Dec. 14, 1999

#20/22 Illinois (5-2)
vs.
#8/6 Kansas (7-1)

Familiar Territory

Illini Head Coach Lon Kruger is seeing some familiar teams in December. On December 8, he faced Texas-Pan American, the school where he got his head coaching start. Then on the 11th, he led the Illini to victory over his alma mater, Kansas State.

The next two games pit the Illini against familiar foes for Kruger, Kansas and Missouri. He has both played and coached against those two teams a total of 62 times. As a player, he was 4-2 against Kansas and 5-3 against Missouri. As an assistant coach at Kansas State, he was 8-3 against Kansas and 4-5 vs. Missouri. He is 4-10 against both Kansas and Missouri as a head coach.

Last Time Out

Illinois made quick work of Kansas State, taking a double-digit lead into the locker room and topping that with a dominating second half performance to defeat the Wildcats 81-48. Illinois' defense was the story of the game, as it caused 21 KSU turnovers and held the Wildcats to just .276 shooting from the floor. The 27.6 percent field goal percentage is the lowest an opponent has shot since Tennessee-Martin shot 25 percent in a 71-35 loss to the Illini last season. The 48 points is the lowest point total Illinois has allowed since a 53-48 victory over Bradley last year.

On offense, Illinois was led by its guard tandem of Frank Williams and Cory Bradford. Bradford scored 12 while Williams recorded a season-high 20 points to go along with a game high 6 rebounds. Lucas Johnson added 14 points off the bench.

About Kansas

Kansas owns a record of 7-1 and is ranked eighth in the AP Poll (sixth in ESPN/USA Today) heading into its home game with Ohio State on Wednesday night. The Jayhawks opened the season with six straight victories, including the championship of the Great Alaska Shootout. KU's loss came at the hands of Michigan State (66-54) in the Great Eight in Chicago.

Kansas is led by junior swingman Kenny Gregory, who is averaging 16.4 ppg while shooting .678 from the field. Jeff Boschee and Luke Axtell are scoring threats from downtown, with Boschee connecting on 61 percent of his three-point attempts along with Axtell's 44 percent. Kansas has also gotten quality play from freshman forwards in Drew Gooden and Nick Collison, who are combining for over 20 points and 14 rebounds per game.

Team Comparisons

Kruger and Illinois vs. Kansas

Lon Kruger is 4-10 against Kansas as a head coach. He was 4-7 against the Jayhawks at Kansas State, 0-2 while at Florida, and lost his only game to KU as coach of the Illini last season, by the score of 65-55

Illinois is 1-1 all time vs Kansas, with the loss coming last season at Kemper Arena. The Illini defeated Kansas in 81-75 at the Maui Invitational on November 29, 1987, the same season the Jayhawks went on to win the national championship.

Probable Starters

ILLINOIS

F - 21 Robert Archibald (So., 6-11, 228, 4.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
F - 32 Cleotis Brown (Sr., 6-5, 220, 8.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
C - 52 Marcus Griffin (Jr., 6-9, 235, 11.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
G - 13 Cory Bradford (So., 6-3, 200, 15.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
G - 30 Frank Williams (Fr., 6-3, 197, 13.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.6 ast)

Reserves

00 - Victor Chukwudebe (F., Sr., 6-7, 230, 3.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
 5 - Nate Mast (G, Jr., 5-11, 160, 0.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg)
22 - Lucas Johnson (F, So, 6-8, 217, 6.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
24 - Sean Harrington (G, Fr., 6-3, 185, 0.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg)
33 - Damir Krupalija (F, So., 6-9, 216, 3.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
34 - Brian Cook (F, Fr., 6-10, 231, 5.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
40 - Sergio McClain (F, Jr., 6-4, 222, 5.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.6 ast)

KANSAS

F - Nick Collison (Fr., 6-9, 240, 9.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
F - Kenny Gregory (Jr., 6-5, 205, 16.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
C - Eric Chenowith (Jr., 7-1, 260, 10.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
G - Nick Bradford (Sr., 6-7, 205, 7.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
G - Jeff Boschee (So., 6-1, 185, 9.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 3.5 apg)

The Head Coaches

Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger
Overall Record: 301-225 (18th year)
At Illinois: 64-40 (4th year)

Kansas Head Coach Roy Williams
Overall Record: 312-73 (12th year)
At Kansas: 312-73 (12th year)

Illini Record in 1999-2000

Illini Head Coach Lon Kruger

Lon Kruger is in his fourth season at the helm of the Illini program. He posted back-to-back 20 win seasons in his first two years at Illinois and took the Illini to consecutive NCAA Tournaments (1997, 1998). In 1999 with the Big Ten's most inexperienced team, Kruger led the 11th place Illini to the tournament championship game. In his career he has guided four teams to 20-win seasons and taken three to the NCAA Tournament.

Kruger Career Record

Pan American,   1983-86	       52-59
Kansas State,   1987-90	       81-46
Florida,        1991-96	      104-80
Illinois,       1997-present   64-40
Total	                      301-225

Kruger Reaches 300 Wins

On December 8th against Texas-Pan American, Head Coach Lon Kruger collected the 300th victory of his career, when the Illini defeated UTPA 98-61. With the win, Kruger joined 47 other active head coaches who have reached the 300-club.

Kruger notched his first victory as a head coach against Air Force, 78-44, in the 1982-83 season at Pan American. It took the first-year coach three games to pick up win No. 1 after losses to Louisiana Tech, 66-58, and LSU, 76-67.

Illinois at the United Center

The Illini are playing their second game of the season at the United Center. On Nov. 30, UI lost to Duke 72-69 in the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Illinois has an all-time record of 8-4 at the United Center, including a 4-1 mark last season.

11/30/99   vs. Duke             69-72, L
3/7/99     vs. Michigan State   50-67, L
3/6/99     vs. Ohio State       79-77, W
3/5/99     vs. Indiana          83-66, W
3/4/99     vs. Minnesota        67-74, W
12/5/98    vs. Bradley          53-48, W
3/7/98     vs. Purdue           47-68, L
3/6/98     vs. Wisconsin        66-61, W
12/13/97   vs. Clemson          71-61, W
12/21/96   vs. UCLA             79-63, W
12/23/95   vs. California       83-69, W
2/3/94     vs. Duke             65-70, L

Illinois Players at the U.C.

Robert Archibald (6G, 3.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
High Points: 9 vs. Duke (11/30)
High Rebounds: 7 vs. Indiana (3/5)

Cory Bradford (6G, 16.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
High Points: 22 vs. Minnesota (3/4)
High Rebounds: 3, four times (last vs. MSU 3/7)

Cleotis Brown (6G, 7.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
High Points: 16 vs. Bradley (12/5/98)
High Rebounds: 7 vs. Ohio State (3/6)

Victor Chukwudebe (10G, 3.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
High Points: 13 vs. Ohio State (3/6)
High Rebounds: 10 vs. Minnesota (3/4)

Brian Cook (1G, 9 pts., 2 reb.)

Marcus Griffin (1G, 8 pts., 8 reb.)

Sean Harrington (1G, 0 pts., 1 reb.)

Lucas Johnson (6G, 9.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
High Points: 17 vs. Indiana (3/5)
High Rebounds: 5 vs. Indiana (3/5)

Damir Krupalija (6G, 3.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
High Points: 8 vs. Minnesota (3/4)
High Rebounds: 10 vs. Indiana (3/5)

Nate Mast (6G, 1.8 ppg, 0.3 rpg)
High Points: 7 vs. Minnesota (3/4)
High Rebounds: 1, twice (last vs. Duke 11/30)

Sergio McClain (9G, 5.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
High Points: 13 vs. Indiana (3/5)
High Rebounds: 4, four times (last vs. OSU 3/6)

Frank Williams (1G, 14 pts., 1 reb., 3 ast.)

Week-by-Week Rankings

         AP    ESPN/USA Today
PS      16th        18th
11/15   17th        18th
11/22   15th        16th
11/29   16th        16th
12/6    22nd        24th
12/13   20th        22nd

That's Bradford with a Three

Last year, Cory Bradford set the Illinois school record for three-pointers made in a season with 85. Even more impressive is that he has made a three-pointer in 39-straight games, every game in his Illini career. Bradford hit three treys against Kansas State, moving him past Andy Kaufmann into seventh place on the all-time Illinois list with 107 three-pointers made.

Last year, he hit a season-high seven threes against Wisconsin (Feb. 6, 1999) and made six three-pointers in games against Kansas (Dec. 19, 1998), Ohio State (Jan. 30, 1999), Minnesota (March 4, 1999) and Michigan State (March 7, 1999). In the 1999 Big Ten Tournament, Bradford made 17 three-pointers in four games, which was more than any other team made in the tourney.

Illini Ranked

Illinois started the season ranked 16th in the Associated Press preseason poll, the team's first appearance in the preseason poll since 1994-95 when the Illini were ranked 25th. It is the highest AP preseason ranking for the Illini since the 1989-90 season when Illinois opened the season ranked eighth.

The following publications ranked the Illini in the preseason polls: Basketball News (19th), Basketball Times (sixth), Blue Ribbon (17th), Dick Vitale (15th), Jim Feist's Preview (22nd), Sport (16th), The Sporting News (10th), Sports Illustrated (21st), Street & Smith's (15th) and Ultimate Sports (16th).

National Polls

Bradford on Wooden List

Illinois' Cory Bradford is one of 25 players named to the preseason list of candidates for the 2000 Wooden Award All-American team. The 1999 Big Ten Freshman of the Year is one of only four sophomores tabbed on the preseason list, being joined by St. John's Erick Barkley, Florida's Mike Miller and DePaul's Quentin Richardson.

Bradford led the Illini last year with 15.4 ppg and broke the school record for three pointers in a season with 85. He earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament team after averaging 18.8 ppg in four tourney contests. He also made a statement with his three-point shooting accuracy in the tourney games, hitting on 17-of-29 (.586) attempts from behind the arc. Bradford's 494 points in 1999 were the most ever by an Illini freshman and he is the first player in Illinois history to hit a three-pointer in every game in a season.

More on Bradford

With his 22 points against the Bradley Braves on Nov. 22, Cory Bradford posted his ninth 20-point scoring effort. Here's a list of the games when Bradford has hit the 20-point mark.

Still More on Bradford

Cory Bradford is riding a 22-game double-figure scoring streak. He has hit double figures in 35 of his 39 career games. The last time he was held to under 10 points was on Jan. 16, 1999 against Michigan State. He had nine points in that game and rimmed out a half-court shot at the buzzer that would have given Illinois the victory.

Williams Runs the Point

Frank Williams' point guard play gets better every night out, and his stats prove it. In the last four games, Williams has combined for 21 assists, with just ten turnovers. Against Texas- Pan American, he notched season's bests with 7 assists and just one turnover. Against Kansas State, Williams went for a season high 20 points.

Home Sweet Home for Johnson

It's easy to see why Lucas Johnson loves playing at the Assembly Hall. In three home games, Johnson has scored 42 points on 70 percent shooting (14 of 20), which includes 8-of-12 accuracy from behind the three-point line, for a home average of 14 ppg. In Illinois' four games away from the Hall, he has scored a total of five points, with just one field goal.

More Threes this Year

Even with sharp-shooter Cory Bradford on the floor last season, the team high for three pointers in a game was only nine against Missouri. In the season opener this year Illinois hit 10 three pointers, led by Lucas Johnson's four treys. Illinois' 10 threes against Western Illinois are the most since Feb. 18, 1998 when the Illini drained 11 against Northwestern.

This year Illinois is averaging 7.57 threes a game compared to only 5.15 last season. Illinois leads the Big Ten in three pointers per game.

Long Rangers

Eight Illini players have made a three-pointer this year. Cory Bradford leads the team with 22 threes, while Frank Williams is second with 12 and Lucas Johnson is third with 10. The other five players who have made a three-pointer this year are Brian Cook (3), Cleotis Brown (2), Damir Krupalija (2), Sean Harrington (1), and Sergio McClain (1).

Illini Items

Cory Bradford is eighth in the Big Ten in scoring (15.0 ppg) ... Frank Williams is second in free-throw shooting (.917) and Bradford is sixth (.826) ... Bradford is tied for first in three-pointers per game with 3.17 and he's sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.393) ... Marcus Griffin is fifth in blocks per game game with 2.29 while Williams is sixth in steals (2.29).

The Illini backcourt duo of Cory Bradford and Frank Williams are a combined 41-of-47 from the free-throw line this season, a mark of 87.2 percent.

Freshman Brian Cook has averaged 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in the last five games. He tied his season high with nine points against Kansas State.

In every game this season either 11 or 12 players have seen game action. Cory Bradford is the only player on the roster averaging over 30 minutes a game (31.0) and the range of minutes for the Illini team is 31.0 to 6.4.

After resting his knees while the Illini played in the BB&T Classic, junior Sergio McClain returned to action against Texas-Pan American and Kansas State. McClain scored a season high 11 points, along with five steals and four assists against Pan American, while tallying six points with five rebounds and two steals against K-State. McClain had arthroscopic knee surgery this past summer.

The Illini have been out-rebounded three times this year, against Duke, Maryland and Kansas State. Illinois lost to Duke and Maryland but defeated Kansas State. Duke edged the Illini in rebounding, 46-45, Maryland was 11 better than the Illini, 40-29, and K-State out-boarded UI 43-39.

Lucas Johnson's 14 points against Kansas State were the second highest total of the season. He scored a season high 15 points in the opener against Western Illinois. Johnson has been in double figures three times this year, all at home.

Did you Know ...

... Sergio McClain, Frank Williams, Brian Cook. They all share a common bond, being named Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois. McClain won the award in 1997, Williams in 1998 and Cook in 1999. Illinois is the first school to have three of the state's Mr. Basketball honorees on the roster at the same time.

... Since 1980 Illinois has signed 11 McDonald's All-Americans and three are currently on the Illini roster. Marcus Griffin made the All-America team in 1997, Williams in 1998 and Cook in 1999. Illinois ranks 10th all-time in number of McDonald's All-American to attend the school.

... Illinois has the 18th best all-time winning percentage (.641) among Division I schools.

... Illinois has an all-time record of 1362-764. The 1362 wins rank 19th on the Division I list.

... Illini Head Coach Lon Kruger was an Academic All-American in 1974.

... Illini Assistant Coach Rob Judson was an Academic All-American in 1979.

... Eight Illini players have been first-round draft selections, including Nick Anderson and Kendall Gill from the 1989 Final Four team.

... That Lon Kruger sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game in the seventh inning stretch at a Chicago Cubs game this summer.

... Illinois ranks third in the Big Ten behind Indiana and Michigan in total NCAA appearances.

... Illinois is third in wins and winning percentage in Big Ten games behind Indiana and Purdue.

... The Orange Krush student group is more than just a Fighting Illini cheering section. The students raised over $50,000 last year which went to the University of Illinois general scholarship fund, the Fighting Illini Scholarship Fund and a variety of charities.

... Former Illini Jerry Hester, Jarrod Gee and Kevin Turner, all starters on the 1998 Big Ten Championship team, are playing professionally in Poland. Hester and Gee are on the same team.

Chasing the Career Records

3-Point Field Goals Made

 1.   237   Richard Keene, 1993-96
 2.   189   Kiwane Garris, 1994-97
 3.   179   Kevin Turner,  1995-98
 4.   161   Matt Heldman,  1995-98
 5.   149   Tom Michael,   1991-94
 6.   143   Jerry Hester,  1994-98
 7.   107   Cory Bradford, 1999-
 8.   105   Andy Kaufmann, 1989-93
 9.    90   T.J. Wheeler,  1991-94
10.    82   Kendall Gill,  1987-90

3-Point Field Goals Attempted

 1.   617   Richard Keene, 1993-96
 2.   520   Kiwane Garris, 1994-97
 3.   496   Kevin Turner, 1995-98
 4.   398   Matt Heldman, 1995-98
 5.   398   Jerry Hester, 1994-98
 6.   332   Tom Michael, 1991-94
 7.   276   Andy Kaufmann, 1989-93
 8.   261   Cory Bradford, 1999-
 9.   250   T.J. Wheeler, 1991-94
10.   219   Kendall Gill, 1987-90

** Bradford set the single-season record for three-pointers made with 85 in 1998-99. His 205 attempts in 1998-99 rank second in the single-season record book to Kevin Turner's 212 in 1997-98.

Steals

 1.	324	Bruce Douglas,    1983-86
 2.	218	Kendall Gill,     1987-90
 3.	178	Derek Harper,     1981-83
 4.	161	Kenny Battle,     1988-89
	161	Mark Smith,       1978-81
 6.	135	Stephen Bardo,    1987-90
 7.	133	Doug Altenberger, 1983-87
 8.	127	Rennie Clemmons,  1991-93
 9.	125	Richard Keene,    1993-96
10.	122	Sergio McClain,   1998-	

By the Numbers

1 - Illinois was the only team in the preseason Associated Press poll that had a losing record last season.

3 - Number of Illini players originating from foreign countries. Robert Archibald was born in Scotland, Victor Chukwudebe is a native of Nigeria, and Damir Krupalija moved to the United States from Bosnia.

3 - Number of double-doubles Victor Chukwudebe has in his career, all last season.

4 - There are four different states represented on the Illinois roster (Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and Alabama).

8 - A total of eight Illini players have made a three-pointer this year, led by Cory bradford with 22 treys.

10 - The number of players on the roster from the state of Illinois (Victor Chukwudebe, Brian Cook, Joe Cross, Marcus Griffin, Sean Harrington, Lucas Johnson, Damir Krupalija, Nate Mast, Sergio McClain, Frank Williams).

10 - Number of three-pointers against Western Illinois, the most by the Illini since Feb. 18, 1998 against Northwestern when Illinois had 11 threes.

13 - Illinois has racked up 13 Big Ten Championships with the last one coming in 1998.

16.5 - The scoring margin between the Illini and opponents.

18 - Illinois has produced a 20-win season 18 times.

31 - School record for wins, set by the 1989 team.

37 - The winning margin for Illinois over Texas-Pan American, the largerst since Dec. 11, 1996 when Illinois beat Chicago State by 37 points, 94-57.

39 - Consecutive games in which Cory Bradford has hit a three-pointer.

104 - Number of career games for Victor Chukwudebe.

301 - Number of victories for Head Coach Lon Kruger.

New Faces on the Floor

There are several new faces donning the orange and blue this season. New on the Illini roster are freshmen Brian Cook, Sean Harrington and Frank Williams and junior Marcus Griffin. The Illini also have a new face on the coaching staff this year. Steve Henson, a former player under Lon Kruger at Kansas State, is in his first season as an assistant coach after spending the last 10 years playing professionally in the NBA, CBA and overseas.

Johnson Honors Former Illini Matt Heldman

On October 10, 1999 Matt Heldman, the starting point guard on the Illinois 1998 Big Ten Championship team, was killed along with his father and two others in a two-car collision in his hometown of Libertyville, Ill. Lucas Johnson, the younger brother of former Illini Brian Johnson wears tape on his arm with the number 21 to honor his friend and his brother's teammate and roommate.

Even with a shooting style that made coaches cringe, Matt Heldman was one of Illinois' best three-point shooters, ranking fourth on the all-time career list with 161 treys. In the Illini's first game Johnson hit 4-for-4 from three-point range.

From the Line

The Illini team is shooting 65.9 percent from the free-throw line, but three Illini are shooting 80 percent or better. Frank Williams leads the way at 91.7 percent (22-for-24), Cory Bradford is shooting 82.6 percent (19-for-23) and Cleotis Brown is shooting 82.4 percent (14-for-17).

More Scoring

Last year Illinois struggled offensively, scoring over 70 points only eight times in 32 games and averaging 61.5 points for the season. This year, Illinois has more offensive fire power , averaging 76.4 points per game.

Illini Basketball is a Hot Ticket

Single game tickets for Illini basketball games went on sale Nov. 3 and the Iowa game on Feb. 12 sold out on Nov. 22. Here's a look at the games with the least amount of tickets remaining.

Jan. 6   Ohio State  1,000
Jan. 22  Penn State    300
Feb. 22  Indiana       370
March 4  Northwestern  500

The Peoria Trio

For the first time since the 1997 season, Sergio McClain, Marcus Griffin and Frank Williams are reunited on the court. All three players starred at Manual High School and teamed to win three state high school titles (1995, 96, 97). In 1994, McClain and Griffin were freshmen on the first of four consecutive championship teams.

McClain and Griffin signed with Illinois in the fall of 1996. McClain was a freshman at Illinois in 1997-98 and Griffin attended junior college the last two years. Williams signed with Illinois in the fall of 1997 and was a partial qualifier. He spent the 1998-99 season practicing with the team but was unable to play.

Griffin, McClain and Williams have combined to average 30.7 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 7.1 apg, and 5.5 spg through seven games this year.

Illini Return Eight, but are Still Young

Although the Fighting Illini return eight players from the 1998-99 squad, this year's version of the Illini are still young in experience. Of the 12 players on the current roster, only two are seniors and three are juniors (one of which is newcomer Marcus Griffin). The remaining seven players are either freshmen or sophomores.

Illini Picked Third

Illinois was picked to finish third in the Big Ten by a Big Ten coaches' vote and a conference media poll. Only five times in Big Ten history has a team that finished last in the league one year finished in the top three the following year. In 1916 Purdue was last in the Big Ten and then finished third in 1917. In 1955 Ohio State was last and then improved to third place in 1956. Michigan State was last in 1965 and then finished second in 1966. Minnesota placed last in the league in 1977 after being forced to forfeit all games from that season and then the Gophers were third in 1978. And last year Ohio State was second in the Big Ten after finishing 11th in 1998.

Illini Schedule

Six teams on the 1999-2000 Illinois schedule opened the season ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 and five were in the Associated Press Top 25. Illinois' non-conference foes produced a record of 221-144 (.605) last year and eight of the teams produced winning records. Six of the non-conference opponents had 20 wins last year. The Illini schedule features three Final Four teams from a year ago and a total of 12 which played in the NCAA Tournament. (Duke, Indiana, Iowa, George Washington, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin). Four Illini opponents participated in the NIT (Bradley, Kansas State, Northwestern and Seton Hall).

Illinois will play five games against in-state teams: Western Illinois, Bradley, Loyola-Chicago, and twice against Northwestern during the course of the 1999-2000 season.

In December Lon Kruger might feel like he is in the Big Eight (now Big 12) again. Illinois faces three-straight Big 12 teams in December: Kansas State, Kansas, and Missouri.

Illini Home Opener Draws Largest Crowd Since 1994

The 14,421 fans on hand to watch Illinois down Western Illinois in the season opener on Nov. 19 was the largest Assembly Hall crowd for an opening game since the 1994-95 season. That year, Illinois' home opener against Northeastern Illinois on Dec. 9 drew 15,084 for the attendance. It was the largest Assembly Hall crowd for a non-conference game since Dec. 20, 1997 when 14,476 were in attendance to watch Illinois beat Texas 105-80.

Bumps and Bruises

Lon Kruger is looking forward to the day when he has a complete group of healthy Illini. Here's a list of the injuries this year.

• Sergio McClain and Damir Krupalija (knee scoped) and Cleotis Brown (pin in foot for stress fracture) all had surgery during the summer.
• Victor Chukwudebe is bothered by a sore back that periodically has kept the senior out of practice. Sophomore Robert Archibald has also missed some practice time with a sore back.
• Lucas Johnson took an elbow to the nose on Nov. 5 and had surgery on Nov. 10. He missed the exhibition game against Cimeba All-Stars.
• Frank Williams jammed and sprained his finger in practice the week of Nov. 8.
• Sergio McClain sat out the games against Maryland and Seton Hall because of sore knees.
• Damir Krupalija sprained the big toe on his left foot in the game against Pan American. He sat out the game against Kansas State.
• Nate Mast took an elbow to the mouth against Pan American and had stitches in his lower lip.

The Last Time AN ILLINOIS PLAYER HAD

AN ILLINOIS TEAM HAD

AN OPPONENT PLAYER HAD

AN OPPONENT TEAM HAD

UI vs. Ranked Opponents

Under Lon Kruger, the Illini have won 14 games against ranked opponents. Following is a complete list of the Illini vs. ranked opponents under Lon Kruger.

Fighting Illini Starters

Bench Points

The Illinois bench is outscoring the opponent's bench by an average of 25.3 ppg to 13.6 ppg. Illinois has outscored the opponent's bench in five of seven games.

GAME TIME CHANGE

Illinois vs. Loyola-Chicago
Dec. 30
4 p.m.
No Television