Illini who could help replace the loss of scoring production is senior Mark Alstork. The Wright State graduate ranked third in the Horizon League last year, averaging 19.0 points. He netted double figures in 27 of 32 games, with 17 outings of 20-plus points. He also set a school record with 176 free throws while draining 70 three-pointers. While known for his scoring, Alstork will be counted on to help the Illini in all areas and has that ability as he also averaged 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season for the Raiders. Freshman Influx Added to the mix of returnees is a talented and promising five-player freshman class. Underwood s first recruit was a big one in Edwardsville s Mark Smith. The first Illinois Mr. Basketball to select the Fighting Illini since 2010, Smith averaged 21.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.1 steals as a senior. Formerly a multi-sport athlete, he did not focus solely on basketball until his senior year of high school. Smith is a powerful, skilled player with multi-positional skills and strong work ethic. The Illini inked one of the top players in the state of Florida in top-100 recruit Trent Frazier. He averaged 27.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists as a senior. Frazier was an electric scorer in high school, tallying a school-record 52 points in a game and leaving as Wellington High s all-time leading scorer with 1,742 points in three varsity seasons. Frazier has great quickness and deep shooting range. The third guard in the recruiting class is Da Monte Williams from Peoria Manual. The son of former Illini All- American Frank Williams, Da Monte is coming off a torn ACL that abruptly cut short his senior season after three games. He averaged 15.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists as a junior, leading Manual to a third-place finish in state. Williams has outstanding passing ability and vision and the length and competitiveness to be a strong defender. Underwood signed two frontcourt players during the summer. Greg Eboigbodin is an athletic, 6-9 forward from Nigeria who arrived in the U.S. for high school. He attended University of Detroit Jesuit High, where he first began playing basketball. Eboigbodin improved each year and ended up averaging 13.8 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 66 percent from the field as a senior. He has added 25 pounds to his frame since ILLINI AT STATE FARM CENTER June while continuing to learn and grow each day. Illinois Record at State Farm Center All-Time: 602-170 (.780) 1963-69 49-13 (.790) 1970-79 76-46 (.623) 1980-89 135-22 (.860) 1990-99 114-35 (.765) 2000-09 128-18 (.877) 2010-100-35 (.741) Longest Win Streak: 33 G (1/17/04-1/28/06) Current Win Streak: 8 G (2/21/17- ) Current Big Ten Win Streak: 2 G (2/21/17- ) Current Non-Conference Win Streak: 9 G (11/29/16-) Matic Vesel is a skilled, 6-10 forward from Slovenia. He has played with the Slovenian youth national teams, participating in the FIBA U18 European Championships in 2016 and the FIBA U20 European Championships this past summer. Vesel arrived on campus in August and joined the Illini at the beginning of the fall semester. Vesel has strong fundamentals and the ability to pass and shoot. He will look to add muscle and weight while experiencing strength training for the first time. THE LAST TIME AN ILLINOIS PLAYER HAD 40+ points Malcolm Hill (40) vs. Northern Kentucky, 11/13/16 35-39 points Malcolm Hill (39) at Penn State, 3/6/16 30-34 points Tracy Abrams (31) vs. Central Michigan, 12/10/16 25-29 points Malcolm Hill (29) at Central Florida, 3/22/17 20-24 points Mark Smith (21) DePaul, 11/17/17 2, 20+ pt. scorers M. Hill (21) & J. Coleman-Lands (21) at Indiana, 1/7/17 20+ rebounds Nick Weatherspoon (22) vs. DePauw, 12/2/72 15-19 rebounds Leron Black (15) vs. Ohio State, 1/1/17 10-14 rebounds Kipper Nichols (11) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 15+ assists Demetri McCamey (16) at Purdue, 2/20/10 10-14 assists Demetri McCamey (11) vs. Michigan State, 1/18/11 6+ 3-pointers Malcolm Hill (6) at Central Florida, 3/22/17 7+ steals Kendall Gill (7) vs. Iowa, 3/4/90 6 steals Luther Head vs. Iowa, 1/20/05 5+ blocks Nnanna Egwu (5) vs. Purdue, 1/21/15 Triple-Double Sergio McClain (10 p, 11 r, 11 a) vs. Michigan, 1/13/01 AN ILLINOIS TEAM HAD 100+ points 102 vs. Southern, 11/10/17 under 50 points 43 vs. Wisconsin, 1/31/17 50+ rebounds 50 vs. Coppin State, 11/16/14 20+ off. reb. 25 at Wisconsin, 1/8/14 overtime L, (80-84) vs. Winthrop, 11/21/16 AN OPPONENT PLAYER HAD 40+ points Glenn Robinson (49) Purdue, 3/13/94 35-39 points Keon Johnson (38) Winthrop, 11/21/16 30-34 points Shavon Shields (33) Nebraska, 2/12/14 25-29 points Tevonn Walker (25) Valparaiso, 3/14/17 20-24 points Jarrod West (23) Marshall, 11/19/17 2, 20+ pt. scorers Payton Banks (24) & Lamar Stevens (21) Penn State, 2/11/17 20+ rebounds Joe Franklin (23) Wisconsin, 12/19/66 15-19 rebounds Greg Lewis (16) Rutgers, 2/3/16 10-14 rebounds Ajdin Penava (11) Marshall, 11/19/17 15+ assists never, Quinn Buckner (14) Indiana, 2/18/74 10-14 assists Corey Sanders (12) Rutgers, 2/3/16 7+ steals Delfincko Bogan (7) UT Martin, 11/12/17 5+ blocks Daniel Giddens (5) Ohio State, 1/3/16 AN OPPONENT TEAM HAD 100+ points 101, Rutgers, 2/3/16 under 50 points 46, VCU, 12/3/16 under 40 points 38, Penn State, 2/18/09 50+ rebounds 52, Rutgers, 2/3/16 20+ off. reb. 22, Missouri, 12/22/12 7 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
UNDERWOOD MEDIA SCHEDULE All press conferences will be held in the State Farm Center Media Room (unless a different location is denoted). Enter the arena through the guard shack. Courtesy parking is available in the northeast lot of State Farm Center (enter off Fourth St.). All press conferences will be streamed on FIGHTINGILLINI.com. Press conferences also will be accessible via teleconference. Contact the UI Athletics Communication Office for teleconference number information. Note: Many of the times listed in this schedule are tentative on the dates while UI classes are not in session. Exact times will be determined by the weekly practice schedule. Media will be alerted to any time changes via email. Wednesday, Oct. 11, 12:30 p.m. Media Day (at Bielfeldt/Ubben) Thursday, Oct. 19, 8 a.m.-noon Big Ten Media Day (at New York City) Friday, Oct. 28, 2 p.m. Media Availability (Ubben) Thursday, Nov. 2, 2:15 p.m. Media Availability (Ubben) Wednesday, Nov. 8, 12:45 p.m. Press Conference (at Memorial Stadium Press Box, 8th Floor) Thursday, Nov. 16, 2 p.m. Press Conference Tuesday, Nov. 21, 12:15 p.m. Press Conference Monday, Nov. 27, 11:30 a.m. Teleconference Thursday, Nov. 30, 12:30 p.m. Teleconference Saturday, Dec. 2, 1:30 p.m. Media Availability Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2 p.m. Press Conference Friday, Dec. 8, 3:45 p.m. Teleconference Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2 p.m. Press Conference Friday, Dec. 15, 12:30 p.m. Teleconference Thursday, Dec. 21, TBD Press Conference Friday, Dec. 29, 10:15 a.m. Press Conference Tuesday, Jan. 2, 11:30 a.m. Teleconference Friday, Jan. 5, TBD Teleconference Wednesday, Jan. 10, TBD Press Conference Sunday, Jan. 14, 11:30 a.m. Teleconference Thursday, Jan. 18, 11:30 a.m. Teleconference Sunday, Jan. 21, 1:30 p.m. Teleconference Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2 p.m. Press Conference Monday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m. Press Conference Saturday, Feb. 3, 10:30 a.m. Teleconference Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2 p.m. Press Conference Saturday, Feb. 10, 11:15 a.m. Press Conference Tuesday, Feb. 13, 10:30 a.m. Teleconference Saturday, Feb. 17, TBD Press Conference (at Memorial Stadium Press Box, 8th Floor) Monday, Feb. 19, 11:30 a.m. Media Availability Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2 p.m. Press Conference Saturday, Feb. 24, 10:30 a.m. Teleconference TBD Big Ten Tournament Press Conference FIGHTING ILLINI SPORTS NETWORK (47 stations) Aledo, WRMJ-FM 102.3 Alton, WBGZ-AM 1570 Alton, WBGZ-FM 94.3 Bloomington, WRPW-FM 92.9 Canton, WBYS-AM 1560 Canton, WBYS-FM 93.7 Champaign, WDWS-AM 1400 Champaign, WHMS-FM 97.5 Chicago, WSCR-AM 670 Chicago, WJMK-HD2 104.3 Danville, WDAN-AM 1490 Danville, WDNL-FM, 102.1 Davenport, IA, WFXN-AM 1230 Decatur, WSOY-AM 1340 Decatur, WSOY-FM 103.3 Dwight, WJEZ-FM 98.9 Effingham, WHQQ-FM 98.9 Fairfield, WFIW-AM 1390 Fairfield, WFIW-FM 103.3 Galesburg, WGIL-AM 1400 Galesburg, WGIL-FM 93.7 Jacksonville, WJIL-AM 1550 Jerseyville, WJBM-AM 1480 Litchfield, WAOX-FM 105.3 Mt. Carmel, WSJD-FM 100.5 Murphysboro, WINI-AM 1420 Murphysboro, WINI-FM 93.5 Olney, WVLN-AM 740 Olney, WSEI-FM 92.9 Paxton, WPXN-FM 104.9 Peoria, WZPN-FM 96.5 Pittsfield, WJBM-AM 1480 Pittsfield, WBBA-FM 97.5 Quincy, WTAD-AM 930 Quincy, WTAD-FM 103.3 Robinson, WTAY-AM 1570 Rockford, WROK-AM 1440 Rushville, WKXQ-FM 92.5 Salem, WJBD-AM 1350 Salem, WJBD-FM 100.1 Sparta, WHCO-AM 1230 Springfield, WFMB-AM 1450 Springfield, WFMB-FM 107.1 Springfield, WCVS-FM 96.7 St. Louis, MO, KFNS-AM 590 Watseka, WGFA-FM 94.1 BRAD UNDERWOOD RADIO SHOW Program airs Mondays from 7-8 p.m. on the Fighting Illini Sports Network and locally on WDWS-AM 1400, the flagship station for the network. The host is Brian Barnhart. Shows will be held at Buffalo Wild Wings in Savoy, unless denoted. Brad Underwood Radio Show Dates Nov. 27 (studio) Feb. 5 Dec. 4 Feb. 12 Dec. 11 Feb. 19 (studio) Dec. 18 Feb. 26 (studio) Jan. 8 March 5 Jan. 29 ILLINOIS BASKETBALL QUICK FACTS GENERAL INFORMATION Location: Champaign-Urbana, Ill. Founded: 1867 Enrollment: 44,880 Nickname: Fighting Illini Colors: Orange and Blue Arena: State Farm Center Opened: 1963 Capacity: 15,544 Conference: Big Ten President: Timothy L. Killeen Chancellor: Robert J. Jones Director of Athletics: Josh Whitman Athletics Department Phone: 217-333-3631 Ticket Office Phone: 217-333-3470 or 1-866-ILLINI-1 HISTORY Seasons of Basketball: 113th First Year of Basketball: 1906 All-Time Record: 1,768-973 (.645) All-Time Big Ten Record: 926-700 (.569) Big Ten Championships / Last: 17 / 2005 NCAA Tournament Appearances / Last: 30 / 2013 All-Time NCAA Tournament Record: 40-31 (.563) NCAA Final Four Appearances / Last: 5 / 2005 COACHING STAFF Head Coach: Brad Underwood, 1st year Alma Mater, Year: Kansas State University 86 Record at Illinois / Years: 4-0 (1.000) / 1st Career Record / Years: 113-27 (.807) / 5th Basketball Office Phone: 217-333-3400 Assistant Coaches: Orlando Antigua, 1st year; Ron Coleman, 1st year; Jamall Walker, 6th year Assistant to the Head Coach: Geoff Alexander Strength and Conditioning Coach: Adam Fletcher Director of Operations: Joey Biggs Video Coordinator: Patrick Schulte Graduate Manager: Grant Bale Athletic Trainer: Paul Schmidt Coordinator of Special Projects: Rod Cardinal Administrative Secretary: Julie Pioletti 2016-17 TEAM INFORMATION Overall Record: 20-15 Big Ten Record / Finish: 8-10 / 9th Postseason: N/A Final Ranking: AP - NR / Coaches - NR Starters Returning / Lost: 2 / 3 Lettermen Returning / Lost: 7 / 8 Newcomers: 7 ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION Men s Basketball Contact: Derrick Burson Cell Phone: 217-766-7315 Email: burson@illinois.edu Men s Basketball Assistant Contact: Derek Neal Cell Phone: 309-241-0804 Email: drneal@illinois.edu Associate AD, Media Relations: Kent Brown Cell Phone: 217-493-9795 Email: kwbrown3@illinois.edu Office Phone: 217-333-1391 State Farm Center Press Row Phone: 217-333-1227 Mailing Address: Bielfeldt Athletics Admin. Bldg. 1700 South Fourth Street Champaign, IL 61820 Website: www.fightingillini.com 8 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
HEAD COACH BRAD UNDERWOOD 1st Year at Illinois // 5th Year as Div. I Head Coach // 30th Year in Coaching THE UNDERWOOD FILE HOMETOWN McPherson, Kan. FAMILY Wife, Susan; Son, Tyler; Daughters, Katie & Ashley EDUCATION Kansas State University, B.S., Radio & TV Communications, 1986 PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1983 Hardin-Simmons University 1984 Independence Community College 1985-86 Kansas State University COACHING EXPERIENCE 1988 Graduate Assistant Hardin-Simmons University 1989 Assistant Coach Dodge City Community College 1990-93 Head Coach Dodge City Community College 1994-2003 Assistant Coach Western Illinois University 2004-06 Head Coach Daytona Beach Community College 2007 Director of Operaions Kansas State University 2008-11 Assistant Coach Kansas State University 2012 Associate Head Coach Kansas State University 2013 Associate Head Coach University of South Carolina 2014-16 Head Coach Stephen F. Austin University 2017 Head Coach Oklahoma State University 2018 Head Coach University of Illinois Brad Underwood was hired as Fighting Illini men s basketball coach in March 2017, becoming the 18th head coach in program history. He arrives in Champaign as the third-winningest head coach in NCAA history through four seasons, totaling 109 career victories. Underwood came to Illinois from Oklahoma State, where he led OSU to a 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cowboys had one of the most exciting and prolific offenses in the country, ranking fifth in the NCAA in scoring (85.7 points per game) and leading the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (kenpom). The Cowboys ranked 14th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (.402), fourth in the country in offensive rebounding percentage (.383) and fourth in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.789). Oklahoma State finished fifth in the Big 12 with a 9-9 conference record in a season where the Big 12 was rated as the top conference in the nation. That was a dramatic improvement for the Cowboys, who went 3-15 in league play a year ago. Oklahoma State came on strong during the second half of the season, winning 10 of 11 games from Jan. 21-Feb. 25, which included a pair of five-game winning streaks. Underwood arrived in Stillwater following a dominant run at Stephen F. Austin where he led the Lumberjacks to Southland Conference regular season and tournament titles in each of his three seasons. Underwood compiled an 89-14 record at SFA, tied with Brad Stevens (Butler, 2008-10) for the most wins by a head coach in his first three seasons at an NCAA school. He led SFA to a 28-6 overall record and NCAA Round of 32 appearance in 2016. The 14th-seeded Lumberjacks rolled past No. 3 West Virginia in the first round, 70-56, before narrowly missing a trip to the Sweet 16 with a 76-75 defeat to No. 6 Notre Dame in the second round. That Stephen F. Austin squad was efficient on both sides of the ball, ranking 57th nationally on offense and 38th on defense. The Lumberjacks averaged 80.2 points accompanied by highpressure defense that forced the highest turnover rate in the country (.259). Underwood s second SFA team went 29-5 in 2015, also advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks ranked seventh in the nation in field goal percentage (.487) and led the NCAA in assists (18.7 apg). His debut season in Nacogdoches in 2014 included a 29-game winning streak and culminated in a 32-3 record and NCAA UNDERWOOD S DIVISION I HEAD COACHING RECORD Round of 32 appearance after a victory over No. 5 seed VCU in the opening round. Underwood earned the Joe B. Hall award, given to the nation s top first-year coach. Prior to taking over at Stephen F. Austin, Underwood served the 2013 season as associate head coach at South Carolina under Frank Martin. He went to Columbia with Martin after serving on his bench for five seasons as an assistant at Kansas State, with his final season elevated to associate head coach. Underwood spent his first year at K-State in the role of director of operations for then-head coach Bob Huggins. Underwood had two head coaching stints in the junior college ranks, compiling a 70-24 record in three seasons at Daytona Beach (2004-06) and a 57-63 mark in four years at Dodge City (1990-93). In between those opportunities, Underwood was entrenched in the state of Illinois for 10 seasons, as an assistant coach for Jim Kerwin at Western Illinois from 1994-2003. Underwood is a December 1986 graduate of Kansas State University. He played in Manhattan for the legendary Jack Hartman, K-State s all-time winningest coach. Former Illinois head coach Lon Kruger also played and coached for Hartman at Kansas State. Underwood began his college career at Hardin-Simmons, where he later worked as a graduate assistant. Hardin-Simmons was the first college job for Lou Henson, the Fighting Illini s all-time winningest coach, and whose name permanently adorns the court at State Farm Center. Brad and his wife, Susan, have a son, Tyler, and two daughters, Katie and Ashley. Tyler also is a member of the Fighting Illini basketball team. WINNGEST COACHES IN NCAA HISTORY AFTER FIRST 4 YEARS Rk. Coach Wins School(s) Seasons 1. Brad Stevens 117 Butler 2008-11 2. Shaka Smart 111 VCU 2010-13 3. Brad Underwood 109 SFA/Oklahoma State 2014-17 4. Everett Case 107 North Carolina State 1947-50 5. Josh Pastner 106 Memphis 2010-13 6. Mark Few 105 Gonzaga 2000-03 Jamie Dixon 105 Pittsburgh 2004-07 8. Bruce Stewart 104 W.Va. Wesleyan/Middle Tenn. 1983-86 Steve Prohm 104 Murray State 2012-15 10. Roy Williams 103 Kansas 1989-92 Season School Overall Conf. (Finish) Postseason 2013-14 Stephen F. Austin 32-3 18-0 (1st) NCAA Round of 32 2014-15 Stephen F. Austin 29-5 17-1 (1st) NCAA First Round 2015-16 Stephen F. Austin 28-6 18-0 (1st) NCAA Round of 32 2016-17 Oklahoma State 20-13 9-9 (5th) NCAA First Round 2017-18 Illinois 4-0 Total Five Years 113-27 (.807) 9 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
2017-18 NOTES Has started every game this season Tied for second on the team in rebounding at 5.3 rpg Leads Illini with 10 offensive rebounds Averaging 6.3 points and 2.5 assists 24 MARK ALSTORK GRADUATE STUDENT // GUARD // 6-5 // 190 DAYTON, OHIO // THURGOOD MARSHALL H.S. // WRIGHT STATE Dished out at least three assists in three of four games Recorded a double-double in his Illini debut, leading the team with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists vs. Southern (11/10) CAREER NOTES Born Feb. 27, 1995 Enrolled in the UI master s program in education policy, organization and leadership Earned bachelor s degree in communication from Wright State in July 1,000-point scorer at Wright State, totaling 1,042 points in just two seasons Ranked third in the Horizon in scoring last season with an average of 19.0 points, along with 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists (eighth in league) First-team All-Horizon League and second-team NABC All-District 12 Total of 608 points ranked fifth on Wright State s all-time single-season scoring list Scored in double figures in 27 of 32 games, with 17 outings of 20 or more points, including three 30-plus point performances Scored career-high 39 points vs. Toledo (Nov. 19) Made 70 three-pointers on the year, ranking seventh in the Horizon with an average of 2.2 per game Set WSU school record with 176 made free throws, ranking 20th nationally on the season Started 30 of 35 games as a sophomore in 2015-16, averaging 12.7 points and 4.7 rebounds Season-high 27 points vs. South Dakota (11/13/15) GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-1 26 4-8 0-3 9-10 5-5 10 1 4 1 0 0 17 11-12 UT Martin 1-1 21 1-7 1-4 0-0 1-2 3 3 0 1 0 0 3 11-17 DePaul 1-1 17 0-1 0-1 1-2 2-3 5 2 3 4 1 1 1 11-19 Marshall 1-1 19 1-6 1-2 1-2 2-1 3 3 3 1 0 1 4 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament 10 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball WSU CAREER HIGHS SEASON HIGHS PTS: 39 PTS: 17 vs. Toledo (11/19/16) FG: 15 FG: 4 vs. Toledo (11/19/16) FG ATT: 25 FG ATT: 8 vs. Toledo (11/19/16) 3-PT: 5 (three times) 3-PT: 1 (twice) last vs. Valparaiso (2/24/17) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT ATT: 10 3-PT ATT: 4 at Kent State (12/18/16) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) FT: 15 (twice) FT: 9 last vs. CSU Bakersfield (11/25/16) FT ATT: 20 FT ATT: 10 vs. Miami (11/15/16) REB: 12 REB: 10 vs. Cleveland State (1/5/17) AST: 10 AST: 4 vs. UIC (2/26/17) BLK: 3 (twice) BLK: 1 last vs. Detroit (3/6/16) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) STL: 4 STL: 1 (twice) vs. UIC (3/5/16) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) MIN: 39 MIN: 26 vs. Valparaiso (2/24/17) CAREER STATISTICS AT BALL STATE 2013-14 30-15 678-22.6 45-144/.313 19-59/.322 58-83/.699 30-64 94/3.1 76-4 45 57 12 14 167-5.6 CAREER STATISTICS AT WRIGHT STATE 2014-15 DNP Transfer 2015-16 35-30 931-26.6 140-324/.432 54-143/.378 100-144/.694 23-141 164/4.7 100-3 61 55 21 29 434-12.4 2016-17 32-30 965-30.2 181-452/.400 70-181/.387 176-208/.846 26-124 150/4.7 92-4 112 136 25 19 608-19.0 TOTAL 67-60 1896-28.3 321-776/.414 124-324/.383 276-352/.784 49-265 314/4.7 192-7 173 191 40 54 1042-15.6 CAREER STATISTICS AT ILLINOIS 2017-18 4-4 83-20.8 6-22/.273 2-10/.200 11-14/.786 10-11 21/5.3 9-0 10 7 1 2 25-6.3
2017-18 NOTES Has started every game this season, leading the Illini in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage Averaging 15.5 points (12th in B1G) and 6.0 rebounds Shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 85.7 percent at the free throw line 14 points on 6-7 shooting with career-high four assists in opener vs. Southern (11/10) Career-high 23 points with eight rebounds vs. UT Martin (11/12) Team-high 17 points with nine rebounds vs. Marshall (11/19) 11 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball 12 LERON BLACK REDSHIRT JUNIOR // FORWARD // 6-7 // 220 MEMPHIS, TENN. // WHITE STATION H.S. GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-1 15 6-7 0-0 2-2 3-3 6 3 4 2 0 1 14 11-12 UT Martin 1-1 34 8-14 0-0 7-8 1-7 8 3 3 2 1 0 23 11-17 DePaul 1-1 17 4-8 0-1 0-0 1-0 1 5-1 3 2 0 0 8 11-19 Marshall 1-1 26 7-14 0-0 3-4 4-5 9 1 2 0 0 1 17 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER NOTES Born Jan. 31, 1996 in Omaha, Neb. Majoring in communication Started 27 of 31 games last season, ranking fourth on the team in scoring with an average of 8.1 points Scored in double figures 13 times, led by season-high 21 points on 9-13 shooting vs. Central Michigan (12/10/16) Led team and ranked 14th in the Big Ten in rebounding at 6.3 rpg Recorded three double-doubles on the season: 15 pts-11 reb vs. Florida State (11/25/16), 13 pts-12 reb vs. Valparaiso in NIT First-Round win (3/14/17) and 12 pts-10 reb vs. Boise State in NIT Second-Round victory (3/20/17) MVP of Hoophall Miami Invitational with 18 points and eight rebounds in win over VCU (12/3/16) Career-high 15 rebounds in victory over Ohio State (1/1/17) 14 points and nine rebounds vs. Maryland (1/14/17) 15 points on 6-9 FG, including career-best three 3-pointers, in win over Michigan State (3/1/17) Limited to seven games during the 2015-16 season following meniscus surgery on right knee in October 2015, eventually receiving medical hardship waiver Season-high 12 points on 6-9 shooting vs. UAB (11/27/15) Played in all 33 games as a freshman in 2014-15, starting 10 times and averaging 5.0 points and 4.3 rebounds Scored in double figures six times, led by season-high 18 points vs. Coppin State (11/16/14) Double-double in first career start with 15 points and season-high 13 rebounds vs. Purdue (1/21/15) CAREER HIGHS SEASON HIGHS PTS: 23 PTS: 23 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) FG: 9 FG: 8 vs. Central Michigan (12/10/16) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) FG ATT: 14 (four times) FG ATT: 14 (twice) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT: 3 3-PT: 0 vs. Michigan State (3/1/17) 3-PT ATT: 5 3-PT ATT: 1 vs. Michigan State (3/1/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FT: 8 FT: 7 vs. IUPUI (12/6/16) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) FT ATT: 9 FT ATT: 8 vs. IUPUI (12/6/16) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) REB: 15 REB: 9 vs. Ohio State (1/1/17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) AST: 4 AST: 4 BLK: 1 (12 times) BLK: 1 last vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) STL: 3 STL: 1 (twice) at Central Florida (3/22/17) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) MIN: 34 MIN: 34 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) CAREER STATISTICS 2014-15 33-10 487-14.8 67-141/.475 0-3/.000 30-44/.682 42-99 141/4.3 89-1 4 28 6 11 164-5.0 2015-16 7-2 100-14.3 15-36/.417 0-0/.000 1-2/.500 10-21 31/4.4 23-1 4 5 2 2 31-4.4 2016-17 31-27 627-20.2 101-223/.453 11-37/.297 39-54/.722 55-141 196/6.3 89-0 13 37 3 14 252-8.1 2017-18 4-4 92-23.0 25-43/.581 0-1/.000 12-14/.857 9-15 24/6.0 12-1 12 6 1 2 62-15.5 TOTAL 75-43 1306-17.4 208-443/.470 11-41/.268 82-114/.719 116-276 392/5.2 213-3 33 76 12 29 509-6.8
10 DREW CAYCE REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE // GUARD // 6-1 // 175 LIBERTYVILLE, ILL. // LA LUMIERE PREP // CREIGHTON 2017-18 NOTES Scored first collegiate points with two free throws vs. Southern (11/10) Grabbed first rebound vs. Marshall (11/19) CAREER NOTES Born May 31, 1997 Enrolled in the Division of General Studies (undeclared) Walkon sat out the season per NCAA transfer rules Redshirted the 2015-16 season as a true freshman at Creighton Averaged 9.8 points and 2.8 assists as a senior team captain at La Lumiere, a prep school in La Porte, Ind. Third-leading scorer as a junior on team that went 23-3 and was ranked No. 5 nationally by USA Today Attended Libertyville High School as a freshman and sophomore GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-0 3 0-1 0-1 2-2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 11-12 UT Martin DNP 11-17 DePaul DNP 11-19 Marshall 1-0 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER/SEASON HIGHS PTS: 2 FG: 0 FG ATT: 1 3-PT: 0 3-PT ATT: 1 FT: 2 FT ATT: 2 REB: 1 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) AST: 0 BLK: 0 STL: 0 MIN: 3 CAREER STATISTICS 2016-17 DNP Transfer 2017-18 2-0 5-2.5 0-1/.000 0-1/.000 2-2/1.000 1-0 1/0.5 1-0 0 0 0 0 2-1.0 12 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
11 GREG EBOIGBODIN FRESHMAN // FORWARD // 6-9 // 220 BENIN CITY, EDO, NIGERIA // UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT JESUIT H.S. 2017-18 NOTES Two blocked shots and three rebounds in collegiate debut vs. Southern (11/10) Scored first career point and had an assist vs. Marshall (11/19) CAREER NOTES Born April 4, 1998 Enrolled in the Division of General Studies (undeclared) Arrived in the United State from Nigeria in 2013 Averaged 13.8 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 66 percent from the field as a senior Helped lead U of D Jesuit to a 20-4 record and state quarterfinals appearance Second-team Class A All-State by the Detroit News Fourth-team Class A All-State by the Detroit Free Press Second-team Detroit Dream Team by MLive During his junior season, member of the Detroit U-D Jesuit team that won the 2016 Michigan Class A state title with a perfect 28-0 record GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-0 11 0-1 0-0 0-0 1-2 3 2 0 0 2 0 0 11-12 UT Martin 1-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 11-17 DePaul 1-0 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 11-19 Marshall 1-0 3 0-0 0-0 1-2 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER/SEASON HIGHS PTS: 1 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FG: 0 FG ATT: 1 3-PT: 0 3-PT ATT: 0 FT: 1 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FT ATT: 2 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) REB: 3 AST: 1 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) BLK: 2 STL: 0 MIN: 11 CAREER STATISTICS 2017-18 4-0 22-5.5 0-1/.000 0-0/.000 1-2/.500 2-3 5/1.3 3-0 1 2 2 0 1-0.3 13 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
2017-18 NOTES Started every game this season, averaging 11.5 points and 5.0 rebounds Shooting 56.3 percent from the field 43 MICHAEL FINKE REDSHIRT JUNIOR // FORWARD // 6-10 // 230 CHAMPAIGN, ILL. // CENTENNIAL H.S. 12 points in each of first two games vs. Southern (11/10) and UT Martin (11/12) Career-high three blocks and season-high three assists vs. DePaul (11/17) Season-high 13 points with four 3-pointers vs. Marshall (11/19) GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-1 24 5-8 0-3 2-2 1-5 6 2 2 0 0 0 12 11-12 UT Martin 1-1 33 5-8 1-2 1-2 2-3 5 2 2 1 0 1 12 11-17 DePaul 1-1 27 3-8 0-3 3-3 3-2 5 3 3 2 3 0 9 11-19 Marshall 1-1 20 5-8 3-4 0-0 3-1 4 3 2 0 0 0 13 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER HIGHS SEASON HIGHS PTS: 24 PTS: 13 vs. Western Carolina (12/5/15) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FG: 9 FG: 5 (three times) vs. Western Carolina (12/5/15) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FG ATT: 14 FG ATT: 8 (four times) vs. Winthrop (11/21/16) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT: 5 3-PT: 3 vs. Minnesota (3/9/16) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT ATT: 8 (twice) 3-PT ATT: 4 last vs. Nebraska (1/16/16) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FT: 8 FT: 3 vs. Chicago State (11/23/15) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FT ATT: 9 FT ATT: 3 vs. Chicago State (11/23/15) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) REB: 16 REB: 6 at Minnesota (1/23/16) AST: 5 AST: 3 at Iowa (2/18/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) BLK: 3 BLK: 3 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) STL: 3 STL: 1 at Northwestern (2/7/17) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) MIN: 36 MIN: 33 at Minnesota (1/23/16) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) CAREER STATISTICS 2014-15 DNP-Redshirt 2015-16 33-16 670-20.3 90-207/.435 40-109/.367 28-43/.651 45-76 121/3.7 61-0 32 31 5 4 248-7.5 2016-17 32-8 635-19.8 83-172/.483 37-90/.411 17-31/.548 49-86 135/4.2 44-0 21 30 5 10 220-6.9 2017-18 4-4 104-26.0 18-32/.563 4-12/.333 6-7/.857 9-11 20/5.0 10-0 9 3 3 1 46-11.5 TOTAL 69-28 1409-20.4 191-411/.465 81-211/.384 51-81/.630 103-173 276/4.0 115-0 62 64 13 15 514-7.4 14 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball CAREER NOTES Born April 26, 1996 Majoring in communication Played in 32 games last season, starting the first eight, before missing last three games during the NIT with a foot injury Averaged 6.9 points (sixth on team) and 4.2 rebounds (fourth on team) Led Illini and ranked 14th in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting at 41.1 percent (37-90) Shot 44.9 percent (22-49) behind the arc during conference play to rank eighth in the league Double-double with 10 points and season-high 11 rebounds vs. Northern Kentucky (11/13/16) 17 points on 8-10 shooting with eight boards vs. McKendree (11/15/16) Season-high 18 points vs. Winthrop (11/21/16) 17 points on 7-10 shooting in win over Iowa (1/25/17) Played in 33 of 34 games as a redshirt freshman in 2015-16, starting 16 times Fifth on team in scoring, averaging 7.5 points Averaged 3.7 rebounds and led Illini with 45 offensive boards Fourth on team with 40 three-pointers while shooting 36.7 percent behind the arc Career-high 24 points on 9-13 shooting vs. Western Carolina (12/5/15) Career-high 16 rebounds at Minnesota (1/23/16) 17 points with career-best five 3-pointers in Big Ten Tournament First-Round win over Minnesota (3/9/16)
2017-18 NOTES Averaging 7.3 points 1 TRENT FRAZIER FRESHMAN // GUARD // 6-1 // 170 WELLINGTON, FLA. // WELLINGTON H.S. Seven points and three assists in collegiate debut vs. Southern (11/10) Six points vs. both UT Martin (11/12) and DePaul (11/17) First double-digit game with 10 points vs. Marshall (11/19) CAREER NOTES Born Sept. 8, 1998 Majoring in recreation, sport and tourism Consensus four-star recruit ranked No. 86 by Scout, No. 95 by Rivals and No. 110 by 247Sports Composite Averaged 27.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists as a senior, leading Wellington to a 27-4 record and Florida Class 9A State Semifinals Scored school-record 52 points in win over Seminole Ridge (Jan. 20) Wellington s all-time leading scorer, totaling 1,742 points over three varsity seasons MaxPreps honorable mention All-American Class 9A Player of the Year by the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches Florida Dairy Farmers Class 9A Player of the Year, selected by statewide panel of media and coaches Runner-Up in voting for Florida Mr. Basketball South Florida Sun-Sentinel Player of the Year Palm Beach Post Player of the Year First-team All-State by USA Today High School Sports and the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-0 22 2-8 0-5 3-4 0-2 2 1 3 2 0 0 7 11-12 UT Martin 1-0 17 2-4 1-3 1-2 0-1 1 1 1 3 0 2 6 11-17 DePaul 1-0 19 2-4 1-3 1-2 1-2 3 1 0 2 0 0 6 11-19 Marshall 1-0 20 4-6 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 0 2 0 0 0 10 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER/SEASON HIGHS PTS: 10 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FG: 4 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FG ATT: 8 3-PT: 1 (three times) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT ATT: 5 FT: 3 FT ATT: 4 REB: 3 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) AST: 3 BLK: 0 STL: 2 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) MIN: 22 CAREER STATISTICS 2017-18 4-0 78-19.5 10-22/.455 3-13/.231 6-10/.600 1-5 6/1.5 3-0 6 7 0 2 29-7.3 15 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
2017-18 NOTES Fifth on team in scoring, averaging 10.8 points Tied for second on the team in rebounding at 5.3 rpg Shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 50 percent on 3-pointers Career-high 17 points on 4-6 shooting with perfect 7-7 at the line in opener vs. Southern (11/10) 10 points vs. UT Martin (11/12) 23 AARON JUNIOR // GUARD // 6-5 // 210 PLAINFIELD, ILL. // EAST H.S. Seven points and career-high nine rebounds vs. DePaul (11/17) Nine points, five rebounds and two steals vs. Marshall (11/19) JORDAN CAREER NOTES Born May 5, 1997 Majoring in media and cinema studies Played in 24 games last season, starting twice Scored season-high 11 points while equaling career high with three 3-pointers vs. McKendree (11/15/16) Season-high four rebounds at Michigan (1/21/17) Played in 31 of 34 games with six starts as a freshman in 2015-16, averaging 3.3 points Fifth on team with 22 three-pointers Earned start in first career game vs. North Florida (11/13/15), scoring season-high 14 points and hitting 3-of-5 three-pointers GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-0 18 4-6 2-3 7-7 0-2 2 4 1 1 0 1 17 11-12 UT Martin 1-0 16 3-6 2-5 2-3 1-4 5 2 1 1 1 0 10 11-17 DePaul 1-0 22 2-4 1-3 2-4 3-6 9 2 0 0 0 2 7 11-19 Marshall 1-0 17 3-7 2-3 1-3 1-4 5 2 0 0 0 2 9 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament 16 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball CAREER HIGHS SEASON HIGHS PTS: 17 PTS: 17 FG: 5 FG: 4 vs. North Florida (11/13/15) FG ATT: 10 FG ATT: 7 vs. North Florida (11/13/15) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT: 3 (twice) 3-PT: 2 (three times) last vs. McKendree (11/15/16) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT ATT: 6 3-PT ATT: 5 vs. Chicago State (11/23/15) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) FT: 7 FT: 7 FT ATT: 7 FT ATT: 7 REB: 9 REB: 9 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) AST: 3 (twice) AST: 1 (twice) last at Providence (11/18/15) last vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) BLK: 1 (five times) BLK: 1 last vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) STL: 2 (five times) STL: 2 (twice) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) MIN: 31 MIN: 22 vs. North Florida (11/13/15) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) CAREER STATISTICS 2015-16 31-6 353-11.4 31-95/.326 22-64/.344 19-23/.826 5-23 28/0.9 47-0 14 7 3 12 103-3.3 2016-17 24-2 165-6.9 8-28/.286 6-20/.300 1-6/.167 6-21 27/1.1 19-0 5 4 1 8 23-1.0 2017-18 4-0 73-18.3 12-23/.522 7-14/.500 12-17/.706 5-16 21/5.3 10-0 2 2 1 5 43-10.8 TOTAL 59-8 591-10.0 51-146/.349 35-98/.357 32-46/.696 16-60 76/1.3 76-0 21 13 5 25 169-2.9
2017-18 NOTES Collected a steal in opener vs. Southern (11/10/) 45 CAMERON LISS REDSHIRT JUNIOR // FORWARD // 6-6 // 220 NORTHBROOK, ILL. // GLENBROOK NORTH H.S. CAREER NOTES Born May 4, 1996 Majoring in accountancy Walkon sat out the season as a redshirt Appeared in five games in 2015-16 Made first basket as an Illini and scored career-high three points in Big Ten Tournament first-round win over Minnesota (3/9/16) Appeared in 12 games as a freshman in 2014-15 Made Illini debut vs. Coppin State (11/16/14) Scored first career point vs. Brown (11/24/14) Averaged 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and three assists as a senior at Glenbrook North High School GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-0 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 11-12 UT Martin DNP 11-17 DePaul DNP 11-19 Marshall 1-0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament 17 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball CAREER HIGHS PTS: 3 PTS: 0 vs. Minnesota (3/9/16) FG: 1 FG: 0 vs. Minnesota (3/9/16) FG ATT: 1 FG ATT: 0 vs. Minnesota (3/9/16) 3-PT: 0 3-PT: 0 SEASON HIGHS 3-PT ATT: 0 3-PT ATT: 0 FT: 1 (twice) FT: 0 last vs. Minnesota (3/9/16) FT ATT: 2 (twice) FT ATT: 0 last vs. Minnesota (3/9/16) REB: 1 (three times) REB: 0 last vs. Indiana State (11/27/14) AST: 1 AST: 0 at Indiana (1/19/16) BLK: 0 BLK: 0 STL: 0 STL: 0 MIN: 3 (five times) MIN: 3 last CAREER STATISTICS 2014-15 12-0 16-1.3 0-0/.000 0-0/.000 1-2/.500 0-3 3/0.3 1-0 0 1 0 0 1-0.1 2015-16 5-0 10-2.0 1-1/1.000 0-0/.000 1-2/.500 0-0 0/0.0 1-0 1 1 0 0 3-0.6 2016-17 DNP Redshirt 2017-18 2-0 4-2.0 0-0/.000 0-0/.000 0-0/.000 0-0 0/0.0 1-0 0 0 0 1 0-0.0 TOTAL 19-0 30-1.6 1-1/1.000 0-0/.000 2-4/.500 0-3 3/0.2 3-0 1 2 0 1 4-0.2
2017-18 NOTES Started every game this season, averaging 4.8 points and 3.0 assists Eight points with career-high three steals in just 15 minutes vs. Southern (11/10) Season-high five assists vs. Marshall (11/19) 3 TE JON LUCAS SOPHOMORE // GUARD // 6-1 // 180 MILWAUKEE, WIS. // WASHINGTON H.S. CAREER NOTES Born Oct. 10, 1998 Enrolled in the Division of General Studies (undeclared) Played in 31 games last season as a true freshman, starting the last 15 Averaged 4.8 points and led Illini in assists on the season, averaging 3.1 apg Fourth in the Big Ten in steals during conference play, averaging 1.5 spg Fifth in the Big Ten with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio during league games Career-high eight assists in win over Michigan (Jan. 11) Career-high 12 points on 4-5 shooting in win at Iowa (Feb. 18) Seven points, career-high six rebounds and seven assists in NIT Second-Round win over Boise State (March 20) Averaged 20.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.8 steals as a high school senior Led Milwaukee Washington to a 14-4 overall record and 8-0 in the City Conference before his season was cut short after suffering fractured right ankle in a game (2/6/16) Unanimous first-team Div. 2 All-State selection by Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-1 15 4-8 0-0 0-0 0-2 2 2 3 1 1 3 8 11-12 UT Martin 1-1 20 1-3 0-1 1-2 0-2 2 4 3 5 0 1 3 11-17 DePaul 1-1 19 2-6 0-1 2-4 1-0 1 3 1 2 0 1 6 11-19 Marshall 1-1 22 1-4 0-0 0-0 0-2 2 3 5 1 0 1 2 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER HIGHS SEASON HIGHS PTS: 12 PTS: 8 at Iowa (2/18/17) FG: 4 (five times) FG: 4 last FG ATT: 9 FG ATT: 8 at Northwestern (2/7/17) 3-PT: 1 (11 times) 3-PT: 0 last at Central Florida (3/22/17) 3-PT ATT: 3 (three times) 3-PT ATT: 1 (twice) last vs. Minnesota (2/4/17) last vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FT: 7 FT: 2 vs. Penn State (2/11/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FT ATT: 13 FT ATT: 4 vs. Penn State (2/11/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) REB: 6 REB: 2 (three times) vs. Boise State (3/20/17) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) AST: 8 AST: 5 vs. Michigan (1/11/17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) BLK: 1 (twice) BLK: 1 last STL: 3 (twice) STL: 3 last MIN: 35 MIN: 22 vs. Boise State (3/20/17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) CAREER STATISTICS 2016-17 31-15 642-20.7 47-115/.409 12-32/.375 42-71/.592 7-51 58/1.9 58-0 95 51 1 32 148-4.8 2017-18 4-4 76-19.0 8-21/.381 0-2/.000 3-6/.500 1-6 7/1.8 12-0 12 9 1 6 19-4.8 TOTAL 35-19 718-20.5 55-136/.404 12-34/.353 45-77/.584 8-57 65/1.9 70-0 107 60 2 38 167-4.8 18 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
2017-18 NOTES Third on team in scoring at 12.8 ppg Averaging 4.8 rebounds 14 points in 16 minutes in opener vs. Southern (11/10) 16 points vs. DePaul (11/17) 2 KIPPER NICHOLS REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE // FORWARD // 6-6 // 225 CLEVELAND, OHIO // ST. EDWARD H.S. First double-double with career highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds vs. Marshall (11/19) CAREER NOTES Born July 7, 1997 Enrolled in the Division of General Studies (undeclared) Appeared in a total of 21 games last season after gaining eligibility vs. BYU (12/17/16) Averaged 4.9 points and 2.9 rebounds on the season, with those averages increasing to 5.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg during conference play Shot 44.4 percent from 3-point range (12-27) 13 points on 6-9 shooting and season-high eight rebounds, including five offensive, in win over Michigan (1/11/17) Season-high 16 points on 6-8 shooting, including perfect 3-3 from 3-point range, with six rebounds vs. Minnesota (2/4/17) Joined the Illini program on Dec. 27, 2015 after originally signing with Tulane Averaged 18.6 points and 4.7 rebounds as as a high school senior, leading St. Edward to state semifinals appearance Division I Player of the Year by the Ohio Basketball Coaches Association Helped lead St. Edward to the 2014 Division I state championship as a junior while being named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-0 16 4-7 1-2 5-6 1-1 2 0 0 0 1 1 14 11-12 UT Martin 1-0 12 1-3 0-1 2-5 1-1 2 1 2 1 1 1 4 11-17 DePaul 1-0 25 6-11 2-3 2-3 0-4 4 4 0 0 0 1 16 11-19 Marshall 1-0 18 5-12 0-2 7-8 3-8 11 2 1 1 0 0 17 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER HIGHS SEASON HIGHS PTS: 17 PTS: 17 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FG: 6 (three times) FG: 6 last vs. DePaul (11/17/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FG ATT: 12 FG ATT: 12 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT: 3 3-PT: 2 vs. Minnesota (2/4/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3-PT ATT: 3 (four times) 3-PT ATT: 3 last vs. DePaul (11/17/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FT: 7 FT: 7 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FT ATT: 8 FT ATT: 8 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) REB: 11 REB: 11 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) AST: 2 AST: 2 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) BLK: 3 BLK: 1 (twice) vs. Northwestern (2/21/17) last vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) STL: 1 (10 times) STL: 1 (three times) last vs. DePaul (11/17/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) MIN: 25 MIN: 25 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) CAREER STATISTICS 2016-17 21-1 286-13.6 39-86/.453 12-27/.444 13-21/.619 19-41 60/2.9 47-0 2 15 7 7 103-4.9 2017-18 4-0 71-17.8 16-33/.485 3-8/.375 16-22/.727 5-14 19/4.8 7-0 3 2 2 3 51-12.8 TOTAL 25-1 357-14.3 55-119/.462 15-35/.429 29-43/.674 24-55 79/3.2 54-0 5 17 9 10 154-6.2 19 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
2016-17 NOTES Collected a steal in opener vs. Southern (11/10) 35 SAMSON SOPHOMORE // GUARD // 6-4 // 195 ROLLING MEADOWS, ILL. // FREMD H.S. OLADIMEJI CAREER NOTES Born July 5, 1998 Majoring in community health Walkon appeared in seven games last year in first season with the Illini Scored first career points with a pair of free throws vs. Central Michigan (Dec. 10) Played four years at Fremd, including two on the varsity team Also on the Fremd track and field team, competing in high jump and triple jump GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-0 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 11-12 UT Martin DNP 11-17 DePaul DNP 11-19 Marshall 1-0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER HIGHS PTS: 2 PTS: 0 vs. Central Michigan (12/10/16) FG: 0 FG: 0 FG ATT: 1 FG ATT: 0 vs. McKendree (11/15/16) 3-PT: 0 3-PT: 0 SEASON HIGHS 3-PT ATT: 1 3-PT ATT: 0 vs. McKendree (11/15/16) FT: 2 FT: 0 vs. Central Michigan (12/10/16) FT ATT: 2 FT ATT: 0 vs. Central Michigan (12/10/16) REB: 2 REB: 0 vs. McKendree (11/15/16) AST: 0 AST: 0 at Indiana (1/19/16) BLK: 0 BLK: 0 STL: 1 STL: 1 MIN: 3 MIN: 3 CAREER STATISTICS 2016-17 7-0 8-1.1 0-1/.000 0-1/.000 2-3/.667 2-1 3/0.4 1-0 0 0 0 0 2-0.3 2017-18 2-0 4-2.0 0-0/.000 0-0/.000 0-0/.000 0-0-0/0.0 1-0 0 0 0 1 0-0.0 TOTAL 9-0 12-1.3 0-1/.000 0-1/.000 2-3/.667 2-1-3/0.3 2-0 0 0 0 1 2-0.2 20 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
2017-18 NOTES Started every game this season, ranking second on team in scoring with an average of 14.0 points Perfect 20-of-20 at the free throw line through four games Nine points in collegiate debut vs. Southern (11/10) 13 points vs. UT Martin (11/12) Career-high 21 points vs. DePaul (11/17) 13 points vs. Marshall (11/19) 13 MARK SMITH FRESHMAN // GUARD // 6-4 // 225 EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. // EDWARDSVILLE H.S. CAREER NOTES Born Aug. 16, 1999 Majoring in learning and education studies Consensus four-star, top-100 recruit ranked No. 55 by Rivals, No. 78 by 247Sports Composite and No. 80 by Scout. Averaged 21.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.1 steals as a senior, leading Edwardsville to a 30-2 record and IHSA Class 4A Super-Sectionals Illinois Mr. Basketball Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year Champaign-News Gazette Player of the Year First-team All-State by the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Champaign News-Gazette and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Scored in double figures in 30 of 32 games, with eight 30-point performances Scored career-high 45 points in sectional final win over Ottawa (March 10) Belleville News-Democrat Player of the Year St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Team Collinsville Holiday Classic MVP GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-1 21 3-7 1-3 2-2 1-1 2 4 0 1 0 0 9 11-12 UT Martin 1-1 28 4-10 0-3 5-5 2-0 2 4 3 4 0 0 13 11-17 DePaul 1-1 23 4-10 1-5 12-12 2-1 3 4 3 2 0 1 21 11-19 Marshall 1-1 30 6-14 0-2 1-1 0-2 2 3 2 2 0 0 13 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER/SEASON HIGHS PTS: 21 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FG: 6 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FG ATT: 14 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT: 1 (twice) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3-PT ATT: 5 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FT: 12 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FT ATT: 12 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) REB: 3 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) AST: 3 (twice) last vs. DePaul (11/17/17) BLK: 0 STL: 1 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) MIN: 30 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) CAREER STATISTICS 2017-18 4-4 102-25.5 17-41/.415 2-13/.154 20-20/1.000 5-4 9/2.3 15-0 8 9 0 1 56-4.0 21 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
4 MATIC VESEL FRESHMAN // FORWARD // 6-10 // 215 LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA // DOMŽALE // HELIOS SUNS 2017-18 NOTES Two rebounds in collegiate debut vs. Southern (11/10) CAREER NOTES Born Feb. 25, 1998 Enrolled in the Division of General Studies (undeclared) Member of the Slovenian National Team that competed in the FIBA U20 European Championships in July, averaging 2.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists Competed for Slovenia in the FIBA U18 European Championships in 2016, averaging 7.7 points and 8.7 rebounds Grabbed eight or more rebounds in five of six games at the U18 Euros, finishing the tournament with a double-double performance of 14 points and 13 rebounds vs. Turkey Played for the Helios Suns in the Slovenian League during the 2016-17 season Saw action in 24 of 32 games for Helios, averaging 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per contest Also competed for Helios in the Basketball Champions League during the 2016-17 season, appearing in nine of 14 games GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-0 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-2 2 3 0 2 0 0 0 11-12 UT Martin DNP 11-17 DePaul DNP 11-19 Marshall 1-0 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER/SEASON HIGHS PTS: 0 FG: 0 FG ATT: 1 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-PT: 0 3-PT ATT: 0 FT: 0 FT ATT: 0 REB: 2 AST: 0 BLK: 0 STL: 0 MIN: 8 CAREER STATISTICS 2017-18 2-0 10-5.0 0-1/.000 0-0/.000 0-0/.000 0-2 2/1.0 3-0 0 2 0 0 0-0.0 22 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
2017-18 NOTES Averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds 20 DA MONTE FRESHMAN // GUARD // 6-3 // 185 PEORIA, ILL. // MANUAL H.S. Three points, four rebounds and two assists vs. UT Martin (11/12) Season highs of eight points and five rebounds vs. DePaul (11/17) WILLIAMS Five points, four rebounds and season-high three steals vs. Marshall (11/19) CAREER NOTES Born Nov. 2, 1998 Enrolled in the Division of General Studies (undeclared) Four-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals, ranked No. 93 by ESPN Averaged 25.6 points through first three games of senior season before suffering torn ACL on Dec. 2 Averaged 15.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals as a junior, leading Manual to third-place finish in IHSA Class 3A First-team Class 3A All-State by the Associated Press First-team Class 3A/4A All-State by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Second-team All-State by the Champaign News-Gazette All-Area Co-Player of the Year by the Peoria Journal-Star Son of Illini all-time great point guard Frank Williams, the 2001 Big Ten Player of the Year and two-time All-American GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent G-GS MIN FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF A TO B S PTS 11-10 Southern 1-0 15 0-2 0-1 2-2 0-1 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 11-12 UT Martin 1-0 19 1-3 1-2 0-0 1-3 4 1 2 0 0 0 3 11-17 DePaul 1-0 23 2-8 0-3 4-6 4-1 5 2 1 2 0 0 8 11-19 Marshall 1-1 19 2-5 0-0 1-4 0-4 4 3 1 0 0 3 5 11-22 Augustana (Ill.) 11-24 N.C. Central 11-28 at Wake Forest 12-1 at Northwestern 12-3 at Maryland 12-6 Austin Peay 12-9 at UNLV 12-13 Longwood 12-16 vs. N.M. State 12-23 vs. Missouri 12-30 Grand Canyon 1-3 at Minnesota 1-6 at Michigan 1-11 Iowa 1-15 at Nebraska 1-19 at Wisconsin 1-22 Michigan State 1-24 Indiana 1-30 Rutgers 2-4 at Ohio State 2-8 Wisconsin 2-11 Penn State 2-14 at Indiana 2-18 Nebraska 2-20 at Michigan State 2-22 Purdue 2-25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament CAREER/SEASON HIGHS PTS: 8 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FG: 2 (twice) last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) FG ATT: 8 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3-PT: 0 3-PT ATT: 3 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FT: 4 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) FT ATT: 6 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) REB: 5 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) AST: 2 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) BLK: 0 STL: 3 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) MIN: 23 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) CAREER STATISTICS 2017-18 4-0 76-19.0 5-18/.278 1-6/.167 7-12/.583 5-9 14/3.5 9-0 4 2 0 3 18-4.5 23 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
41 CLAYTON JONES REDSHIRT SENIOR // GUARD // 6-0 // 190 CHAMPAIGN, ILL. // CENTRAL H.S. // LAKE LAND 2017-18 NOTES Walkon is sidelined for the season, recovering from a torn ACL CAREER NOTES Born Sept. 23, 1993 Majoring in kinesiology Appeared in nine games last season with the Illini Scored career-high four points vs. Valparaiso in NIT first round (March 14), hitting a 3-pointer and free throw on a four-point play Attended Lake Land College in Mattoon for two years, playing for the Lakers in 2014-15 Played in 26 games, starting 22 times, and averaged 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists Scored a career-high 22 points and drained 5-of-6 three-pointers vs. Moberly Area (12/7/14) Prior to transferring to Lake Land, spent his freshman year at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas in 2013-14 Averaged 2.8 points while shooting 42.5 percent from 3-point range (17-40) Brother, Verdell III, was a four-year point guard at Indiana from 2009-12 CAREER STATISTICS AT ILLINOIS 2016-17 9-0 11-1.2 1-3/.333 1-2/.500 1-1/1.000 0-0 0/0.0 0-0 0 0 0 0 4-0.4 32 TYLER UNDERWOOD REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE // GUARD // 6-2 // 180 CHAMPAIGN, ILL. // NACOGDOCHES (TEXAS) H.S. // OKLAHOMA STATE 2017-18 NOTES Walkon is sitting out the season per NCAA transfer rules CAREER NOTES Born Aug. 22, 1996 Majoring in sociology Appeared in 11 games last season at Oklahoma State, totaling seven points Recorded first career points vs. New Orleans (Nov. 16), hitting a shot-clock beating 3-pointer Also made a 3-pointer in a win over Georgetown in the Maui Invitational third-place game (Nov. 23) Redshirted the 2015-16 season as a true freshman at Stephen F. Austin Averaged 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals as a senior at Nacogdoches High, earning first-team All-District honors while setting school records for season and career 3-pointers and season free-throw percentage CAREER STATISTICS AT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 2015-16 DNP Redshirt CAREER STATISTICS AT OKLAHOMA STATE 2016-17 11-0 30-2.7 2-4/.500 2-4/.500 1-2/.500 0-2 2/0.2 2-0 1 4 1 2 7-0.6 24 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
2017-18 RESULTS / ATTENDANCE DATE OPPONENT SCORE ATTENDANCE HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS Nov. 10 Southern W, 102-55 14,637 17 Alstork, Jordan 10 Alstork Nov. 12 Tennessee-Martin W, 77-74 11,882 23 Black 8 Black Nov. 17 DePaul W, 82-73 11,254 21 Smith 9 Jordan Nov. 19 Marshall W, 91-74 10,022 17 Black, Nichols 11 Nichols Nov. 22 Augustana (Ill.) Nov. 24 N.C. Central Nov. 28 at Wake Forest Dec. 1 at Northwestern Dec. 3 at Maryland Dec. 6 Austin Peay Dec. 9 at UNLV Dec. 13 Longwood Dec. 16 vs. New Mexico State Dec. 23 vs. Missouri Dec. 30 Grand Canyon Jan. 3 at Minnesota Jan. 6 at Michigan Jan. 11 Iowa Jan. 15 at Nebraska Jan. 19 at Wisconsin Jan. 22 Michigan State Jan. 24 Indiana Jan. 30 Rutgers Feb. 4 at Ohio State Feb. 8 Wisconsin Feb. 11 Penn State Feb. 14 at Indiana Feb. 18 Nebraska Feb. 20 at Michigan State Feb. 22 Purdue Feb. 25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament * sold out ATTENDANCE Games Totals Average High Game Sellouts HOME 4 47,795 11,949 14,637 0 AWAY NEUTRAL TOTALS 4 47,795 11,949 14,637 0 25 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
GAME-BY-GAME TEAM STATISTICS GAME FGM-A/% 3PM-A/% FTM-A/% OR-DR TOT PF AS TO BK ST PTS (1st-2nd-OT) Nov. 10 Illinois 32-63/.508 4-21/.190 34-37/.919 14-28 42 26 17 10 4 8 102 (53-49) Southern 19-51/.373 2-11/.182 15-23/.652 9-17 26 25 5 22 4 3 55 (31-24) Nov. 12 Illinois 26-58/.448 6-21/.286 19-27/.704 11-25 36 21 17 18 3 5 77 (44-33) Tennessee-Martin 27-62/.435 7-18/.389 13-15/.867 10-23 33 27 15 19 3 11 74 (29-45) Nov. 17 Illinois 25-60/.417 5-23/.217 27-36/.750 19-19 38 27 14 18 4 6 82 (39-43) DePaul 23-63/.365 6-19/.316 21-27/.778 15-21 36 32 11 17 3 5 73 (32-41) Nov. 19 Illinois 34-77/.442 7-15/.467 16-26/.615 17-28 45 22 19 6 0 8 91 (46-45) Marshall 24-56/.429 10-29/.345 16-26/.615 6-33 39 21 14 19 3 1 74 (36-38) Nov. 22 Illinois Augustana (Ill.) Nov. 24 Illinois N.C. Central Nov. 28 Illinois at Wake Forest Dec. 1 Illinois at Northwestern Dec. 3 Illinois at Maryland Dec. 6 Illinois Austin Peay Dec. 9 Illinois at UNLV Dec. 13 Illinois Longwood Dec. 16 Illinois vs. New Mexico State Dec. 23 Illinois vs. Missouri Dec. 30 Illinois Grand Canyon Jan. 3 Illinois at Minnesota Jan. 6 Illinois at Michigan Jan. 11 Illinois Iowa Jan. 15 Illinois at Nebraska Jan. 19 Illinois at Wisconsin Jan. 22 Illinois Michigan State Jan. 24 Illinois Indiana Jan. 30 Illinois Rutgers Feb. 4 Illinois at Ohio State Feb. 8 Illinois Wisconsin Feb. 11 Illinois Penn State Feb. 14 Illinois at Indiana Feb. 18 Illinois Nebraska Feb. 20 Illinois at Michigan State Feb. 22 Illinois Purdue Feb. 25 Illinois at Rutgers 26 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
TEAM SUPERLATIVES ILLINOIS HIGHS LOWS Points 102 77 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) First-Half Points 53 39 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) Second-Half Points 49 33 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Overtime Points N/A Winning Margin 47 (102-55) 3 (77-74) vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Field Goals 34 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 25 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) Field Goal Attempts 77 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 58 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Field Goal Percentage.508 (32-63).417 (25-60) vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3-Point Field Goals 7 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 4 3-Point Field Goal Attemps 23 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 15 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-Point Field Goal Percentage.467 (7-15) vs. Marshall (11/19/17).190 (4-21) Free Throws 34 16 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Free Throw Attemps 37 26 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Free Throw Percentage.919 (34-37).615 (16-26) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Rebounds 45 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 36 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Offensive Rebounds 19 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 11 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Defensive Rebounds 28, twice; last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 19 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) Personal Fouls 27 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 21 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Assists 19 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 14 vs. DePaul (11/17/17) Turnovers 18, twice; last vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 6 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Blocked Shots 4, twice; last vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 0 vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Steals 8, twice; last vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 5 vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Largest Lead 48 (100-52) Largest Deficit 6 (11-17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Largest Deficit Overcome in a Win 6 (11-17) vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Largest Lead Relinquished in a Loss N/A Largest Halftime Lead 22 (53-31) Largest Halftime Deficit N/A Largest Halftime Deficit Overcome in a Win N/A Largest Halftime Lead Relinquished in a Loss N/A OPPONENTS HIGHS LOWS Points 74, twice; last, Marshall (11/19/17) 55, Southern (11/10/17) First-Half Points 36, Marshall (11/19/17) 29, UT Martin (11/12/17) Second-Half Points 45, UT Martin (11/12/17) 24, Southern (11/10/17) Overtime Points N/A Winning Margin N/A Field Goals 27, UT Martin (11/12/17) 19, Southern (11/10/17) Field Goal Attempts 63, DePaul (11/17/17) 51, Southern (11/10/17) Field Goal Percentage.435 (27-62), UT Martin (11/12/17).365 (23-63), DePaul (11/17/17) 3-Point Field Goals 10, Marshall (11/19/17) 2, Southern (11/10/17) 3-Point Field Goal Attemps 29, Marshall (11/19/17) 11, Southern (11/10/17) 3-Point Field Goal Percentage.867 (7-18), UT Martin (11/12/17).182 (2-11), Southern (11/10/17) Free Throws 21, DePaul (11/17/17) 13, UT Martin (11/12/17) Free Throw Attemps 27, DePaul (11/17/17) 15, UT Martin (11/12/17) Free Throw Percentage.867 (13-15), UT Martin (11/12/17).615 (16-26), Marshall (11/19/17) Rebounds 39, Marshall (11/19/17) 26, Southern (11/10/17) Offensive Rebounds 15, DePaul (11/17/17) 6, Marshall (11/19/17) Defensive Rebounds 33, Marshall (11/19/17) 17, Southern (11/10/17) Personal Fouls 32, DePaul (11/17/17) 21, Marshall (11/19/17) Assists 15, UT Martin (11/12/17) 5, Southern (11/10/17) Turnovers 22, Southern (11/10/17) 17, DePaul (11/17/17) Blocked Shots 4, Southern (11/10/17) 3, three times; last, Marshall (11/19/17) Steals 11, UT Martin (11/12/17) 1, Marshall (11/19/17) 27 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
INDIVIDUAL SUPERLATIVES ILLINOIS HIGHS Points...23, Leron Black vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Field Goals...8, Leron Black vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Field Goal Attempts...14, Leron Black vs. UT Martin (11/12/17)...................................................... 14, Leron Black vs. Marshall (11/19/17)...................................................... 14, Mark Smith vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Field Goal Percentage (min. 6 att.)...857 (6-7), Leron Black 3-Point Field Goals...3, Michael Finke vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3-Point Field Goal Attempts...5, Trent Frazier......................................................5, Aaron Jordan vs. UT Martin (11/12/17)......................................................... 5, Mark Smith vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (min. 4 att.)...750 (3-4), Michael Finke vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Free Throws...12, Mark Smith vs. DePaul (11/17/17) Free Throw Attempts....12, Mark Smith vs. DePaul (11/17/17) Free Throw Percentage (min. 6 att.)...1.000 (12-12), Mark Smith vs. DePaul (11/17/17).............................................. 1.000 (7-7), Aaron Jordan Total Rebounds...11, Kipper Nichols vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Offensive Rebounds....5, Mark Alstork Defensive Rebounds....8, Kipper Nichols vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Assists...5, Te Jon Lucas vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Turnovers...5, Te Jon Lucas vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) Blocked Shots...3, Michael Finke vs. DePaul (11/17/17) Steals... 3, Te Jon Lucas.................................................. 3, Da Monte Williams vs. Marshall (11/19/17) Minutes....34, Leron Black vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) OPPONENT HIGHS Points...23, Delfincko Bogan, UT Martin (11/12/17).........................................................23, Jarrod West, Marshall (11/19/17) Field Goals...9, Delfincko Bogan, UT Martin (11/12/17) Field Goal Attempts... 17, Jared Sam, Southern (11/10/17) Field Goal Percentage (min. 6 att.)...875 (7-8), Jarrod West, Marshall (11/19/17) 3-Point Field Goals...5, Jarrod West, Marshall (11/19/17) 3-Point Field Goal Attempts...9, Matthew Butler, UT Martin (11/12/17) 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (min. 4 att.)...833 (5-6), Jarrod West, Marshall (11/19/17) Free Throws... 8, Jon Elmore, Marshall (11/19/17) Free Throw Attempts.... 10, Jon Elmore, Marshall (11/19/17) Free Throw Percentage (min. 6 att.)... 1.000 (6-6), Darius Thompson, UT Martin (11/12/17) Total Rebounds... 11, Jared Sam, Southern (11/10/17)....................................................... 11, Ajdin Penava, Marshall (11/19/17) Offensive Rebounds.... 4, Jared Sam, Southern (11/10/17)...........................................................4, Marin Maric, DePaul (11/17/17) Defensive Rebounds.... 8, Ajdin Penava, Marshall (11/19/17) Assists...6, Delfincko Bogan, UT Martin (11/12/17) Turnovers... 6, Jared Sam, Southern (11/10/17).......................................................... 6, Jon Elmore, Marshall (11/19/17) Blocked Shots... 2, Ajdin Penava, Marshall (11/19/17) Steals...7, Delfincko Bogan, UT Martin (11/12/17) Minutes....40, Matthew Butler, UT Martin (11/12/17) ILLINOIS TOP INDIVIDUAL GAMES POINTS 1. 23...Leron Black vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 2. 21...Mark Smith vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3. 17...Mark Alstork 17...Aaron Jordan 17...Leron Black vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 17...Kipper Nichols vs. Marshall (11/19/17) REBOUNDS 1. 11...Kipper Nichols vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 2. 10...Mark Alstork 3. 9...Aaron Jordan vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 4. 8...Leron Black vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 5. 6...Leron Black 6...Michael Finke ASSISTS 1. 5...Te Jon Lucas vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 2. 4...Mark Alstork 4...Leron Black 4. 3...Trent Frazier v 3...Te Jon Lucas 3...Leron Black vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 3...Te Jon Lucas vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 3...Mark Smith vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 3... Mark Alstork vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3...Leron Black vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3... Michael Finke vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3...Mark Smith vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 3...Mark Alstork vs. Marshall (11/19/17) BLOCKED SHOTS 1. 3... Michael Finke vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 2. 2...Greg Eboigbodin 3. 1...Te Jon Lucas 1... Kipper Nichols 1...Leron Black vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 1...Aaron Jordan vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 1...Kipper Nichols vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 1... Mark Alstork vs. DePaul (11/17/17) STEALS 1. 3...Te Jon Lucas 3...Da Monte Williams vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 3. 2... Trent Frazier vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 2...Aaron Jordan vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 2...Aaron Jordan vs. Marshall (11/19/17) MINUTES 1. 34...Leron Black vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 2. 33... Michael Finke vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 3. 30...Mark Smith vs. Marshall (11/19/17) 4. 28...Mark Smith vs. UT Martin (11/12/17) 5. 27... Michael Finke vs. DePaul (11/17/17) 28 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
SPECIALTY STATISTICS Pts in Paint Pts off TO 2nd Chance Pts Fast Break Pts Bench Pts Largest Largest Lead OPPONENT (ILL-Opp.) (ILL-Opp.) (ILL-Opp.) (ILL-Opp.) (ILL-Opp.) Lead Deficit Changes Ties Nov. 10 Southern 36-22 33-10 19-9 6-4 42-18 48 (100-52) 0 0 Nov. 12 Tennessee-Martin 30-34 18-19 9-8 4-6 23-33 19 (48-29) 3 (4-7) 4 1 Nov. 17 DePaul 32-28 25-18 22-14 4-6 37-34 12 (82-70) 4 (2-6) 3 4 Nov. 19 Marshall 42-20 32-6 11-5 15-2 42-10 23 (66-43) 6 (11-17) 3 4 Nov. 22 Augustana (Ill.) Nov. 24 N.C. Central Nov. 28 at Wake Forest Dec. 1 at Northwestern Dec. 3 at Maryland Dec. 6 Austin Peay Dec. 9 at UNLV Dec. 13 Longwood Dec. 16 vs. New Mexico State Dec. 23 vs. Missouri Dec. 30 Grand Canyon Jan. 3 at Minnesota Jan. 6 at Michigan Jan. 11 Iowa Jan. 15 at Nebraska Jan. 19 at Wisconsin Jan. 22 Michigan State Jan. 24 Indiana Jan. 30 Rutgers Feb. 4 at Ohio State Feb. 8 Wisconsin Feb. 11 Penn State Feb. 14 at Indiana Feb. 18 Nebraska Feb. 20 at Michigan State Feb. 22 Purdue Feb. 25 at Rutgers TBD at Big Ten Tournament Totals 140-104 112-53 61-36 29-18 144-95 Average 35.0-26.0 28.0-13.3 15.3-9.0 7.3-4.5 36.0-23.8 Margin +9.0 +14.7 +6.3 +2.8 +12.2 29 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
Southern 55 0-1 GAME 1 ILLINOIS 102, SOUTHERN 55 NOV. 10, 2017 // STATE FARM CENTER // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Total 3-Ptr Rebounds ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 12 Jared Sam f 8-17 0-0 5-7 4 7 11 1 21 0 6 0 0 33 21 Patrick Smith f 2-5 0-1 3-6 2 0 2 1 7 0 1 1 0 20 01 LaQuentin Collins g 0-2 0-2 0-0 0 2 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 16 03 Eddie Reese g 3-6 1-3 0-1 0 2 2 3 7 2 5 0 0 25 10 Jamar Sandifer g 1-6 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 0 19 02 Emanuel Sheperd 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 3 4 2 1 1 1 16 04 Chris Thomas 2-5 1-2 1-2 1 2 3 2 6 0 2 1 1 18 05 Brendon Ganaway 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 6 13 Torrey Mayo 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 15 14 Aaron Ray 0-0 0-0 4-5 0 2 2 3 4 0 1 0 0 15 30 DeRias Johnson 0-2 0-2 0-0 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 44 Mubashar Ali 1-2 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 2 4 0 1 0 0 9 Team 1 0 1 Totals 19-51 2-11 15-23 9 17 26 25 55 5 22 4 3 200 FG % 1st Half: 11-28 39.3% 3FG % 1st Half: 2-6 33.3% FT % 1st Half: 7-12 58.3% Illinois 102 1-0 2nd half: 8-23 34.8% 2nd half: 0-5 0.0% 2nd half: 8-11 72.7% Game: 19-51 37.3% Game: 2-11 18.2% Game: 15-23 65.2% Total 3-Ptr Rebounds Deadball Rebounds 3,1 ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 12 Black, Leron f 6-7 0-0 2-2 3 3 6 3 14 4 2 0 1 15 43 Finke, Michael f 5-8 0-3 2-2 1 5 6 2 12 2 0 0 0 24 03 Lucas, Te'Jon g 4-8 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 2 8 3 1 1 3 15 13 Smith, Mark g 3-7 1-3 2-2 1 1 2 4 9 0 1 0 0 21 24 Alstork, Mark g 4-8 0-3 9-10 5 5 10 1 17 4 1 0 0 26 01 Frazier, Trent 2-8 0-5 3-4 0 2 2 1 7 3 2 0 0 22 02 Nichols, Kipper 4-7 1-2 5-6 1 1 2 0 14 0 0 1 1 16 04 Vesel, Matic 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 3 0 0 2 0 0 8 10 Cayce, Drew 0-1 0-1 2-2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 11 Eboigbodin, Greg 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 2 0 0 0 2 0 11 20 Williams, Da'Monte 0-2 0-1 2-2 0 1 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 15 23 Jordan, Aaron 4-6 2-3 7-7 0 2 2 4 17 1 1 0 1 18 35 Oladimeji, Samson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 45 Liss, Cameron 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 Team 2 2 4 Totals 32-63 4-21 34-37 14 28 42 26 102 17 10 4 8 200 Game 1 Recap Illini 102, Southern 55 (Nov. 10) Illinois began the Brad Underwood era with a 47-point victory over Southern at State Farm Center. The Illini led from start to finish while lighting up the scoreboard with 102 points, reaching the century mark in a season opener for the first time since the 1990-91 season. The Illini shot 66.7 percent on 2-pointers (28-42) and tallied 34 points at the free throw line on 91.9 percent accuracy (34-37). Illinois scored 36 points in the paint and also racked up 33 points off of Southern s 22 turnovers. Five Illini players scored in double figures led by Mark Alstork s double-double of 17 points with 10 rebounds and Aaron Jordan s career-high 17 points. Leron Black was efficient, netting 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Kipper Nichols also had 14. Michael Finke, meanwhile, finished with 12 points. FG % 1st Half: 16-33 48.5% 2nd half: 16-30 53.3% 3FG % 1st Half: 2-13 15.4% 2nd half: 2-8 25.0% FT % 1st Half: 19-20 95.0% 2nd half: 15-17 88.2% Officials: Lamont Simpson, Steve McJunkins, Brian McNutt Technical fouls: Southern-None. Illinois-None. Attendance: 14637 Global Sports Invitational Game: 32-63 50.8% Game: 4-21 19.0% Game: 34-37 91.9% Deadball Rebounds 2 Score by periods 1st 2nd Total Southern 31 24 55 Illinois 53 49 102 In Off 2nd Fast Paint T/O Chance Break Points Bench SUBRM 22 10 9 4 18 ILL 36 33 19 6 42 Last FG - SUBRM 2nd-02:19, ILL 2nd-03:53. Largest lead - SUBRM None, ILL by 48 2nd-02:33. SUBRM led for 00:00. ILL led for 39:07. Game was tied for 00:53. Score tied - 0 times. Lead changed - 0 times. GAME 2 ILLINOIS 77, TENNESSEE-MARTIN 74 NOV. 12, 2017 // STATE FARM CENTER // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. UT Martin 74 0-2 Total 3-Ptr Rebounds ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 13 FOFANA, 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 3 0 0 1 0 0 7 Mike f 15 WILLIAMS, Dominique f 6-14 0-1 3-4 2 3 5 4 15 1 2 0 1 37 05 PARKER, Terrence c 2-3 0-0 0-1 2 3 5 4 4 2 3 0 0 18 01 BUTLER, Matthew g 5-15 4-9 2-2 0 4 4 3 16 1 5 0 0 40 11 THOMPSON, Darius g 0-2 0-1 6-6 0 2 2 0 6 1 1 0 1 22 02 BOGAN, Delfincko 9-15 3-5 2-2 1 3 4 1 23 6 2 0 7 34 04 HEWITT, Parrish 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 4 12 LEWIS, Fatodd 4-7 0-2 0-0 3 4 7 3 8 2 1 1 0 23 22 BEAUFORT, Kahari 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 1 1 4 24 DAVIS, Jerome 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 3 30 GILL, Jailen 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 1 1 8 Team 2 1 3 Totals 27-62 7-18 13-15 10 23 33 27 74 15 19 3 11 200 FG % 1st Half: 11-30 36.7% 3FG % 1st Half: 2-9 22.2% FT % 1st Half: 5-5 100.0 Illinois 77 2-0 2nd half: 16-32 50.0% 2nd half: 5-9 55.6% 2nd half: 8-10 80.0% Game: 27-62 43.5% Game: 7-18 38.9% Game: 13-15 86.7% Total 3-Ptr Rebounds Deadball Rebounds 1,2 ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 12 Black, 8-14 0-0 7-8 1 7 8 3 23 3 2 1 0 34 Leron f 43 Finke, Michael f 5-8 1-2 1-2 2 3 5 2 12 2 1 0 1 33 03 Lucas, Te'Jon g 1-3 0-1 1-2 0 2 2 4 3 3 5 0 1 20 13 Smith, Mark g 4-10 0-3 5-5 2 0 2 4 13 3 4 0 0 28 24 Alstork, Mark g 1-7 1-4 0-0 1 2 3 3 3 0 1 0 0 21 01 Frazier, Trent 2-4 1-3 1-2 0 1 1 1 6 1 3 0 2 17 02 Nichols, Kipper 1-3 0-1 2-5 1 1 2 1 4 2 1 1 1 12 11 Eboigbodin, Greg 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+ 20 Williams, Da'Monte 1-3 1-2 0-0 1 3 4 1 3 2 0 0 0 19 23 Jordan, Aaron 3-6 2-5 2-3 1 4 5 2 10 1 1 1 0 16 Team 2 1 3 Totals 26-58 6-21 19-27 11 25 36 21 77 17 18 3 5 200 Game 2 Recap Illini 77, UT Martin 74 (Nov. 12) The Illini held on for a 3-point win over visiting UT Martin to improve to 2-0 on the young season. Illinois opened up what was a tight game for most of the first half by outscoring the Skyhawks 19-7 over the last 5:25 of the half to take a 15-point advantage into the locker room. The visitors clawed to within four points midway through the second half before the Illini pushed the lead back to as many as 16 with under four minutes remaining. The Illini still held an 11-point advantage before UT Martin made a furious late rally, forcing a pair of turnovers to help ignite a 9-1 run and pull within 77-74. Illinois had a chance to put the game away on its final possession but Leron Black could not get a pair of close looks to fall. Following a loose ball, UT Martin s Matthew Butler came away with it but his tying 3-point attempts would not fall. The Skyhawks got one last chance with :00.9 remaining, but a deep three by Butler fell well short at the buzzer. Leron Black led the way with a career-high 23 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds and three assists. Freshman Mark Smith recorded double figures for the first time as an Illini, tallying 13 points. FG % 1st Half: 16-29 55.2% 2nd half: 10-29 34.5% 3FG % 1st Half: 4-12 33.3% 2nd half: 2-9 22.2% FT % 1st Half: 8-11 72.7% 2nd half: 11-16 68.8% Officials: Bo Boroski, Rob Kueneman, Courtney Green Technical fouls: UT Martin-None. Illinois-None. Attendance: 11882 Global Sports Invitational Game: 26-58 44.8% Game: 6-21 28.6% Game: 19-27 70.4% Deadball Rebounds 4,1 Michael Finke had 12 points for the second straight game and Aaron Jordan shined once again off the bench, finishing with 10 points and a career-high five rebounds. Score by periods 1st 2nd Total UT Martin 29 45 74 Illinois 44 33 77 In Off 2nd Fast Paint T/O Chance Break Points Bench UTM 34 19 8 6 33 ILL 30 18 9 4 23 Last FG - UTM 2nd-00:38, ILL 2nd-01:53. Largest lead - UTM by 3 1st-14:35, ILL by 19 2nd-18:43. UTM led for 01:40. ILL led for 35:59. Game was tied for 02:21. DePaul 73 1-2 GAME 3 ILLINOIS 82, DEPAUL 73 NOV. 17, 2017 // STATE FARM CENTER // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Total 3-Ptr Rebounds ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 10 McCALLUM, 0-2 0-1 0-0 2 2 4 4 0 1 3 0 0 22 Tre'Darius f 34 MARIC, Marin c 5-10 0-0 2-2 4 1 5 5 12 0 1 1 1 21 03 GAGE, Devin g 2-5 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 2 4 0 2 0 0 10 11 CAIN, Eli g 2-9 0-2 4-6 1 2 3 4 8 2 3 0 0 22 31 STRUS, Max g 3-9 3-7 6-7 2 3 5 4 15 1 1 0 1 33 00 ROBERTS, Justin 7-15 3-4 2-2 0 5 5 3 19 5 1 1 2 33 01 GRANDSTAFF, Austin 0-2 0-2 0-0 1 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 9 02 BUTZ, Jaylen 1-3 0-0 2-4 2 5 7 5 4 0 1 1 0 19 04 CYRUS, Brandon 3-8 0-3 5-6 1 1 2 2 11 1 3 0 1 28 15 REED, Paul 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 30 RYCKBOSCH, Peter 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Team 1 0 1 1 Totals 23-63 6-19 21-27 15 21 36 32 73 11 17 3 5 200 FG % 1st Half: 13-32 40.6% 3FG % 1st Half: 2-9 22.2% FT % 1st Half: 4-6 66.7% Illinois 82 3-0 2nd half: 10-31 32.3% 2nd half: 4-10 40.0% 2nd half: 17-21 81.0% Game: 23-63 36.5% Game: 6-19 31.6% Game: 21-27 77.8% Total 3-Ptr Rebounds Deadball Rebounds 9,1 ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 12 Black, 4-8 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 5 8 3 2 0 0 17 Leron f 43 Finke, Michael f 3-8 0-3 3-3 3 2 5 3 9 3 2 3 0 27 03 Lucas, Te'Jon g 2-6 0-1 2-4 1 0 1 3 6 1 2 0 1 19 13 Smith, Mark g 4-10 1-5 12-12 2 1 3 4 21 3 2 0 1 23 24 Alstork, Mark g 0-1 0-1 1-2 2 3 5 2 1 3 4 1 1 17 01 Frazier, Trent 2-4 1-3 1-2 1 2 3 1 6 0 2 0 0 19 02 Nichols, Kipper 6-11 2-3 2-3 0 4 4 4 16 0 0 0 1 25 11 Eboigbodin, Greg 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 8 20 Williams, Da'Monte 2-8 0-3 4-6 4 1 5 2 8 1 2 0 0 23 23 Jordan, Aaron 2-4 1-3 2-4 3 6 9 2 7 0 0 0 2 22 Team 1 0 1 Totals 25-60 5-23 27-36 19 19 38 27 82 14 18 4 6 200 FG % 1st Half: 12-28 42.9% 3FG % 1st Half: 3-13 23.1% FT % 1st Half: 12-16 75.0% 2nd half: 13-32 40.6% 2nd half: 2-10 20.0% 2nd half: 15-20 75.0% Officials: Brian O'Connell, Earl Walton, Mike Eades Technical fouls: DePaul-CAIN, Eli. Illinois-Nichols, Kipper. Attendance: 11254 Gavitt Tipoff Games Game: 25-60 41.7% Game: 5-23 21.7% Game: 27-36 75.0% Score tied - 1 time. Lead changed - 4 times. Deadball Rebounds 3,3 Game 3 Recap Illini 82, DePaul 73 (Nov. 17) In the first meeting in 60 years between Illinois and DePaul, the Fighting Illini earned state bragging rights with a victory over the visiting Blue Demons as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. It was a physical contest from start to finish with both teams battling foul trouble throughout the night. The game featured a total of 59 fouls, resulting in a combined 63 free throw attempts. Illinois received contributions from everyone in its lineup, led by standout performances from Mark Smith and Kipper Nichols. Smith was aggressive driving to the basket and drawing fouls, earning 12 trips to the free throw line. He knocked down all 12 and made four baskets for a game-high 21 points, eclipsing the 20-point mark in just his third career game. Nichols again gave the Illini a spark off the bench, knocking down 6-of-11 from the field including a pair of 3-pointers to tie his career high in scoring with 16 points. The Illini had a tough shooting night but attacked the offensive glass, grabbing 19 misses and converting those into 22 points. Illinois also scored 25 points off of DePaul turnovers. Score by periods 1st 2nd Total DePaul 32 41 73 Illinois 39 43 82 In Off 2nd Fast Paint T/O Chance Break Points Bench DPU 28 18 14 6 34 ILL 32 25 22 4 37 Last FG - DPU 2nd-00:36, ILL 2nd-02:16. Score tied - 4 times. Largest lead - DPU by 4 1st-18:28, ILL by 12 2nd-00:47. Lead changed - 3 times. DPU led for 03:44. ILL led for 33:30. Game was tied for 02:46. 30 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
Marshall 74 2-2 GAME 4 ILLINOIS 91, MARSHALL 74 NOV. 19, 2017 // STATE FARM CENTER // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Total 3-Ptr Rebounds ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 11 PENAVA, Ajdin f 6-8 2-3 1-2 3 8 11 4 15 3 0 2 0 25 50 MIJOVIC, Milan f 0-1 0-0 0-1 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 18 13 WEST, Jarrod g 7-8 5-6 4-6 0 3 3 4 23 2 2 0 1 32 14 BURKS, C.J. g 5-11 0-3 2-3 0 2 2 2 12 2 5 0 0 24 33 ELMORE, Jon g 2-11 2-7 8-10 0 4 4 3 14 3 6 1 0 35 00 THIENEMAN, Christian 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 10 01 KOLJANIN, Dani 1-5 1-4 0-2 0 5 5 2 3 2 2 0 0 17 03 WILLIAMS, Jannson 1-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 10 12 ELMORE, Ot 0-4 0-3 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 21 GEORGE, Darius 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 2 2 0 2 0 0 10 32 BLEDSOE, Phil 1-4 0-2 1-2 1 1 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 7 Team 0 5 5 Totals 24-56 10-29 16-26 6 33 39 21 74 14 19 3 1 200 FG % 1st Half: 11-28 39.3% 3FG % 1st Half: 7-18 38.9% FT % 1st Half: 7-15 46.7% Illinois 91 4-0 2nd half: 13-28 46.4% 2nd half: 3-11 27.3% 2nd half: 9-11 81.8% Game: 24-56 42.9% Game: 10-29 34.5% Game: 16-26 61.5% Total 3-Ptr Rebounds Deadball Rebounds 6 ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 12 Black, Leron f 7-14 0-0 3-4 4 5 9 1 17 2 0 0 1 26 43 Finke, Michael f 5-8 3-4 0-0 3 1 4 3 13 2 0 0 0 20 03 Lucas, Te'Jon g 1-4 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 3 2 5 1 0 1 22 13 Smith, Mark g 6-14 0-2 1-1 0 2 2 3 13 2 2 0 0 30 24 Alstork, Mark g 1-6 1-2 1-2 2 1 3 3 4 3 1 0 1 19 01 Frazier, Trent 4-6 1-2 1-2 0 0 0 0 10 2 0 0 0 20 02 Nichols, Kipper 5-12 0-2 7-8 3 8 11 2 17 1 1 0 0 18 04 Vesel, Matic 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 Cayce, Drew 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 Eboigbodin, Greg 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 20 Williams, Da'Monte 2-5 0-0 1-4 0 4 4 3 5 1 0 0 3 19 23 Jordan, Aaron 3-7 2-3 1-3 1 4 5 2 9 0 0 0 2 17 35 Oladimeji, Samson 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 45 Liss, Cameron 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Team 3 1 4 1 Totals 34-77 7-15 16-26 17 28 45 22 91 19 6 0 8 200 Game 4 Recap Illini 91, Marshall 74 (Nov. 19) Illinois improved to 4-0 on the season with a home win over Marshall. The Illini went on a 17-3 run midway through the first half and opened the second on a 12-4 spurt to grab an 18-point advantage with 16 minutes remaining. The lead grew to as many as 23 points and never fell below 16 the rest of the way. Illinois had a season-high 19 assists on its 34 baskets and had an impressive 19:6 assist-to-turnover ratio. The UI defense forced Marshall into 19 turnovers, which the Orange and Blue converted into 32 points. Illinois scored 42 points in the paint and shot a season s best 45.7 percent from 3-point range, draining 7-of-15 from behind the arc. Five Illini scored in double figures led by Kipper Nichols, who recorded the first double-double of his career. Nichols set career bests in both scoring and rebounding, finishing with 17 points and 11 boards. Leron Black equaled Nichols with 17 points, while Michael Finke and Mark Smith scored 13 each. FG % 1st Half: 17-39 43.6% 2nd half: 17-38 44.7% 3FG % 1st Half: 3-9 33.3% 2nd half: 4-6 66.7% FT % 1st Half: 9-13 69.2% 2nd half: 7-13 53.8% Officials: Keith Kimble, Jon Campbell, Owen Short Technical fouls: Marshall-None. Illinois-None. Attendance: 10022 Global Sports Invitational Game: 34-77 44.2% Game: 7-15 46.7% Game: 16-26 61.5% Deadball Rebounds 3,2 Freshman Trent Frazier reached double figures for the first time as an Illini with 10 points. Score by periods 1st 2nd Total Marshall 36 38 74 Illinois 46 45 91 In Off 2nd Fast Paint T/O Chance Break Points Bench MAR 20 6 5 2 10 ILL 42 32 11 15 42 Last FG - MAR 2nd-01:37, ILL 2nd-00:24. Largest lead - MAR by 6 1st-14:13, ILL by 23 2nd-12:27. MAR led for 06:16. ILL led for 31:23. Game was tied for 02:21. Score tied - 4 times. Lead changed - 3 times. GAME 5 ILLINOIS VS. AUGUSTANA (ILL.) NOV. 22, 2017 // STATE FARM CENTER // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. GAME 6 ILLINOIS VS. NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL NOV. 24, 2017 // STATE FARM CENTER // CHAMPAIGN, ILL. 31 // 2016-17 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
COMBINED STATISTICS ALL GAMES 2017-18 Illinois Basketball Illinois Combined Team Statistics (as of Nov 19, 2017) All games RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL ALL GAMES 4-0 4-0 0-0 0-0 CONFERENCE 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 NON-CONFERENCE 4-0 4-0 0-0 0-0 Total 3-Point F-Throw Rebounds ## Player gp-gs min avg fg-fga fg% 3fg-fga 3fg% ft-fta ft% off def tot avg pf dq a to blk stl pts avg 12 Black, Leron 4-4 92 23.0 25-43.581 0-1.000 12-14.857 9 15 24 6.0 12 1 12 6 1 2 62 15.5 13 Smith, Mark 4-4 102 25.5 17-41.415 2-13.154 20-20 1.000 5 4 9 2.3 15 0 8 9 0 1 56 14.0 02 Nichols, Kipper 4-0 71 17.8 16-33.485 3-8.375 16-22.727 5 14 19 4.8 7 0 3 2 2 3 51 12.8 43 Finke, Michael 4-4 104 26.0 18-32.563 4-12.333 6-7.857 9 11 20 5.0 10 0 9 3 3 1 46 11.5 23 Jordan, Aaron 4-0 73 18.3 12-23.522 7-14.500 12-17.706 5 16 21 5.3 10 0 2 2 1 5 43 10.8 01 Frazier, Trent 4-0 78 19.5 10-22.455 3-13.231 6-10.600 1 5 6 1.5 3 0 6 7 0 2 29 7.3 24 Alstork, Mark 4-4 83 20.8 6-22.273 2-10.200 11-14.786 10 11 21 5.3 9 0 10 7 1 2 25 6.3 03 Lucas, Te'Jon 4-4 76 19.0 8-21.381 0-2.000 3-6.500 1 6 7 1.8 12 0 12 9 1 6 19 4.8 20 Williams, Da'Monte 4-0 76 19.0 5-18.278 1-6.167 7-12.583 5 9 14 3.5 9 0 4 2 0 3 18 4.5 10 Cayce, Drew 2-0 5 2.5 0-1.000 0-1.000 2-2 1.000 1 0 1 0.5 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1.0 11 Eboigbodin, Greg 4-0 22 5.5 0-1.000 0-0.000 1-2.500 2 3 5 1.3 3 0 1 2 2 0 1 0.3 35 Oladimeji, Samson 2-0 4 2.0 0-0.000 0-0.000 0-0.000 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.0 04 Vesel, Matic 2-0 10 5.0 0-1.000 0-0.000 0-0.000 0 2 2 1.0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0.0 45 Liss, Cameron 2-0 4 2.0 0-0.000 0-0.000 0-0.000 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.0 Team 8 4 12 1 Total... 4 800 117-258.453 22-80.275 96-126.762 61 100 161 40.2 96 1 67 52 11 27 352 88.0 Opponents... 4 800 93-232.401 25-77.325 65-91.714 40 94 134 33.5 105-45 77 13 20 276 69.0 TEAM STATISTICS ILL OPP SCORING 352 276 Points per game 88.0 69.0 Scoring margin +19.0 - FIELD GOALS-ATT 117-258 93-232 Field goal pct.453.401 3 POINT FG-ATT 22-80 25-77 3-point FG pct.275.325 3-pt FG made per game 5.5 6.3 FREE THROWS-ATT 96-126 65-91 Free throw pct.762.714 F-Throws made per game 24.0 16.3 REBOUNDS 161 134 Rebounds per game 40.2 33.5 Rebounding margin +6.8 - ASSISTS 67 45 Assists per game 16.8 11.3 TURNOVERS 52 77 Turnovers per game 13.0 19.3 Turnover margin +6.3 - Assist/turnover ratio 1.3 0.6 STEALS 27 20 Steals per game 6.8 5.0 BLOCKS 11 13 Blocks per game 2.8 3.3 ATTENDANCE 47795 0 Home games-avg/game 4-11949 0-0 Neutral site-avg/game - 0-0 Date Opponent Score Att. 11/10/17 SOUTHERN W 102-55 14637 11/12/17 UT MARTIN W 77-74 11882 11/17/17 DEPAUL W 82-73 11254 11/19/17 MARSHALL W 91-74 10022 * - Conference game Score by Periods 1st 2nd Totals Illinois 182 170 352 Opponents 128 148 276 32 // 2017-18 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
TRENT FRAZIER FR. / G / 6-1 / 170 WELLINGTON, FLA. WELLINGTON KIPPER NICHOLS R-SO. / F / 6-6 / 225 CLEVELAND, OHIO ST. EDWARD TE JON LUCAS SO. / G / 6-1 / 180 MILWAUKEE, WIS. WASHINGTON MATIC VESEL FR. / F / 6-10 / 215 LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA DOMŽALE DREW CAYCE R-SO. / G / 6-1 / 165 LIBERTYVILLE, ILL. LA LUMIERE (IND.) GREG EBOIGBODIN FR. / F / 6-9 / 225 BENIN CITY, EDO, NIGERIA UNIV. OF DETROIT JESUIT LERON BLACK R-JR. / F / 6-7 / 230 MEMPHIS, TENN. WHITE STATION MARK SMITH FR. / G / 6-4 / 225 EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. EDWARDSVILLE DA MONTE WILLIAMS FR. / G / 6-3 / 190 PEORIA, ILL. MANUAL AARON JORDAN JR. / G / 6-5 / 210 PLAINFIELD, ILL. EAST MARK ALSTORK GR. / G / 6-5 / 190 DAYTON, OHIO THURGOOD MARSHALL TYLER UNDERWOOD R-SO. / G / 6-2 / 180 CHAMPAIGN, ILL. NACOGDOCHES (TEXAS) SAMSON OLADIMEJI SO. / G / 6-4 / 200 ROLLING MEADOWS, ILL. FREMD CLAYTON JONES R-SR. / G / 6-0 / 190 CHAMPAIGN, ILL. CENTRAL MICHAEL FINKE R-JR. / F / 6-10 / 235 CHAMPAIGN, ILL. CENTENNIAL CAMERON LISS R-JR. / F / 6-6 / 220 NORTHBROOK, ILL. GLENBROOK NORTH BRAD UNDERWOOD HEAD COACH 1ST YEAR AT ILLINOIS 5TH YEAR OVERALL ORLANDO ANTIGUA ASSISTANT COACH 1ST YEAR AT ILLINOIS RON COLEMAN ASSISTANT COACH 1ST YEAR AT ILLINOIS JAMALL WALKER ASSISTANT COACH 6TH YEAR AT ILLINOIS