Jan. 27, 2000

The Head Coaches

Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger

Overall Record: 307-229 (18th year)

At Illinois: 70-44 (4th year)

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo

Overall Record: 101-46 (5th year)

At Michigan State: 101-46 (5th year)

On the Air

CBS Play-by-Play: Kevin Harlon

CBS Color Analyst: Al McGuire

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 Tens 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.

Last Time Out
The Illini moved to .500 in conference play with a gutsy road win over the Iowa Hawkeyes, 69-58 on Wednesday.

Illinois controlled the first half, jumping out to as much as a 15 point advantage when Cory Bradfords trey made it 34-19. But in the final five minutes of the half, Iowa began connecting on the three-ball, cutting the deficit in half, 40-32 by the break.

Early in the second half, the Hawkeyes made their run, clamping down on defense and converting opportunities on offense. The Illini saw a nine point lead turn into a five point deficit as the Hawkeyes went on a 20-6 run.

Lon Kruger called timeout to settle down his troops down with under seven minutes remaining. Just when it looked as though the Illini had let another big lead slip away, the team responded when it counted most.

Frank Williams was the catalyst on offense, driving to the lane and either finishing or dumping it off to Brian Cook for easy baskets. The defense was intense, led by Sergio McClains pressure on Dean Oliver and Robert Archibald hitting the boards.

The result was a powerful closing run of 18-2 to preserve the victory, as the Hawkeyes managed just two free throws in the final seven minutes.

About Michigan State

The defending Big Ten champion Spartans are off to a 4-1 start in conference play and 13-5 overall. Coming off of a Final Four appearance, the Spartans were slowed in the fall without the services of All-American point guard Mateen Cleaves, who was out with a broken foot.

The Spartans played one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country, facing Texas, North Carolina, Kansas, Arizona, and Kentucky. MSU also has a game against Connecticut scheduled for Feb. 5.

In Big Ten play, State won its first three games over Penn State, Iowa, and Indiana, before dropping a road contest to Ohio State. The Spartans got back in the winning column with a victory over Northwestern on Jan. 22, and turn right around and play the Wildcats again tonight.

Michigan State is led by its Flint connection of seniors Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson and junior Charlie Bell. Peterson, who was named all-Big Ten last season despite coming off the bench, is starting this year and leads the team in scoring at 16.4 ppg. He is grabbing six rebounds a game and also leads the team in steals. Bell filled in at the point while Cleaves was out, and has since moved back to the point. Bell is second on the team in scoring, hitting for 12.4 ppg. Cleaves returned at the beginning of the Big Ten season and although his scoring isnt quite up to last seasons standards, (7.6 ppg compared to 11.7 last year), he again tops the Big Ten in assists, dishing out six per game.

Illinois vs. Michigan State: The History
Illinois and Michigan State have met 88 times, with the Illini holding a slight 45-43 edge in the all-time series. In games played in East Lansing, Michigan St. leads 28-15. Lon Kruger is 3-5 as a head coach against the Spartans.

Last season Illinois and MSU, who shared the Big Ten championship during the 1997-98 season, met three times with the Spartans taking all three matchups.

On January 16, State won 51-49 in Champaign. Playing without the injured Sergio McClain, walk-on Nate Mast was inserted into the starting lineup at point. In a low scoring game where both teams shot just over 30 percent, the Spartans held on when Cory Bradfords last second desparation shot from behind half court bounced off the back of the rim.

In East Lansing on Feb. 11, the Spartans cruised to a 61-44 victory. The Illini fell behind 15-2 and 26-6 in the first half and were never able to recover. Illinois 44 points were a season low.

The two teams met one final time on March 7, in the championship game of the Big Ten tournament. The Spartans were expected to be there, but the Illini were the surprise team, making to the title game after beating three ranked teams on three consecutive days. Fatigue finally caught up with the Illini and the miracle run came up short with MSU winning 67-50. Cory Bradford scored a game high 21 points in the loss.

ILLINOIS

F  21 Robert Archibald (So., 6-11, 228, 5.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
F  40 Sergio McClain   (Jr., 6-4, 222, 6.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
C  34 Brian Cook       (Fr., 6-10, 231, 7.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
G  13 Cory Bradford    (So., 6-3, 200, 15.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
G  30 Frank Williams   (Fr., 6-3, 197, 11.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.1 ast)

MICHIGAN STATE

F  43 A.J. Granger    (Sr., 6-9, 230, 8.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
F  42 Morris Peterson (So., 6-7, 215, 16.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
C  34 Andre Hutson    (Jr., 6-8. 240, 11.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
G  14 Charlie Bell    (Jr., 6-3, 195, 12.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
G  12 Mateen Cleaves  (Sr., 6-2, 205, 7.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg, )

Team Comparisons

Bradfords Streak Ends
Cory Bradford saw his streak of 31 straight games in double figures come to an end Wednesday against Iowa. Bradford scored just five points on 2-of-12 shooting, tying the second lowest scoring total of his career. Prior to the Iowa game, 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.

Bradford has hit double figures in 44 of his 49 career games.

Cook Still Cookin
With Marcus Griffin going down with a knee injury the day before the Penn State game, it opened the door for freshman Brian Cook to make his first start in an Illini uniform. Cook stepped up to the challenge by hitting his first six shots on the way to a season high 20 points against the Nittany Lions. In the victory over Iowa on Wednesday, Cook continued to roll, scoring a game high 19 points in his most playing time of the year, 29 minutes.

Williams Continues to Step Up
Coming off a difficult outing against Michigan, freshman point guard Frank Williams responded with an excellent week of practice that culminated in an inspired effort against Penn State. Williams, coming off the bench, scored 16 points (his highest point total in Big Ten games) and led the team in rebounding with seven.

He worked his way back into the starting lineup against Iowa and had another excellent showing. Williams scored 12 points with four assists and just one turnover in 33 minutes against the Hawkeyes. In a tight game down the stretch, Williams made all the right decisions. Whether it was driving to the basket and scoring, or finding the open man Williams poise led the Illini to victory.

McClain the Warrior
Earning his first start since the Bradley game on Nov. 22, Sergio McClain made the most of his opportunity against the Michigan Wolverines. In 33 minutes of action, he scored a season high 15 points and had five assists. But McClains biggest stat was his astounding rebounding total. The 64' McClain pulled down a career high 18 rebounds, including six offensive. The 18 boards are the most by an Illinois player since March 8, 1995 when Shelly Clark tallied 19 against Northwestern.

McClain has thrived since returning to the starting lineup. Against the Hawkeyes, he scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and stepped up the defensive intensity, holding Iowas Dean Oliver scoreless over the final 10 minutes of the game.

Career Night for Archibald
Power forward Robert Archibald grabbed a career high 10 rebounds against the Hawkeyes, topping his previous best of nine against Wisconsin last season. Archibald continues to battle on the boards despite continuing back problems that have kept him out of some practices.

Tough Losses
Of Illinois six losses, the games have been decided by an average difference of only 3.7 points. Five of the six losses have been by four points or less. The biggest differential was a six point defeat to Missouri on Dec. 21.

Griffin Sidelined with Injury
It seems as though the injury list for the Illinois basketball team grows longer every day. The most crushing blow came last week, when starting center Marcus Griffin went down with a knee injury during practice on Friday, Jan. 21. An MRI done the next morning revealed torn cartilage in his left knee. Griffin had arthroscopic surgery on Monday in Peoria and is expected to be out three to six weeks.

Illini Youngsters Produce
Of the 14 players on the Illini roster, eight are either freshmen or sophomores. The underclassmen are producing 65 percent of the points (51.5 of the Illinis 79.2 points per game) and 55 percent of the rebounds (21.1 of the 38.7 boards per game).

Thats 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 49-straight games, every game in his Illini career.

This season, Bradford has already made 52 threes, an average of 3.06 threes a game, which leads the Big Ten. Bradford is the only player in the conference averaging over three treys per game. He tied his season high of five threes against Michigan on Jan. 16. Bradford also nailed five threes against Seton Hall and Kansas.

More on Bradford
With his 28 points against Michigan on Jan. 16, Cory Bradford tallied the second-highest scoring output of his career and posted his 12th 20-point effort. Heres a list of the games when Bradford has hit the 20-point mark.

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 79.2 points per game, the second highest scoring average in the Big Ten.

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 four games this year, the Illinois defense has held the opponent below its season field goal shooting percentage. In all but six 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 7.1 points under their season average entering the game.

Iowa came in averaging 71.1 points per game, but the Illinois defense held them to just 58 points. Iowa did not make a field goal in the last ten minutes of the game.

Problems on the Boards
The Illini have been out-rebounded in seven of 17 games this year, including three of six Big Ten games.

But Illinois is starting to turn it around on the glass, outrebounding its last three opponents, including an advantage of +14 against Iowa on Wednesday.

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, most recently nailing nine treys against Ohio State in the Big Ten opener.

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 7.24 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 52 threes, while Frank Williams is second with 20, and Lucas Johnson is third with 19. The other five players who have made a three-pointer this year are Cleotis Brown (17), Sean Harrington (5), Brian Cook (4), Damir Krupalija (3), Sergio McClain (2), and Nate Mast (1).

Illini in Big Ten Rankings
(As of Jan. 24) Cory Bradford is fifth in scoring (16.6 ppg), first in three-pointers per game (3.19), and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.381) ... Frank Williams is fifth in free throw percentage (.816), ninth in assists (4.13) and sixth in steals (2.13), while Sergio McClain is seventh in steals (1.93) ... Marcus Griffin is third in blocks (1.73) and eigth in offensive rebounds per game (2.47).

Howard and Cross Eligible
Freshman Jerrance Howard and junior Joe Cross became eligible last week when second semester classes resumed, although neither played against Penn State or Iowa.

After receiving a qualifying ACT score in the fall, Howard officially joined the Illini program and worked out with the team in practice for the first time on Sunday, Dec. 19. It looks as though Howard will redshirt this season. In October, the point guard had surgery on his right shoulder to correct a circulatory problem.

Cross joined the Illini program last January after transferring from Florida International. According to NCAA rules, Cross was able to practice with the team, but had to sit out one year before becoming eligible for games.

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.

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.

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, joined by St. Johns Erick Barkley, Floridas Mike Miller and DePauls 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. Bradfords 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.

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, Jerrance Howard, and Frank Williams, and juniors Joe Cross and 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 brothers 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 Illinis first game Johnson hit 4-for-4 from three-point range. He matched that effort by nailing four treys 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. Heres a look at the games with the least amount of tickets remaining.

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 31.3 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 7.5 apg, and 5.1 spg through 17 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. Heres a list of the injuries this year.

Sergio McClain (knee scoped), 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.

Robert Archibald, hampered by a bad back, saw limited duty against Kansas. The back has continued to bother the sophomore and although he has not missed any more playing time he has sat out a number of practices.

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. After seeing limited action in the beginning of conference play, Chuwkudebe did not play against Michigan in order to rest his ankle.

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 and returned to action against Purdue.

Marcus Griffin injured his back in practice on Monday, Jan. 10 and saw it tighten up on him as he tried to enter the Purdue game on Jan. 12th. After returning to the training room to get his back loosened up, Griffin was able to play 20 minutes against the Boilers.

Marcus Griffin tore cartilage in his left knee during practice on Friday, Jan. 21 and underwent surgery on Monday, Jan. 24 to repair the tear. He is expected to miss three to six weeks.

Illini Record Under Lon Kruger

Week-by-Week Rankings

National Polls

Illini Ranked
Illinois started the season ranked 16th in the Associated Press preseason poll, the teams 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 Feists Preview (22nd), Sport (16th), The Sporting News (10th), Sports Illustrated (21st), Street & Smiths (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 states Mr. Basketball honorees on the roster at the same time.

• Since 1980 Illinois has signed 11 McDonalds 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 has signed the tenth highest number of McDonalds All-Americans among Division I schools.

• Illinois has the 18th best all-time winning percentage (.640) among Division I schools.

• Illinois has an all-time record of 1368-768. The 1368 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 Turners 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).

9 A total of nine Illini players have made a three-pointer this year, led by Cory Bradford with 52 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).

12.7 The scoring margin between the Illini and opponents.

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.

18 Number of rebounds Sergio McClain had against Michigan, the most since Shelly Clark pulled down 19 against Northwestern on March 8, 1995.

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

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

49 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

111 Number of career games for Victor Chukwudebe.

307 Number of victories for Head Coach Lon Kruger.

Illinois Team Season Highs

Points -- 107 (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)

Rebounds -- 47 (12/28/99 vs. Bethune-Cookman)

Assists -- 23 (12/28/99 vs. Bethune-Cookman)
23 (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)

Steals -- 18 (12/28/99 vs. Behune-Cookman)

Blocks -- 8 (11/30/99 vs. Duke)

Turnovers -- 23 (11/22/99 vs. Bradley)

Fouls -- 32 (1/16/00 vs. Michigan)

Field Goals -- 36 (12/8/99 vs. Texas-Pan American)

FG Attempts -- 75 (1/16/00 vs. Michigan)

FG Percentage -- .508 (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago

Three-Pointers -- 13 (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)

Three-Point Att. -- 25 (12/5/99 vs. Seton Hall)
25 (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)

Three-Point Pct. -- .520 (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)

Free Throws -- 30 (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)

FT Attempts -- 42 (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)

FT Percentage -- .808 (1/16/00 vs. Michigan)

Illinois Individual Season Highs

Points -- 28, Cory Bradford (1/16/00 vs. Michigan)

Rebounds -- 18, Sergio McClain (1/16/00 vs. Michigan)

Assists -- 13, Frank Williams (12/30/99 vs. Loyola)

Steals -- 6, Frank Williams (12/28/99 vs. Bethune)

Blocks -- 4, Marcus Griffin (11/30/99 vs. Duke)
4, Marcus Griffin (12/12/00 vs. Purdue)

Field Goals -- 9, Brian Cook (1/22/00 vs. Penn State)

FG Attempts -- 22, Cory Bradford (1/16/00 vs. Michigan)

3-Pointers -- 5, Cory Bradford (12/5/99 vs. Seton Hall)
5, Cory Bradford (12/18/99 vs. Kansas)
5, Cory Bradford (1/16/00 vs. Michigan)

3-Point Att. -- 13, Cory Bradford (12/18/99 vs. Kansas)
13, Cory Bradford (1/16/00 vs. Michigan)

Free Throws -- 12, Marcus Griffin (12/30/99 vs. Loyola)

FT Attempts -- 13, Marcus Griffin (12/30/99 vs. Loyola)

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.

Bench Points
The Illinois bench is outscoring the opponents bench by an average of 24.4 ppg to 18.2 ppg. Illinois has outscored the opponents bench in eight of 16 games.