Dec. 20, 1999
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois is in the final stretch of the Big 12 portion of the non-conference schedule. After facing the school where he got his head coaching start, Texas-Pan American. Lon Kruger has taken his Illini squad into action against Kansas State, Kansas and now Missouri before heading in to a brief break for Christmas.
The Illini are 2-0 vs. The Big 12 this year with victories over KSU (81-48) and Kansas (84-70).
Tuesday's game will mark the second-straight Big Ten opponent for Missouri which defeated Iowa, 72-61, on Saturday.
Busch Braggin' Rights
Illinois leads the Braggin' Rights series 11-8, dating back to the first game in St. Louis on Dec. 10, 1980. The Illini lead the overall series, 18-11. In his first season at Illinois, Head Coach Lon Kruger's Illini picked up an 85-69 victory against the Tigers on Dec. 28, 1996. Since then Missouri has emerged with the Busch Braggin' Rights trophy. Missouri won, 75-69, in 1997 and 67-62 last year. The only player on the Illini team with a victory over Missouri is senior Victor Chukwudebe, who was a freshman on the 1996 winning squad.
Last Time Out
After trailing by as many as 12 points in the first half against Kansas, Illinois rallied in the final six minutes of the first half , outscoring the Jayhawks 19-8 to go into the break down by one point, 32-31. In the second half of play, the aggressive Illini outscored Kansas, 53-38, and picked up their first victory over a ranked opponent this year. Cory Bradford, who was 0-for-8 from the field in the first half, saw his shots fall in the final 20 minutes, hiting 7-of-10 from the field, 5-of-8 from three-point land as he scored 19 of his game-high 21 points. Marcus Griffin collected his first double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Frank Williams added 15 points and eight assists.
Kansas, which entered the game averaging 87 ppg was held 17 points below its season average and the Jayhawks, which were shooting over 50 percent from the floor, were held to 35.2 percent for the game.
About Missouri
The 72-61 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday kept the Tigers from dropping three in a row this December. Missouri lost to Indiana, 73-68 and Saint Louis, 75-72 before picking up the win against Iowa.
The Tigers are led by sophomore guard Kenyon Dooling, who is averaging 15.4 points. Almost half of his shots have come from three-point range and he's just under a 40 percent shooter from the floor. Newcomer Tajudeen Soyoye, a junior college transfer originally from Nigeria, has made an immediate impact. He leads the team with 7.2 rpg and scores 11.3 ppg.
Against Iowa, the Tigers were without two of the team's top five scorers. Kareem Rush has been declared ineligible for competition pending the investigation into a potential NCAA violation. Johnnie Parker was suspended from the team indefinitely for a violation of team academic policy. Rush has played in eight games and is the team's third-leading scorer (11.3 ppg). Parker had started eight games and was averaging 7.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg.
FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
#xx/17 Illinois (6-2) vs. Missouri (6-3)
Tuesday, Dec. 21, 1999 - 8:00 p.m. - ESPN-Plus
St. Louis, Missouri - Kiel Center (20,378)
Probable Starters
ILLINOIS
F - 21 Robert Archibald (So., 6-11, 228, 4.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
F - 32 Cleotis Brown (Sr., 6-5, 220, 8.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
C - 52 Marcus Griffin (Jr., 6-9, 235, 12.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
G - 13 Cory Bradford (So., 6-3, 200, 15.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
G - 30 Frank Williams (Fr., 6-3, 197, 13.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.1 ast)
Reserves
00 - Victor Chukwudebe (F., Sr., 6-7, 230, 3.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
5 - Nate Mast (G, Jr., 5-11, 160, 0.0 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
22 - Lucas Johnson (F, So, 6-8, 217, 6.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 3.0 apg)
24 - Sean Harrington (G, Fr., 6-3, 185, 0.7 ppg, 0.4 rpg)
33 - Damir Krupalija (F, So., 6-9, 216, 3.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
34 - Brian Cook (F, Fr., 6-10, 231, 5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
40 - Sergio McClain (F, Jr., 6-4, 222, 4.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.2 ast)
MISSOURI
F - 24 Jeff Hafer (Sr., 6-5, 212, 5.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
C - 33 Tajudeen Soyoye (Jr., 6-9, 236, 11.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg)
G - 4 Clarence Gilbert (So., 6-2, 197, 9.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
G - 5 Keyon Dooling (So., 6-3, 184, 15.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
G - 12 Brian Grawer (Jr., 6-0, 165, 5.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
The Head Coaches
Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger
Overall Record: 302-225 (18th year)
At Illinois: 65-40 (4th year)
Missouri Head Coach Quin Snyder
Overall Record: 6-3 (1st year)
At Missouri: 6-3 (1st year)
Team Comparisons
| Illinois | | Missouri |
| 77.4 | PPG | 70.2 |
| 62.0 | Opp. PPG | 63.3 |
| .432 | FG% | .419 |
| .375 | Opp. FG% | .443 |
| .373 | 3-pt% | .359 |
| .316 | Opp. 3-pt% | .331 |
| .665 | FT% | .673 |
| 39.1 | RPG | 34.8 |
| 39.4 | Opp. RPG | 36.3 |
| 16.0 | Assists | 14.3 |
| 15.9 | Turnovers | 13.7 |
| 21.5 | Opp. TOs | 17.3 |
| 4.6 | Blocks | 1.8 |
| 9.4 | Steals | 9.1 |
| Illinois | Leaders | Missouri |
| Bradford, 15.8 | PPG | Dooling, 15.4 |
| Griffin, 6.4 | RPG | Soyoye, 7.2 |
| Williams, 4.2 | AST | Dooling/Grawer, 3.1 |
| Williams, 2.4 | STL | Hafer, 2.1 |
| Griffin, 37-60, .617 | FG% | Soyoye, 39-63, .619 |
| Johnson, 10-17, .588 | 3-PT% | 9-19, .474 |
| Williams, 25-28, .893 | FT% | Rush, 20-26, .769 |
| (min. 15) |
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 | 65-40 |
| Total | 302-225 |
Illini Record Under Lon Kruger
| When leading at the half | 54-12 |
| When trailing at the half | 11-25 |
| When tied at the half | 0-3 |
| When scoring over 70 points | 44-5 |
| When leading in rebounding | 34-16 |
| When trailing in rebounding | 28-23 |
| When rebounding is tied | 4-0 |
| In November | 14-6 |
| In December | 18-7 |
| In January | 12-14 |
| In February | 13-8 |
| In March | 8-5 |
| Illini Record in 1999-2000 |
| When leading at the half | 4-2 |
| When trailing at the half | 2-0 |
| When tied at the half | 0-0 |
| When scoring over 70 points | 6-0 |
| When leading in rebounding | 3-0 |
| When trailing in rebounding | 2-2 |
| When rebounding is tied | 1-0 |
| In November | 2-1 |
| In December | 4-1 |
The 300th Victory
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.
Kruger vs. Missouri
Illini Head Coach Lon Kruger is 4-11 all-time against Missouri and 1-2 at Illinois. He was 3-7 against the Tigers as the head coach at Kansas State from 1987-90 and he was 0-1 against Missouri in his first head coaching stint at Pan American.
Kruger's overall record against the Tigers, as a player, graduate assistant coach, assistant coach and head coach is 14-21.
| As a Player | 5-3 |
| As a GA | 1-2 |
| As an Ass't Coach | 4-5 |
| As a Head Coach | 4-11 |
Illinois Players vs. Missouri
Robert Archibald (1G, 0 pts, 2 reb)
Cory Bradford (1G, 17 pts, 2 reb)
Cleotis Brown (1G, 11 pts, 5 reb)
Victor Chukwudebe (3G, 2.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
High Points: 4 on 12-22-98
High Rebounds: 2 on 12-23-97
Lucas Johnson (1G, 2 pts, 1 reb)
Damir Krupalija (1G, 6 pts, 6 reb)
Nate Mast (1G, 0 pts, 1 reb)
Sergio McClain (2G, 8.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
High Points: 14 on 12-22-98
High Rebounds: 5 on 12-22-98
Illini Youngsters Produce
Of the 12 players on the Illini roster, seven are either freshmen or sophomores. The underclassmen are producing 49.5 of the Illini's 77.4 points, for 64 percent and 18.4 of the 39.1 rebounds for 47 percent.
Illini Plays Tough "D"
This season Illinois' offensive output has been recognized for being much improved over last year, but the Illini defense has proven pretty tough for opponents this season. In each game this year, the Illinois defense has held the opponent below its season scoring average and field goal shooting percentage. This does not include the season opener against Western Illinois because neither team had any previous game stats to compare. On average, Illinois is holding opponents to 12 points under their season average entering the game. The biggest margins have been in the last two games. Kansas State entered the Dec. 11 game averaging 70.7 ppg. Illinois held the Wildcats to 48 points, 22.7 below their season average. Kansas was averaging 87 ppg and Illinois held the Jayhawks to 70 points, 17 points below their season average.
| Pre | Illinois | vs. | Illinois |
| Team | PPG | FG% | PPG | FG% |
| Bradley | 68 | .442 | 62 | .404 |
| Duke | 85 | .439 | 72 | .400 |
| Maryland | 77.7 | .500 | 69 | .444 |
| Seton Hall | 75.5 | .445 | 61 | .355 |
| Pan Amer. | 76.3 | .414 | 61 | .392 |
| Kansas St. | 70.7 | .420 | 48 | .276 |
| Kansas | 87 | .506 | 70 | .352 |
That's Bradford with a Three
Last year as a freshman, 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 40-straight games, every game in his Illini career.
He's averaging 3.38 three-pointers a game with a high of five against Kansas on Dec. 18.
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 21 points against Kansas on Dec. 18, Cory Bradford posted his 10th 20-point scoring effort. Here's a list of the games when Bradford has hit the 20-point mark.
| 11-10-98 | 20 vs. Wake Forest |
| 12-19-98 | 26 vs. Kansas |
| 1-9-99 | 22 vs. Northwestern |
| 1-30-99 | 29 vs. Ohio State |
| 2-6-99 | 26 vs. Wisconsin |
| 2-13-99 | 23 vs. Purdue |
| 3-4-99 | 22 vs. Minnesota |
| 3-7-99 | 21 vs. Michigan State |
| 11-22-99 | 22 vs. Bradley |
| 12-18-99 | 21 vs. Kansas |
Still More on Bradford
Cory Bradford is riding a 23-game double-figure scoring streak. He has hit double figures in 36 of his 40 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. After shooting 32 percent from the floor in the first three games and producing only four assists to go with 10 turnovers, Williams has shown great progress.
In the last five games, Williams has combined for 29 assists and 15 turnovers. He's shot 45 percent from the floor the last five games. Against Kansas State, Williams went for a season high 20 points and he dished out a season-high eight assists against Kansas.
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' five games away from the Hall, he has scored a total of 10 points and made 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.
The Illini have made nine three-pointers in each of the last two games, against Kansas State and Kansas.
This year Illinois is averaging 7.75 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 27 threes, while Frank Williams is second with 14 and Lucas Johnson is third with 10. The other five players who have made a three-pointer this year are Cleotis Brown (4), Brian Cook (3), Damir Krupalija (2), Sean Harrington (1), and Sergio McClain (1).
Illini Items
Cory Bradford is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring (15.8 ppg) ... Frank Williams is second in free-throw shooting (.893) and Bradford is fifth (.826) ... Williams is eighth in assists (4.13) and fourth in steals (2.38) ... Bradford is first in three-pointers per game with 3.38 and he's seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.391) ... Williams is eighth in three-point percentage (.359) ... Marcus Griffin is fourth in blocks per game game with 2.0 while Williams is sixth in steals (2.29).
(through Dec. 13) In the NCAA rankings, Frank Williams is tied for 12th in free-throw shooting, hitting 22-of-24 for 91.7 percent.
The Illini backcourt duo of Cory Bradford and Frank Williams are a combined 46-of-53 from the free-throw line this season, a mark of 86.8 percent.
Freshman Brian Cook has averaged 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in the last six games. He tied his season high with nine points against Kansas State. He played a season-high 24 minutes in each of the last two games, vs. Kansas State and Kansas.
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 (31.8) and the range of minutes for the Illini team is 31.8 to 5.9.
The Illini have been out-rebounded four times this year, against Duke, Maryland, Kansas State and Kansas. Illinois lost to Duke and Maryland but defeated Kansas State and Kansas. Duke edged the Illini in rebounding, 46-45, Maryland was 11 better than the Illini, 40-29, K-State out-boarded UI 43-39 and Kansas won the rebounding war, 53-41.
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.
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 66.5 percent from the free-throw line, but three Illini are shooting 80 percent or better. Frank Williams leads the way at 89.3 percent (25-for-28), Cory Bradford is shooting 84.0 percent (21-for-25) and Cleotis Brown is shooting 80 percent (16-for-20).
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 and the Illini are averaging 77.4 points per game. In the last three games Illinois has averaged 87.7 points.
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 remaining Big Ten home games have approximately 2,000 tickets remaining.
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, 12 rpg, 7.1 apg, and 5.2 spg through eight 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.
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.
Victor Chukwudebe sprained the lower part of the index finger on his right hand in practice the week of Dec. 13.
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).
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 |
| 12/20 | | 17th |
National Polls
| AP | | ESPN/USA Today |
| 1. | Cincinnati | 1. | Stanford |
| 2. | Stanford | 2. | Arizona |
| 3. | Connecticut | 3. | Connecticut |
| 4. | Arizona | 4. | Cincinnati |
| 5. | Michigan St. | 5. | Michigan St. |
| 6. | Auburn | 6. | Auburn |
| 7. | North Carolina | 7. | North Carolina |
| 8. | Kansas | 8. | Florida |
| 9. | Florida | 9. | Syracuse |
| 10. | Syracuse | 10. | Duke |
| 11. | Duke | 11. | Kansas |
| 12. | Ohio State | 12. | Tennessee |
| 13. | Tennessee | 13. | Oklahoma St. |
| 14. | Oklahoma St. | 14. | Texas |
| 15. | Texas | 15. | Maryland |
| 16. | Maryland | 16. | UCLA |
| 17. | Temple | 17. | ILLINOIS |
| 18. | UCLA | 18. | Indiana |
| 19. | DePaul | 19. | Temple |
| 20. | ILLINOIS | 20. | Ohio State |
| 21. | Indiana | 21. | Oklahoma |
| 22. | Gonzaga | 22. | ILLINOIS |
| 23. | Oklahoma | 23. | DePaul |
| 24. | Purdue | 24. | Utah |
| 25. | Wake Forest | 25. | Gonzaga |
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 1363-764. The 1363 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. | 112 | 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. | 274 | 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. | 123 | 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.
15.4 - 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.
40 - Consecutive games in which Cory Bradford has hit a three-pointer.
105 - Number of career games for Victor Chukwudebe.
302 - Number of victories for Head Coach Lon Kruger.
The Last Time
AN ILLINOIS PLAYER HAD
| 30+ points | Kevin Turner (35) vs. Indiana, 1/3/98 |
| 25-29 points | Cory Bradford (26) vs. Wisconsin, 2/6/99 |
| 15-19 rebounds | Damir Krupalija (16) vs. Indiana, 1/3/99 |
| 20 rebounds | Nick Weatherspoon (22) vs. DePauw, 12/2/72 |
| 10-14 assists | Kiwane Garris (13) vs. Virginia Tech, 12/1/96 |
| 15+ assists | Tony Wysinger (16) vs. Pittsburgh, 12/6/86 |
| 7 steals | Kendall Gill (7) vs. Iowa, 3/4/90 |
| 5 blocks | Deon Thomas (7) vs. Northwestern, 2/26/92 |
AN ILLINOIS TEAM HAD
| 100 points | 105 vs. Texas, 12/20/97 |
| under 50 points | 44 vs. Michigan State, 2/11/99 |
| under 40 points | 35 vs. Ohio State, 1/12/46 |
| over 50 rebounds | 51 vs. Indiana, 3/5/99 |
AN OPPONENT PLAYER HAD
| 30+ points | Michael Redd (32) Ohio State, 3/6/99 |
| 25-29 points | Quincy Lewis (28) Minnesota, 2/3/99 |
| 15-19 rebounds | Evan Eschmeyer (17) Northwestern, 1/9/99 |
| 20 rebounds | Joe Franklin (23) Wisconsin, 12/19/66 |
| 10-14 assists | Kareem Gilbert (13) Tennessee St., 12/7/96 |
| 15+ assists | never, Quinn Buckner (14) Indiana, 2/18/74 |
| 7 steals | Pat Baldwin (7) Northwestern, 3/2/91 |
| 5 blocks | Eric Chenowith (7) Kansas, 12/19/98 |
AN OPPONENT TEAM HAD
| 100 points | 108 by Missouri, 12/22/93 |
| under 50 points | 48 by Kansas State, 12/11/99 |
| under 40 points | 35 by UT-Martin, 11/23/98 |
| over 50 rebounds | 50 by Delaware State, 11/25/96 |
UI vs. Ranked Opponents
Under Lon Kruger, the Illini have won 15 games against ranked opponents. Following is a complete list of the Illini vs. ranked opponents under Lon Kruger.
| 12/21/96 | #24 UCLA | W, 79-63 |
| 1/9/97 | #16 Michigan | L, 74-88 |
| 1/14/97 | #7 Minnesota | W, 96-90 |
| 2/2/97 | #17 Indiana | W, 78-74 |
| 2/9/97 | #25 Iowa | W, 66-51 |
| 2/22/97 | #2 Minnesota | L, 66-67 |
| 3/2/97 | #24 Michigan | W, 70-51 |
| 11/28/97 | #19 Louisville | L, 57-58 |
| 12/13/97 | #17 Clemson | W, 71-61 |
| 12/30/97 | #9 UCLA | L, 69-74 |
| 1/8/98 | #11 Iowa | W, 76-64 |
| 1/13/98 | #9 Purdue | L, 58-68 |
| 1/25/98 | #16 Michigan | W, 64-53 |
| 2/12/98 | #13 Mich. St. | W, 84-63 |
| 2/14/98 | #8 Purdue | L, 73-75 |
| 3/7/98 | #9 Purdue | L, 47-68 |
| 3/12/98 | #20 Maryland | L, 61-67 |
| 12/19/98 | #13 Kansas | L, 65-65 |
| 12/29/98 | #14 Clemson | W, 67-50 |
| 1/3/99 | #10 Indiana | L, 53-62 |
| 1/7/99 | #19 Iowa | L, 62-84 |
| 1/13/99 | #13 Purdue | L, 54-63 |
| 1/16/99 | #14 Mich. St. | L, 49-51 |
| 1/20/99 | #15 Wisconsin | L, 53-75 |
| 1/30/99 | #15 Ohio St. | L, 61-64 |
| 2/3/99 | #18 Minnesota | L, 63-75 |
| 2/6/99 | #11 Wisconsin | W, 53-51 |
| 2/11/99 | #5 Mich. St. | L, 44-61 |
| 2/13/99 | #21 Purdue | L, 56-63 |
| 2/21/99 | #20 Iowa | L, 72-78 |
| 2/24/99 | #20 Indiana | L, 64-70/OT |
| 3/4/99 | #23 Minnesota | W, 67-64 |
| 3/5/99 | #17 Indiana | W, 82-66 |
| 3/6/99 | #11 Ohio St. | W, 79-77 |
| 3/7/99 | #2 Mich. St. | L, 50-67 |
| 11/30/99 | #17 Duke | L, 72-69 |
| 12/4/99 | #24 Maryland | L, 69-67 |
| 12/18/99 | #8 Kansas | W, 84-70 |
Fighting Illini Starters
| Game | G | G | F | F | C |
| Western Illinois | Williams | Bradford | McClain | Archibald | Griffin |
| @Bradley | Williams | Bradford | McClain | Archibald | Griffin |
| Duke | Bradford | Johnson | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
| Maryland | Williams | Bradford | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
| Seton Hall | Williams | Bradford | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
| Texas-Pan Amer. | Williams | Bradford | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
| Kansas State | Williams | Bradford | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
| Kansas | Williams | Bradford | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
Bench Points
The Illinois bench is outscoring the opponent's bench by an average of 24.4 ppg to 16 ppg. Illinois has outscored the opponent's bench in five of eight games.
| UI | Game | Opp. |
| 41 | Western Illinois | 11 |
| 13 | Bradley | 17 |
| 28 | Duke | 4 |
| 10 | Maryland | 4 |
| 13 | Seton Hall | 21 |
| 38 | Texas Pan-Am | 16 |
| 34 | Kansas State | 22 |
| 18 | Kansas | 33 |
| Missouri |
| Bethune-Cookman |
| Loyola-Chicago |
| Ohio State |
| Wisconsin |
| Purdue |
| Michigan |
| Penn State |
| Iowa |
| Michigan State |
| Minnesota |
| Penn State |
| Michigan |
| Iowa |
| Minnesota |
| Northwestern |
| Indiana |
| Ohio State |
| Northwestern |
| 195 | TOTAL | 128 |
