Dec. 29, 1999

#20/20 Illinois (7-3) vs. Loyola-Chicago (8-2)
Thursday, Dec. 30, 1999 - 4:00 p.m.
Champaign, Illinois - Assembly Hall (16,450)

ILLINOIS
F - 21 Robert Archibald (So., 6-11, 228, 4.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
F - 32 Cleotis Brown (Sr., 6-5, 220, 8.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
C - 52 Marcus Griffin (Jr., 6-9, 235, 13.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
G - 13 Cory Bradford (So., 6-3, 200, 16.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
G - 30 Frank Williams (Fr., 6-3, 197, 13.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.8 ast)

Reserves
00 - Victor Chukwudebe (F., Sr., 6-7, 230, 3.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
5 - Nate Mast (G, Jr., 5-11, 160, 0.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
22 - Lucas Johnson (F, So, 6-8, 217, 6.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
24 - Sean Harrington (G, Fr., 6-3, 185, 1.1 ppg, 0.4 rpg)
33 - Damir Krupalija (F, So., 6-9, 216, 3.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
34 - Brian Cook (F, Fr., 6-10, 231, 7.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
40 - Sergio McClain (F, Jr., 6-4, 222, 4.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg)

LOYOLA-CHICAGO
F - 12 Damien McSwine (Sr., 6-5, 200, 4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
F - 5 Schinn Kerr (Jr., 6-8, 215, 8.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg)
C - 4 Brad Tice (Sr., 6-9, 240, 3.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg)
G - 23 Chris Williams (So., 6-3, 180, 12.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
G - 10 Earl Brown (Sr., 6-1, 160, 13.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.2 ast)

The Head Coaches

Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger
Overall Record: 303-225 (18th year)
At Illinois: 66-41 (4th year)

Loyola-Chicago Head Coach Larry Farmer
Overall Record: 112-97 (8th year)
At Loyola-Chicago: 17-20 (2nd year)

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

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.

Last Time Out
Illinois produced its most dominating effort of the season, coasting by the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, 97-47. The Illini took an early double-digit lead and never looked back. Five Illini players (the most this season) scored in double figures, led by 18 each from Marcus Griffin and Brian Cook. Cook's 18 doubled his previous career high of nine against Duke. Griffin recorded his second double-double by grabbing 10 boards. Other Illini in double figures were Cory Bradford (16), Lucas Johnson (14), and Frank Williams (12).

Illinois' defense was stifling, holding Bethune to just 16 points in the second half on 18 percent shooting. The sixteen points is the fewest the UI defense has allowed in a half since giving up 14 in the second half against Tennessee-Martin last season. Illinois' defense also forced Bethune into 26 turnovers, while grabbing a season high 18 steals. Williams led the way with six steals.

The 50 point margin of victory is the largest under Lon Kruger and is the most since Illinois defeated Chicago State by 69 (121-52) on December 18, 1993.

About Loyola-Chicago
The Ramblers are off to a fine start under second year head coach Larry Farmer. Loyola enters the game with an 8-2 record and riding a five-game winning streak. Loyola has won all six of its home games, while splitting a pair of road games and neutral court contests. The Ramblers are led by a pair of talented guards in senior Earl Brown and sophomore Chris Williams. Brown is the team's top scorer, averaging 13.1 points per game with Williams right behind at 12.3 ppg. Freshman guard David Bailey gives Loyola another scoring threat off the bench, averaging 10.2 ppg.

Illinois and Loyola have played two common opponents entering the game, with each team winning both contests. After Illinois won at Bradley 72-62, Loyola defeated the Braves at home by the score of 52-45. One week after the Illini defeated Kansas State 81-48, the Ramblers also won at home over K-State, 69-64.

Illinois vs. Loyola: The History
Illinois and Loyola have met 12 times, with the Illini holding a 9-3 edge in the series. The two teams have not played since Dec. 27, 1986, when then ninth-ranked Illinois lost by one point, 82-83 at Loyola. Illinois had the ball with a chance to win it, but Glynn Blackwell's 18-footer bounced off the rim as time expired.

This will be the seventh game in Champaign, where the Illini are a perfect 6-0 against the Ramblers. Illinois is 2-1 at Loyola and 1-2 against the Ramblers at neutral sites.

Illini Youngsters Produce
Of the 12 players on the Illini roster, seven are either freshmen or sophomores. The underclassmen are producing 51.5 of the Illini's 78.8 points, for 65 percent and 20.5 of the 39.5 rebounds for 52 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 also proven pretty tough for opponents this season. In all but one 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 over 13 points under their season average entering the game. The biggest differential came in the last game against Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats came in averaging 76.3 ppg, but scored just 47, almost 30 points below their season average. Bethune also was shooting 44 percent entering the game, but managed just 31 percent against the Illini.

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 42-straight games, every game in his Illini career.

He's averaging 3.4 threes 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.

Still More on Bradford
Cory Bradford is riding a 25-game double-figure scoring streak. He has hit double figures in 38 of his 42 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 seven games, Williams has combined for 34 assists and 22 turnovers. He's also shot 45 percent from the floor the last seven games. Against Kansas State, Williams went for a season high 20 points, and he dished out a season-high eight assists against Kansas. He scored in double figures for the fourth straight game with 12 points against Bethune-Cookman, and also had a season-high six steals against the Wildcats.

Cook Starts Cookin'
Freshman Brian Cook's minutes continue to increase, as does his production. Against Bethune on Tuesday, Cook scored a career-high 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. He also had six rebounds and three blocks against the Wildcats. Cook has moved past Marcus Griffin and now leads the team in field goal percentage, hitting 61 percent (28 of 46) of his shots.

Home Sweet Home for Johnson
It's easy to see why Lucas Johnson loves playing at the Assembly Hall. In four home games, Johnson has scored 56 points on 72 percent shooting (18 of 25), which includes 12-of-17 accuracy from behind the three-point line, for a home average of 14 ppg. In Illinois' six games away from the Hall, he has scored a total of 10 points and made just one field goal.

Howard Begins Practice
After receiving a qualifying ACT score in the fall, freshman Jerrance Howard officially joined the Illini program and worked out with the team in practice for the first time on Sunday, Dec. 19. Howard and transfer Joe Cross will be eligible to play beginning with the January 22 home game against Penn State.

It is still to be determined whether Howard will redshirt this season. In October, the point guard had surgery on his right shoulder to correct a circulatory problem.

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 also made nine three-pointers on three different occasions, in back-to-back games against Kansas State and Kansas, and most recently against Bethune-Cookman.

This year Illinois is averaging 7.7 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 34 threes, while Frank Williams is second with 15 and Lucas Johnson is third with 14. The other five players who have made a three-pointer this year are Cleotis Brown (5), Brian Cook (4), Damir Krupalija (2), Sean Harrington (2), and Sergio McClain (1).

Illini Items

• Marcus Griffin is first in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.588) and fourth in blocks per game with 1.60 ... Cory Bradford is fifth in scoring (16.1 ppg) ... Frank Williams is sixth in free-throw shooting (.806) and fourth in steals (2.60), and Sergio McClain is fifth in steals (2.13) ... Bradford is first in three-pointers per game with 3.40 and he's seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.405).
• The Illini backcourt duo of Cory Bradford and Frank Williams are combining for 29.3 points and 6.0 assists per game.
• Freshman Brian Cook has averaged 8 points and 4.1 rebounds in the last eight games. He scored a career-high 18 points in his last outing against Bethune-Cookman.
• 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 6.3.
• 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.

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.

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 78.8 points per game. In the last four games Illinois has averaged 86.4 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.

The Peoria Trio
For the first time since the 1997 season, Sergio McClain, Marcus Griffin and Frank Williams are reunited. 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, 12.2 rpg, 7.1 apg, and 5.5 spg through ten 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.
• Chukwudebe twisted his right ankle while working out over Christmas break. He had x-rays taken and did not play against Bethune-Cookman.
• Damir Krupalija, who is still bothered by a sprained big toe, also sat out the game against Bethune-Cookman.

Team Comparisons

National Polls

Week-by-Week Rankings

Illini Record Under Lon Kruger

Illini Record in 1999-2000

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).

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 1363-765. 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.
• Former Illini point guard Kiwane Garris signed a free agent contract with the Orlando Magic on Dec. 21.

Chasing the Career Records

3-Point Field Goals Made

3-Point Field Goals Attempted

** 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

By the Numbers 1 - Illinois was the only team in the preseason Associated Press poll that had a losing record last season.
2 - Number of double-doubles Marcus Griffin has recorded this 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.
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 34 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.
16.7 - 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.
42 - Consecutive games in which Cory Bradford has hit a three-pointer.
50 - The winning margin for Illinois over Bethune-Cookman, the largerst since Dec. 18, 1993 when Illinois beat Chicago State by 69 points, 121-52.
106 - Number of career games for Victor Chukwudebe.
303 - Number of victories for Head Coach Lon Kruger.

Bench Points
The Illinois bench is outscoring the opponent's bench by an average of 24.8 ppg to 16.3 ppg. Illinois has outscored the opponent's bench in seven of ten games.