Nov. 26, 2000
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Probable Starters
#8 ILLINOIS (3-1)
| F | 40 | Sergio McClain (Sr., 6-4, 230, 9.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg) |
| F | 34 | Brian Cook (So., 6-10, 240, 9.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg) |
| C | 52 | Marcus Griffin (Sr., 6-9, 235, 14.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) |
| G | 13 | Cory Bradford (Jr., 6-3, 200, 8.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg) |
| G | 30 | Frank Williams (So., 6-3, 205, 19.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.8 ast) |
Off The Bench ...
| G | 00 | Brett Melton (Fr., 6-5, 195, 2.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg) |
| G | 5 | Nate Mast (Sr., 5-11, 170, 0.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg) |
| G | 12 | Joe Cross (Sr., 6-2, 200, 3.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) |
| C | 21 | Robert Archibald (Jr., 6-11, 250, 5.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) |
| F | 22 | Lucas Johnson (Jr., 6-8, 230, 4.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg) |
| G | 24 | Sean Harrington (So., 6-3, 185, 5.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg) |
| G | 25 | Jerrance Howard (Fr., 6-1, 190, 0.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg) |
| F | 33 | Damir Krupalija (Jr., 6-9, 230, 4.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg) |
| C | 45 | Nick Smith (Fr., 7-2, 245, Redshirting) |
Illini Head Coach Bill Self
Bill Self is in his first season at the helm of the Illini program following three years at Tulsa where he earned National Coach of the Year honors in 2000. He led Tulsa to a 32-5 record and into a Regional Final appearance last season. Prior to his stop at Tulsa, Self spent four years at Oral Roberts where he built a program from 6-21 his first season to 22-6 in his fourth year.
A 1985 graduate of Oklahoma State, Self has worked under Larry Brown at Kansas and Leonard Hamilton and Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State.
Self Career Record
| Oral Roberts, 1994-97 | 56-53 |
| Tulsa, 1998-2000 | 74-27 |
| Illinois, present | 3-1 |
| Total | 133-81 (.621) |
Looking Back at Maui
Illinois won two of three games at the 2000 Maui Invitational last week with wins over UNLV and Maryland before losing the championship game to top-ranked Arizona.
The Illini overcame an early 14-point deficit to UNLV to post a 74-69 victory in the opening round. Frank Williams led the Illini with 22 points, six assists, six rebounds and five steals. Brian Cook posted his first double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
Illinois used a huge 55-37 rebounding advantage, including 27 offensive rebounds, in the 90-80 semfinal victory over sixth-ranked Maryland. The four frontline players of Cook, Marcus Griffin, Sergio McClain and Robert Archibald combined for 49 points and 35 rebounds, with Griffin scoring 19 points and grabbing eight boards. McClain posted his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Archibald came off the bench to score nine points and grab eight rebounds. Williams again led the Illini with 21 points while grabbing seven rebounds of his own.
In the championship game against top-ranked Arizona, Illini shooting placed the squad behind the eight ball as Illinois trailed by 15 points with 3:30 remaining in the game. The Illini tossed in four three pointers in a late flurry to pull Illinois within one point in the final 15 seconds, and after Jason Gardner made two free throws for Arizona with 12 seconds remaining, the Illini actually had a shot to tie at the end. A blocked shot and deflected pass allowed Arizona to hold on for a 79-76 victory.
Williams came within one vote of being a unanimous selection for the all-tournament team and was joined on the squad by Griffin. Williams averaged 23.3 points while Griffin averaged 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in the three games.
Scouting Texas Southern
Texas Southern enters today's game with a record of 0-2. The Tigers lost their season opener at home to Lamar 78-69, and on Friday night fell at Iowa State 109-70. Ricky Bennett has been the hot hand for TSU, posting a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) against Lamar and scoring a game-high 24 points against the Cyclones. Poor shooting has plagued Texas Southern to start the season, as the Tigers are shooting just 37 percent from the floor.
Tough to Follow Illini
Fighting Illini opponents have found the going tough the next game following their matchup with Illinois. Only Maine was able to follow its game against Illinois with a victory when the Black Bears defeated Providence. UNLV followed with a loss to Louisville, Maryland followed with a loss to Dayton, and Arizona followed with a loss to Purdue.
Williams Off To Fast Start
Illinois sophomore guard Frank Williams put together the best three-game stretch of his college career at the Maui Invitational. The Peoria native scored a then-career high 22 points in the tournament-opening win over UNLV while adding six rebounds, six assists and five steals. Williams followed that performance with 21 points and seven rebounds in a victory over Maryland. He then posted a career high with 27 points while grabbing five boards in the championship-game loss to Arizona. His performances allowed him to be a part of the all-tournament team. He was just one vote shy of being a unanimous selection.
Griffin Strong in the Post
Senior center Marcus Griffin was a strong presence at center for the Illini in Maui. After opening against UNLV with 15 points and five rebounds, he followed with a 19-point, eight-rebound performance against Maryland. His defensive effort helped hold UNLV star Kaspars Kambala to just 14 points (5-13 shooting) and five rebounds. He also helped neutralize the strong Maryland frontline in the Illini victory over the Terps. In the three games, 11 of Griffin's 17 total rebounds came on the offensive end. For the season, 15 of Griffin's 23 rebounds have been at the offensive end. Among the seven Illini players with at least 15 field goal attempts, Griffin leads the way with a .545 shooting percentage.
What's Cookin'
Sophomore forward Brian Cook leads the Illini in rebounding with an 8.8 average after four games. He grabbed a career-high 14 boards in the win over UNLV and followed with nine against Maryland. He also led the Illini with seven in the loss to Arizona. Cook is third on the team with an average of 9.5 points while shooting 47 percent from the field.
Illini Bench Key to Illini Wins
Illinois got strong play from the bench in all three games at Maui. In the opener against UNLV, Brett Melton (5 points), Robert Archibald (5 points, 3 rebounds) and Lucas Johnson (3 points, 7 rebounds) all came off the bench to spark the Illini late in the first half. After falling behind 28-14, Illini tied the game at 36 going into halftime after sparkling play by the bench.
In the win over Maryland, Archibald scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds in 18 minutes of play.
And, in the championship game, Sean Harrington hit a career-high five three points enroute to 15 points and Damir Krupalija scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds in his first extensive action of the 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 Jerrance Howad, Brett Melton and Nick Smith. In addition to first-year head coach Bill Self, assistant coaches Norm Roberts and Billy Gillispie are in their first year at Illinois. Smith is expected to redshirt this season.
Illini Basketball is a Hot Ticket
More than 12,000 season tickets were sold for the 2000-01 men's basketball season. The Iowa (Feb. 24) and Michigan games (Jan. 13) are sold out with single game sales, while the Seton Hall game (Dec. 9) and Ohio State game (Jan. 6) are closing in on sellout status.
That's Bradford with a Three
In each of his first two seasons, junior guard Cory Bradford has set Illinois single-season records for three-point field goals. Even more impressive is that he has made a three-pointer in 68-straight games, every game in his Illini career. The NCAA record for consecutive games with a three pointer is 73 by Wally Lancaster of Virginia Tech from 1986-89.
Bradford also has a streak of 68 straight starts as an Illini entering the Texas Southern contest on Nov. 26.
Bradford on Wooden List
Illinois' Cory Bradford is one of 25 players named to the preseason list of candidates for the 2001 Wooden Award All-American team. The 2000-01 Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year is on the list for the second consecutive season. Bradford earned Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year honors from both the media and Big Ten coaches. He also earned a place on the Preseason All-Big Ten First Team.
Bradford led the Illini last year with 15.3 ppg and broke the school record for three pointers in a season with 96. He earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team.
Big Ten Media Pick Illini as Preseason Conference Favorites
Illinois was picked to finish first in the Big Ten by a conference media poll and second by the Big Ten coaches' vote. Both the league coaches and media chose Illinois junior guard Cory Bradford as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year.
Illini Schedule
Four teams on the 2000-01 Illinois schedule opened the season ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Top 10 and five were in the Top 25. Top-ranked Arizona (Dec. 16 at Chicago) and second-ranked Duke (Nov. 28 at Greensboro, N.C.) lead the list followed by No. 5 Michigan State (Feb. 6) and 10th-ranked Seton Hall (Dec. 9). Sixth-ranked Maryland played Illinois in the Maui Invitational. Big Ten foe Wisconsin began the year ranked 22nd. Illini opponents Missouri (26th), Indiana (31st), Iowa (32nd), Purdue (36th), Ohio State (39th), Texas (43rd), Michigan (45th) and UNLV (52nd) also received votes in the coaches' poll.
Illini Preseason Ranking Highest Since 1990
Illinois began the 2000-01 season ranked No. 8 by the Associated Press and No. 9 by the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
The last time Illinois was ranked in the Top 10 to begin the season was in November, 1989 when the Illini, who were led by Kendall Gill and Stephen Bardo, were also ranked eighth by the Associated Press.
In 1988-89, Illinois started the season ranked No. 9 before finishing at No. 3 and in the Final Four. Illinois also started the 1993 season ranked No. 16 and the 1999-2000 season ranked No. 17.
The No. 8 ranking is Illinois' highest since being No. 7 in January, 1990.
Illini Sign Two During Fall Period
Illinois signed two future student-athletes to national letters of intent in November. Roger Powell (6-6, F, Joliet, Ill., Township High School) and Luther Head (6-3, G, Chicago Manley High School) both signed on Nov. 8, the first day of the fall signing period.
