Jan. 4, 2000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois and Ohio State have met 148 times, with the Illini holding a 93-55 edge in the series. UI has a 54-21 advantage in games played in Champaign. Lon Kruger has coached against the Buckeyes five times (all at Illinois), compiling a 4-1 record.

UI and OSU played in two memorable games last season. The Buckeyes trailed almost the entire game before pulling out a 64-61 victory in Champaign on January 30, despite a career-high 29 points by Cory Bradford.

Illinois returned the favor in the semi-finals of the Big Ten Tournament, upsetting the #11 Buckeyes 79-77. Michael Redd scored 32 points for the Buckeyes in the loss.

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 dominated its opponent for the second game in a row, blowing out Loyola-Chicago, 107-71. The Illini offense was the story of the game, as it was a case of too many weapons for the Ramblers to handle.

Junior forward Marcus Griffin led the way with a career high 24 points and was just one rebound shy of a double-double. Most impressively was that the 6-9 Griffin went 12-of-13 from the free throw line in the contest. Cleotis Brown had his best game of the season, scoring a season high 19 points behind a career high four three-pointers.

Point guard Frank Williams wrote his name into the record books by dishing out 13 assists. That ties the Illini mark for third all-time for single game assists.

Illinois' score of 107 is the highest output in the Lon Kruger era and the most since December 22, 1993, when the Illini lost to Missouri, 107-108 in triple overtime. The Illini connected on 13 three-pointers against the Ramblers, which is just one behind the UI all-time record of threes in one game, set in a 91-86 victory over Iowa on February 24, 1996.

About Ohio State
Coming off of a final four season, #13 Ohio State has compiled an 8-2 non-conference record heading into the start of Big Ten play. The Buckeyes have played just one road game, falling to Kansas 80-67 back on Dec. 16. That was also OSU's only game against a Top 25 opponent.

The Buckeyes are led by their talented guard tandem of senior Scoonie Penn and junior Michael Redd. Redd leads the way, averaging 14.9 points per game with Penn almost identical, at 14.8 ppg. Redd is also the team's leading rebounder (7.1 rpg) and top free throw shooter at 92 percent (23-of-25).

Senior center Ken Johnson patrols the middle, grabbing 5.5 rebounds per game and amassing 50 blocks through ten games, which leads the Big Ten.

ILLINOIS
F - 21 Robert Archibald (So., 6-11, 228, 4.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
F - 32 Cleotis Brown (Sr., 6-5, 220, 9.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg)
C - 52 Marcus Griffin (Jr., 6-9, 235, 14.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
G - 13 Cory Bradford (So., 6-3, 200, 15.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
G - 30 Frank Williams (Fr., 6-3, 197, 12.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.6 ast)

Reserves
00 - Victor Chukwudebe (F., Sr., 6-7, 230, 3.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
5 - Nate Mast (G, Jr., 5-11, 160, 0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg)
22 - Lucas Johnson (F, So, 6-8, 217, 7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
24 - Sean Harrington (G, Fr., 6-3, 185, 1.2 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, 7.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
40 - Sergio McClain (F, Jr., 6-4, 222, 5.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg)

OHIO STATE
F - 40 George Reese (Sr., 6-7, 240, 10.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
C - 32 Ken Johnson (Sr., 6-11, 235, 8.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg)
G - 13 Brian Brown (So., 6-3, 190, 9.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
G - 22 Michael Redd (Jr., 6-6, 215, 14.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
G - 12 Scoonie Penn (Sr., 5-10, 185, 14.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.0 ast)

The Head Coaches

Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger
Overall Record: 304-225 (18th year)
At Illinois: 67-41 (4th year)

Ohio State Head Coach Jim O'Brien
Overall Record: 278-250 (18th year)
At Loyola-Chicago: 43-33 (3rd 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

Team Comparisons

Illini Players vs. Ohio State

Robert Archibald (2G, 4.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg)

Cory Bradford (2G, 23 ppg, 2 rpg)

Cleotis Brown (2G, 13 ppg, 5.5 rpg)

Victor Chukwudebe (5G, 3.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg)

Lucas Johnson (2G, 7 ppg, 3 rpg)

Damir Krupalija (2G, 2 ppg, 2.5 rpg)

Nate Mast (2G, 1 ppg, 0.5 rpg)

Sergio McClain (3G, 6 ppg, 4.3 rpg)

Illini in Big Ten Openers
Illinois is 55-39 all-time in Big Ten openers, and 1-2 in conference openers under Lon Kruger.

In 36 Big Ten home openers at the Assembly Hall, the Illini have compiled a record of 24-12.

Griffin Player of the Week
Illini center Marcus Griffin earned Co-Big Ten Player of the Week honors thanks to his outstanding play last week. 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.

Griffin, who leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.596), ranks second on the team in scoring (14 ppg) and leads the team in rebounds (6.6 rpg). He has scored in double figures in eight of eleven games this season.

Illini Youngsters Produce
Of the 12 players on the Illini roster, seven are either freshmen or sophomores. The underclassmen are producing 52 of the Illini's 81.4 points, for 64 percent and 20 of the 39.1 rebounds for 51 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 field goal shooting percentage. In all but two 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 11.7 points under their season average entering the game. The biggest differential came last week against Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats came in averaging 76.3 ppg, but scored just 47, almost 30 points below their season average.

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

He's averaging 3.3 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 26-game double-figure scoring streak. He has hit double figures in 39 of his 43 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 eight games, Williams has combined for 47 assists, compared to just 23 turnovers. He's also shot 44 percent from the floor the last eight games. In the last game against Loyola, Williams dished out a career-high 13 assists, which ranks third all-time in the Illinois record book for single game assists. Williams scored a career best 20 points against Kansas State on Dec. 8 and has scored in double figures in four of the last five games.

Brown Heating Up
Senior Cleotis Brown has been another scoring threat for the Illini as of late. Brown has scored in double figures in six of the last eight games, and recorded a season high 19 points in his last outing against Loyola-Chicago. He fell just one rebound shy of recording his first career double-double against the Ramblers. Over the last eight games, Brown is shooting 51 percent (33-of-65) from the floor.

Home Sweet Home for Johnson
It's easy to see why Lucas Johnson loves playing at the Assembly Hall. In five home games, Johnson has scored 71 points on 71 percent shooting (22-of-31), which includes 16-of-23 accuracy from behind the three-point line, for a home average of 14.2 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 last game 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. The Illini also nailed 10 treys in the season opener against Western Illinois, and have made nine on three separate occassions.

This year Illinois is averaging 8.2 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 36 threes, while Lucas Johnson is second with 18 and Frank Williams is third with 16. The other five players who have made a three-pointer this year are Cleotis Brown (9), Brian Cook (4), Damir Krupalija (2), Sean Harrington (2), Sergio McClain (2), and Nate Mast (1).

Illini Items
(As of Jan. 3) - Marcus Griffin leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.596), is fifth in blocks per game (1.45), and eighth in rebounds (6.6 rpg) ... Lucas Johnson is first in three-point field goal percentage (.621) ... Cory Bradford is sixth in scoring (15.9 ppg) ... Frank Williams is sixth in assists (4.64) and fourth in steals (2.73), while Sergio McClain is sixth in steals (2.11) ... Bradford is first in three-pointers per game with 3.27 and he's eighth in three-point field goal percentage (.396)

The Illini backcourt duo of Cory Bradford and Frank Williams are combining for 28.4 points and 6.6 assists per game.

Freshman Brian Cook has averaged 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in the last nine games. He scored a career-high 18 points last week 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 6.1.

The Illini have been out-rebounded in four of eleven games 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. He matched that effort by nailing four treys last week against both Bethune-Cookman and Loyola-Chicago

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 81.4 points per game, the most of any Big Ten team. In the last five games Illinois has averaged 89.8 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 31.5 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 8.1 apg, and 5.5 spg through eleven 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.

Illini Home Opener Draws Largest Crowd Since 1994
The 14,421 fans on hand to watch Illinois down Western Illinois 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 or Loyola-Chicago.

Damir Krupalija, who is still bothered by a sprained big toe, also sat out the games against Bethune-Cookman and Loyola-Chicago.

Illini Record Under Lon Kruger

Illini Record in 1999-2000

National Polls

Week-by-Week Rankings

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).

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