Jan. 10, 2000
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois-Wisconsin match-up was a tale of two halves. The second half woes outweighed the first half heroics, as UI dropped a 63-59 decision in Madison on Saturday, Jan. 8.
Everything went the way of the Illini in the first half, as the visitors jumped all over the Badgers to the tune of a 15 point advantage at half. Marcus Griffin had seven points and Frank Williams led the way with eight, as the team shot 43 percent in the first stanza, despite just 1-of-10 from three-point range. The defense was excellent, frustrating the Badgers into a miserable 23 percent and just 18 points.
But the tide turned in the second half and the Badgers made their comeback, beginning with a 12-2 run in the first five minutes. Wisconsin, which made just one of its first 14 three-point attempts, caught fire in the second half, led by four treys from senior Duany Duany. Jon Bryant's three gave Wisconsin a 51-50 lead with under five minutes left, its first lead since eight minutes into the game. The Badgers were up 58-56 when Frank Williams drove to the basket, scored, and drew a foul with :32 remaining. He made the free throw to put the Illini up one. But Wisconsin power forward Mark Vershaw answered when the junior stepped out and nailed his first three-pointer of the season, for a 61-59 Badger lead.
After a Williams miss, Griffin was fouled on a putback with :03 left. He missed the first free throw, and did not hit the rim when trying to miss the second shot intentionally. Illinois fouled and UW made two free throws to end the game.
FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
#19/21 Illinois (9-4, 1-1) vs. Purdue (9-5, 0-1)
Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2000 - 7:00 p.m. (ESPN-Plus)
Champaign, Illinois - Assembly Hall (16,450)
About Purdue
Purdue enters tonight's game with a 9-5 record and 0-1 mark in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers lost their conference opener at home on Sunday to Michigan, in an 88-86 double-overtime thriller.
Purdue, coming off of an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen of last year's NCAA tournament, is led by its proven group of seniors in Jaraan Cornell, Brian Cardinal, Greg McQuay, and Mike Robinson. They account for four of the Boilers' top five scorers (all four average in double figures) as well as the top four rebounders. Cornell is the leading scorer, averaging 14.5 ppg, while leading the team with 30 three-pointers. Forward Mike Robinson is Purdue's top rebounder, grabbing 6.9 boards per contest.
Illinois vs. Purdue: The History
Illinois and Purdue have met 154 times, with the Boilermakers holding an 81-73 advantage. Indiana is the only other Big Ten team that leads the all-time series against the Illini. Illinois has a 49-28 edge against Purdue in games played in Champaign.
Lon Kruger is still searching for his first win against Purdue, currently 0-7 against the Boilermakers while at Illinois. He is 3-8 all-time against Purdue as a head coach. Illinois, meanwhile has lost its last eight games against Purdue. The last Illinois came during Lou Henson's last season, when the Illini won 71-67 in West Lafayette on Jan. 20, 1996.
Last season, Illinois dropped a pair of decisions to the Boilermakers. On Jan. 13, #13 Purdue won 63-54 behind five three-pointers and a game high 17 points from Jaraan Cornell. Illinois won the battle of the boards 38-28 and shot better from the floor, but the difference was ball handling and free throws. The Illini had 23 turnovers and could only get to the line for nine attempts, making five. Purdue, meanwhile had eight less turnovers and was 17-25 from the free throw line.
The two teams met in Champaign one month later and the score was almost identical, with the #21 Boilermakers holding on for a 63-56 victory on Feb. 13. The game became a shoot-out between Cory Bradford and Jaraan Cornell. Bradford scored 23 points and four three-pointers, but Cornell was just as good, finishing with 30 points and five treys.
ILLINOIS
| F | 21 Robert Archibald (So., 6-11, 228, 4.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) |
| F | 32 Cleotis Brown (Sr., 6-5, 220, 9.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) |
| C | 52 Marcus Griffin (Jr., 6-9, 235, 13.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg) |
| G | 13 Cory Bradford (So., 6-3, 200, 16.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg) |
| G | 30 Frank Williams (Fr., 6-3, 197, 12.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.5 ast) |
Reserves
| 00 | Victor Chukwudebe (F., Sr., 6-7, 230, 3.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) |
| 5 | Nate Mast (G, Jr., 5-11, 160, 0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg) |
| 22 | Lucas Johnson (F, So, 6-8, 217, 6.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg) |
| 24 | Sean Harrington (G, Fr., 6-3, 185, 1.3 ppg, 0.5 rpg) |
| 33 | Damir Krupalija (F, So., 6-9, 216, 3.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg) |
| 34 | Brian Cook (F, Fr., 6-10, 231, 6.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg) |
| 40 | Sergio McClain (F, Jr., 6-4, 222, 5.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg) |
PURDUE
| F | 31 Rodney Smith (So., 6-6, 205, 4.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg) |
| F | 35 Brian Cardinal (Sr., 6-8, 230, 12.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg) |
| C | 32 Greg McQuay (Sr., 6-7, 215, 11.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg) |
| G | 22 Jaraan Cornell (Sr., 6-3, 200, 14.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg) |
| G | 43 Carson Cunningham (Jr., 6-1, 170, 11.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.4 ast) |
Team Comparisons
| Illinois | | Purdue |
| 79.5 | PPG | 77.6 |
| 64.0 | Opp. PPG | 67.8 |
| .443 | FG% | .452 |
| .391 | Opp. FG% | .447 |
| .375 | 3-pt% | .359 |
| .327 | Opp. 3-pt% | .305 |
| .662 | FT% | .679 |
| 38.8 | RPG | 37.6 |
| 38.0 | Opp. RPG | 33.9 |
| 16.4 | Assists | 14.5 |
| 14.5 | Turnovers | 16.1 |
| 20.2 | Opp. TOs | 17.7 |
| 4.2 | Blocks | 4.1 |
| 9.5 | Steals | 8.3 |
| Illinois | Leaders | Purdue |
| Bradford, 16.1 | PPG | Cornell, 14.5 |
| Griffin, 6.5 | RPG | Robinson, 6.9 |
| Williams, 4.5 | AST | Cunningham, 4.4 |
| Williams, 2.5 | STL | Cardinal, 2.8 |
| Griffin, 63-111, .568 | FG% | Allison, 15-25, .600 |
| Cook, 31-55, .564 | | McQuay, 61-107, .570 |
| Johnson, 18-36, .500 | 3-PT% | Smith, 6-14, .429 |
| | Cardinal, 14-33, .424 |
| Williams, 38-47, .809 | FT% | Lewis, 20-24, .833 |
| (min. 20) |
The Head Coaches
Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger
Overall Record: 304-226 (18th year)
At Illinois: 67-42 (4th year)
Purdue Head Coach Gene Keady
Overall Record: 462-205 (22nd year)
At Purdue: 424-186 (20th year)
On the Air
ESPN-Plus Play-by-Play: Wayne Larrivee
ESPN-Plus Color Analyst: Doug Altenberger
Radio Play-by-Play: Jim Turpin
Radio Color Analyst: Loren Tate
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 | 68-42 (.618) |
| Total | 305-227 (.573) |
Illini Players vs. Purdue
Robert Archibald (2G, 0 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
High Points: none
High Rebounds: 3, on 1/13/99
Cory Bradford (2G, 19 ppg, 3 rpg)
High Points: 23, on 2/13/99
High Rebounds: 5, on 2/13/99
Cleotis Brown (2G, 7 ppg, 7 rpg)
High Points: 7, on 1/13/99 and 2/13/99
High Rebounds: 9, on 1/13/99
Victor Chukwudebe (7G, 2 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
High Points: 6, on 2/13/99
High Rebounds: 8, on 2/13/99
Lucas Johnson (2G, 5 ppg, 3 rpg)
High Points: 6, on 1/13/99
High Rebounds: 3, on 1/13/99 and 2/13/99
Damir Krupalija (2G, 1.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
High Points: 3, on 2/13/99
High Rebounds: 6, on 2/13/99
Nate Mast (2G, 2.5 ppg, 0 rpg)
High Points: 5, on 1/13/99
High Rebounds: none
Sergio McClain (5G, 7.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
High Points: 10, on 1/13/98
High Rebounds: 5, on 1/13/98
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.
Illini Record Under Lon Kruger
| When leading at the half | 57-13 |
| When trailing at the half | 11-26 |
| When tied at the half | 0-3 |
| When scoring over 70 points | 47-6 |
| When leading in rebounding | 36-17 |
| When trailing in rebounding | 29-24 |
| When rebounding is tied | 4-0 |
| In November | 14-6 |
| In December | 20-8 |
| In January | 13-15 |
| In February | 13-8 |
| In March | 8-5 |
Illini Record in 1999-2000
| When leading at the half | 7-3 |
| When trailing at the half | 2-1 |
| When tied at the half | 0-0 |
| When scoring over 70 points | 9-1 |
| When leading in rebounding | 5-1 |
| When trailing in rebounding | 3-3 |
| When rebounding is tied | 1-0 |
| In November | 2-1 |
| In December | 6-2 |
| In January | 1-1 |
Third Time Is A Charm
Frank Williams finally got the results he wanted with his game-winning three pointer against the Buckeyes. Only 12 games into his collegiate career, that was already Williams' third last-second shot.
Against Duke on Nov. 30, the Illini were down 72-69 with seven seconds left when Williams pushed the ball up floor and missed a long three that would have sent the game into overtime.
In the next game against Maryland on Dec. 4, Illinois was down 69-67 with just over two seconds left and the ball at half-court. Williams caught the inbounds pass, turned, and launched a 25-footer that missed as the horn sounded.
Illini Basketball and Football Ranked in Top 25
Both the Illini basketball and football programs can be found in the AP Top 25 polls. The football team finished the season 24th following an 8-4 season and dominating 63-21 victory over Virginia in the Micronpc.com Bowl. The basketball team is currently ranked 19th.
This is the first time since January of 1990 that both programs have been ranked at the same time. The football team finished 10th after a 10-2 season and Citrus Bowl victory over Virginia, 31-21. The basketball team was 4th in the nation, opening the season with a 10-0 record.
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 | 15th | 17th |
| 12/27 | 20th | 20th |
| 1/3 | 19th | 17th |
| 1/10 | | 20th |
National Polls
| (1/3) | | (1/10) |
| AP | | ESPN/USA Today |
| 1. | Stanford | 1. | Cincinnati |
| 2. | Connecticut | 2. | Arizona |
| 3. | Cincinnati | 3. | Stanford |
| 4. | Auburn | 4. | Connecticut |
| 5. | Arizona | 5. | Auburn |
| 6. | Florida | 6. | Syracuse |
| 7. | Syracuse | 7. | Duke |
| 8. | Duke | 8. | Kansas |
| 9. | Kansas | 9. | Florida |
| 10. | Indiana | 10. | Indiana |
| 11. | Michigan St. | 11. | Michigan St. |
| 12. | Maryland | 12. | Tennessee |
| 13. | Ohio State | 13. | Oklahoma St. |
| 14. | North Carolina | 14. | North Carolina |
| 15. | Tennessee | 15. | Texas |
| 16. | Oklahoma St. | 16. | Maryland |
| 17. | Texas | 17. | Oklahoma |
| 18. | Utah | 18. | Ohio State |
| 19. | ILLINOIS | 19. | DePaul |
| 20. | Oklahoma | 20. | Temple |
| 21. | LSU | 21. | ILLINOIS |
| 22. | Tulsa | 22. | Tulsa |
| 23. | DePaul | 23. | Kentucky |
| 24. | UCLA | 24. | Utah |
| 25. | Kentucky | 25. | UCLA |
Griffin Earns Big Ten Player of the Week Recognition
Illini center Marcus Griffin earned Co-Big Ten Player of the Week honors thanks to his outstanding play the week of Dec. 27. In just 17 minutes against Bethune-Cookman, Griffin scored 18 points and earned a double-double with 10 rebounds. He scored a season high 24 points in the win over Loyola, including 12-of-13 shooting from the free throw line. He was one rebound shy of notching his second double-double in a row against the Ramblers. In the two games, he combined for 42 points and 19 rebounds, while going 16-for-17 from the free throw line.
Against Ohio State on Thursday, Griffin was limited by foul trouble in the first half, and finished the game with seven points and five rebounds. Griffin, who ranks second in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.562), is the team's second leading scorer (13.4 ppg) and leading rebounder (6.5 rpg).
Illini Youngsters Produce
Of the 12 players on the Illini roster, seven are either freshmen or sophomores. The underclassmen are producing 62 percent of the points (49.1 of the Illini's 79.5 points per game) and 49.4 percent of the rebounds (19.2 of the 38.9 boards per game).
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 45-straight games, every game in his Illini career.
This season, Bradford has already made 42 threes, an average of 3.2 threes a game, which leads the Big Ten. He made a season high five threes against Kansas on Dec. 18.
More on Bradford
With his 20 points against Ohio State on Thursday, Cory Bradford posted his 11th 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 |
| 1-6-00 | 20 vs. Ohio State |
Still More on Bradford
Cory Bradford is riding a 28-game double-figure scoring streak. He has hit double figures in 41 of his 45 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.
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. | 127 | 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. | 313 | Cory Bradford, 1999- |
| 8. | 276 | Andy Kaufmann, 1989-93 |
| 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 | Sergio McClain, 1998- |
| 135 | Stephen Bardo, 1987-90 |
| 8. | 133 | Doug Altenberger, 1983-87 |
| 9. | 127 | Rennie Clemmons, 1991-93 |
| 10. | 125 | Richard Keene, 1993-96 |
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 1366-766. The 1366 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.
Williams Continues to Improve
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 10 games, Williams has combined for 55 assists, compared to just 28 turnovers (a ratio of 1.96). He's also shot 40 percent from the floor the last 10 games. On Dec. 30 against Loyola, Williams dished out a career-high 13 assists, which ranks third all-time in the Illinois record book for single game assists.
Brown Heating Up
Senior Cleotis Brown has been another scoring threat for the Illini. Brown has scored in double figures in seven of the last 10 games, including 17 against Ohio State on Thursday. At one point in the second half, he scored nine straight points for the Illini. Brown matched his career high in threes by nailing four against the Buckeyes. Over the last 10 games, Brown is shooting 54 percent (41-of-76) from the floor.
Home Sweet Home for Johnson
It's easy to see why Lucas Johnson loves playing at the Assembly Hall. In six home games, Johnson has scored 74 points on 62 percent shooting (23-of-37), which includes 16-of-27 accuracy from behind the three-point line, for a home average of 12.3 ppg. In Illinois' seven games away from the Hall, he has scored a total of 15 points and made just two field goals.
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 three games this year, the Illinois defense has held the opponent below its season field goal shooting percentage. In all but four games, the Illini have also held the opposition under its average points per game. 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 9.7 points under their season average entering the game. The biggest differential came against Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats came in averaging 76.3 ppg, but scored just 47, almost 30 points below their season average.
| Pre- | Illinois | vs. | Illinois |
| Team | PPG | FG% | Pts. | 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 |
| Missouri | 70.2 | .419 | 78 | .523 |
| Bethune | 76.3 | .441 | 47 | .311 |
| Loyola | 69.3 | .444 | 71 | .431 |
| Ohio State | 75.8 | .456 | 77 | .469 |
| Wisconsin | 61.8 | .442 | 63 | .538 |
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. This season, the Illini have made nine threes or more in six games, including nine treys against Ohio State on Thursday night.
Against Loyola-Chicago, Illinois made 13 of 25 three-point attempts. The 13 threes are just one behind the Illini single game record of 14, set against Iowa on Feb. 24, 1996.
This year Illinois is averaging 7.8 threes a game compared to only 5.15 last season. Illinois leads the Big Ten in three pointers per game.
Long Rangers
Nine Illini players have made a three-pointer this year. Cory Bradford leads the team with 42 threes, while Lucas Johnson is second with 18 and Frank Williams is third with 17. The other five players who have made a three-pointer this year are Cleotis Brown (13), Brian Cook (4), Damir Krupalija (2), Sean Harrington (2), Sergio McClain (2), and Nate Mast (1).
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 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 79.5 points per game, the most of any Big Ten team. In the last eight games Illinois has averaged 84.8 points.
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.
Illini Items
(As of Jan. 11) Cory Bradford is sixth in scoring (16.1 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.389) and first in three-pointers per game (3.23) ... Frank Williams is sixth in assists (4.54) and fourth in steals (2.46), while Sergio McClain is fifth in steals (2.18) ... Marcus Griffin is fourth in blocks per game (1.62), and 10th in rebounds (6.5 rpg) ... Williams is fourth in free throw percentage (.809).
The Illini backcourt duo of Cory Bradford and Frank Williams are combining for 28.4 points and 6.4 assists per game.
The Illini have been out-rebounded in six of 13 games this year, against Duke, Maryland, Kansas State, Kansas, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Illinois lost to Duke, Maryland and Wisconsin but defeated Kansas State, Kansas, and Ohio State. Duke edged the Illini in rebounding, 46-45, Maryland was 11 better than the Illini, 40-29, K-State out-boarded UI 43-39, Kansas won the rebounding war 53-41, Ohio State had a 45-38 advantage and Wisconsin won the battle of the boards by two, 38-36.
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. He matched that effort by nailing four treys last week against both Bethune-Cookman and Loyola-Chicago
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. 12 | Purdue | 1800 |
| 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. 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.
The Peoria trio have combined to average 29.9 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 7.3 apg, and 5.0 spg through 13 games this year.
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.
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 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 or Loyola-Chicago.
Damir Krupalija, who is still bothered by a sprained big toe, also sat out the games against Bethune-Cookman, Loyola-Chicago, Ohio State and Wisconsin. He began participating in practice again on Wednesday, Jan. 5.
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).
9
A total of nine Illini players have made a three-pointer this year, led by Cory Bradford with 42 treys.
11
The number of players on the roster from the state of Illinois (Victor Chukwudebe, Brian Cook, Joe Cross, Marcus Griffin, Sean Harrington, Jerrance Howard, Lucas Johnson, Damir Krupalija, Nate Mast, Sergio McClain, Frank Williams).
13
The number of threes Illinois made against Loyola-Chicago, just one shy of the Illini single game record of 14 set against Iowa on February 24, 1996.
13
Illinois has racked up 13 Big Ten Championships with the last one coming in 1998.
15.5
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.
45
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.
107
Points scored in the win over Loyola-Chicago, the most since Dec. 22, 1993 when Illinois lost to Missouri in triple overtime, 107-108
108
Number of career games for Victor Chukwudebe.
305
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 | Frank Williams (13) vs. Loyola-Chicago, 12/30/99 |
| 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 | 107 vs. Loyola-Chicago, 12/30/99 |
| 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 | Keyon Dooling (25) Missouri, 12/21/99 |
| 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 | 47 by Bethune-Cookman, 12/28/99 |
| 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 16 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, 69-72 |
| 12/4/99 | #24 Maryland | L, 67-69 |
| 12/18/99 | #8 Kansas | W, 84-70 |
| 1/6/00 | #13 Ohio State | W, 80-77 |
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 |
| Missouri | Williams | Bradford | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
| Bethune-Cookman | Williams | Bradford | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
| Loyola-Chicago | Williams | Bradford | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
| Ohio State | Williams | Bradford | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
| @Wisconsin | Williams | Bradord | Brown | Archibald | Griffin |
Bench Points
The Illinois bench is outscoring the opponent's bench by an average of 24.7 ppg to 17.2 ppg. Illinois has outscored the opponent's bench in seven of 13 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 |
| 12 | Missouri | 4 |
| 41 | Bethune-Cookman | 31 |
| 38 | Loyola-Chicago | 39 |
| 17 | Ohio State | 24 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 18 |
|
| 321 | TOTAL | 244 |
