Feb. 1, 2000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois saw its two game winning streak come to a halt in East Lansing, courtesy of Michigan State. The Spartans dominated the boards to take a commanding 91-66 victory, the worst defeat for the Illini since a 92-56 loss at Temple on Dec. 10, 1991

Illinois fell behind by 12 during the first 10 minutes, due to MSU's second chance points and the hot shooting of Morris Peterson. The Illini were able to trim the lead down to six at 32-26, but Michigan State closed the half with a 17-4 run behind six points from Charlie Bell and a pair of driving layups by Mateen Cleaves.

Michigan State, which enjoyed a 22-6 advantage on the boards in the first half, continued to attack the glass in the second. And the Spartan defense was just as aggressive, holding the Illini to just one free throw by Robert Archibald over the first nine minutes of the second stanza. By then MSU had opened up its biggest margin of the game at 36 points, a deficit from which the Illini could not recover.

Although the Illini had just 11 turnovers and shot 48 percent from the field, rebounding was the key and the Illini were beaten 41-16 on the boards for the game.

Minnesota (11-7, 3-5) at RV/RV Illinois (11-7, 3-4)
Wednesday, Feb. 2 - 8 p.m. (ESPN-Plus)
Champaign, Illinois - Assembly Hall (16,450)

About Minnesota
Minnesota brings a record of 11-7 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play to the Assembly Hall. New head coach Dan Monson, who previously was in charge at Gonzaga, takes on Illinois for the first time.

The Gophers compiled an 8-2 record during the nonconference, which included wins over Marquette, Virginia, and at Georgia. In Big Ten play, Minnesota's three victories have all come at home, over Michigan, Iowa, and most recently Northwestern last Saturday. The win over the Wildcats broke the Gophers' four game losing streak. Minnesota brings a road record of just 1-6 into the Illinois game.

The Gophers are led by outstanding center, sophomore Joel Przybilla. Przybilla leads the team averaging 13.3 points per game and 8.2 rebounds (fourth in the Big Ten) per contest. He is also a predominant shot blocker, averaging 3.7 blocks per game, second in the conference behind OSU center Ken Johnson. Przybilla, who was last year's runner-up to Cory Bradford for Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, is shooting 62 percent (97-of-157) from the field on the season, the best in the Big Ten.

Illinois vs. Minnesota

Last season, the two teams met twice, once during the regular season and once in the Big Ten tournament.

On Feb. 3, Illinois traveled to Minneapolis to face the 18th-ranked Gophers. Cory Bradford scored nine of the first 13 points as Illinois opened up an early five point lead. Illinois was up 20-19 with less than ten minutes remaining in the first half when Minnesota when on a 14-0 run. The Gophers coninued to roll in the second half, pushing the total scoring run to 27-5 and giving Minnesota a 22 point lead. The Gophers went on to a 75-63 victory.

On March 4, it was payback in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament at the United Center. The eleventh-seeded Illini jumped all over the sixth-seeded Gophers, leading by as many as 22 points in the first half. But Minnesota fought back and eventually took the lead 45-44 with less than ten minutes to play. Two three pointers by Cory Bradford put Illinois back in front and the Illini held on for a 67-64 victory. Bradford had 22 in the victory, and the Illini defense held All-Big Ten player Quincy Lewis to just eight points.

Team Comparisons

Illini Players vs. Minnesota

Cory Bradford (2G, 18.0 ppg., 2.0 rpg.)
High Points: 22, on 3/4/99
High Rebounds: 3, on 3/4/99

Cleotis Brown (2G, 6.0 ppg., 1.0 rpg.)
High Points: 12, on 2/3/99
High Rebounds: 2, on 2/3/99

Victor Chukwudebe (5G, 4.1 ppg., 2.6 rpg.)
High Points: 9, on 1/16/99
High Rebounds: 9, on 2/12/98

Lucas Johnson (2G, 6.0 ppg., 4.5 rpg.)
High Points: 12, on 3/4/99
High Rebounds: 5, on 2/3/99

Damir Krupalija (2G, 9.0 ppg., 6.0 rpg.)
High Points: 10, on 2/3/99
High Rebounds: 6, on 2/3/99 and 3/4/99

Nate Mast (2G, 5.0 ppg., 0.0 rpg.)
High Points: 7, on 3/4/99
High Rebounds: none

Sergio McClain (3G, 6.0 ppg., 2.3 rpg.)
High Points: 13, on 2/3/99
High Rebounds: 4, on 3/4/99

ILLINOIS
F - 21 Robert Archibald (So., 6-11, 228, 4.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
F - 40 Sergio McClain (Jr., 6-4, 222, 6.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
C - 34 Brian Cook (Fr., 6-10, 231, 7.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
G - 13 Cory Bradford (So., 6-3, 200, 15.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
G - 30 Frank Williams (Fr., 6-3, 197, 11.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.1 ast)

Reserves
00 - Victor Chukwudebe (F, Sr., 6-7, 230, 2.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
5 - Nate Mast (G, Jr., 5-11, 160, 0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg)
12 - Joe Cross (G, Jr., 6-2, 205, 3.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg)
22 - Lucas Johnson (F, So, 6-8, 217, 5.7 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
24 - Sean Harrington (G, Fr., 6-3, 185, 2.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
25 - Jerrance Howard (G, Fr., 6-1, 175)
32 - Cleotis Brown (F, Sr., 6-5, 220, 8.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
33 - Damir Krupalija (F, So., 6-9, 216, 3.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg)

MINNESOTA
F - 45 Dusty Rychart (So., 6-7, 220, 3.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
F - 32 J.B. Bickerstaff (Jr., 6-6, 193, 16.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
C - 50 Joel Przybilla (So., 7-1. 260, 10.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg)
G - 12 Kevin Burleson (Fr., 6-3, 175, 12.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
G - 23 Terrance Simmons (Jr., 6-3, 185, 7.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 6.5 ast )

The Head Coaches

Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger
Overall Record: 307-230 (18th year)
At Illinois: 70-45 (4th year)

Minnesota Head Coach Dan Monson
Overall Record: 53-24 (3rd year)
At Minnesota: 11-7 (1st year)

On the Air
ESPN+ Play-by-Play: Tom Hamilton
ESPN+ 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

Illini Record Under Lon Kruger

Illini Record in 1999-2000

Bradford's Streak Ends
Cory Bradford saw his streak of 31 straight games in double figures come to an end Jan. 26 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.

The sophomore guard got back on track Sunday at Michigan State where he shot 5-11 for 13 points, including one three.

Bradford has hit double figures in 45 of his 50 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 on Jan. 22. In the victory over Iowa on the 26th, Cook continued to roll, scoring a game high 19 points in his most playing time of the year, 29 minutes. Cook then contributed 12 points and six rebounds in Illinois' loss to Michigan State on Jan. 30.

Harrington Hits Career Highs
Freshman guard Sean Harrington continues to become more comfortable on the court and its showing in his play. On Sunday in the Breslin Center, one of the toughest arenas to play in in the Big Ten, Harrington calmly hit two of three 3-pointers en route to notching career highs in both points (eight) and field goals (three).

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, four steals, and just one turnover in 33 minutes against the Hawkeyes.

Against MSU on Jan. 30, Williams played a team-high 33 minutes while collecting 11 points and four assists despite being guarded by MSU All-American Mateen Cleaves.

Career Night for Archibald
Power forward Robert Archibald grabbed a career high 10 rebounds against Iowa on Jan. 26, 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
With the exception of Illinois' loss to No. 8 Michigan State Jan. 30, Illinois' other six losses have been decided by an average difference of only 3.7 points. Five of those six losses were by by four points or less. The biggest differential before the MSU loss was a six point defeat to Missouri on Dec. 21.

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 McClain's biggest stat was his astounding rebounding total. The 6'4? 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 Iowa's Dean Oliver scoreless over the final 10 minutes of the game.

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 Jan. 24 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 66 percent of the points (51.9 of the Illini's 78.5 points per game) and 54 percent of the rebounds (20.6 of the 38.0 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 50-straight games, every game in his Illini career.

This season, Bradford has already made 53 threes, an average of 3.94 threes a game, which leads the Big Ten. 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. Here's 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 78.5 points per game, the third highest scoring average in the Big Ten.

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

Illinois appeared to be turning its fortune around on the boards, outrebounding its last three opponents, including an advantage of +14 against Iowa. But against Michigan State, the Illini were beaten 41-16 on the boards, the largest margin of the season.

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 7.22 threes a game compared to only 5.15 last season. Illinois leads the Big Ten in three pointers per game.

Long Rangers
Ten Illini players have made a three-pointer this year. Cory Bradford leads the team with 53 threes, while Frank Williams is second with 22, and Lucas Johnson is third with 20. The other five players who have made a three-pointer this year are Cleotis Brown (17), Sean Harrington (7), Brian Cook (4), Damir Krupalija (3), Sergio McClain (2), Nate Mast (1) and Joe Cross (1).

Illini in Big Ten Rankings
(As of Jan. 31) Cory Bradford is sixth in scoring (15.8 ppg), first in three-pointers per game (2.94), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.368), and tenth in field goal percentage (.373) ... Frank Williams is fourth in free throw percentage (.825), eighth in assists (4.11) and sixth in steals (2.11), while Sergio McClain is seventh in steals (1.88) ... Marcus Griffin is third in blocks (1.73) and ninth in offensive rebounds per game (2.47).

Howard and Cross Eligible
Freshman Jerrance Howard and junior Joe Cross became eligible Jan. 18 when second semester classes resumed.

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. He saw his first game action against Michigan St. on Sunday, nailing his first and only shot, a three late in the contest.

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. 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.

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 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 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 and Indiana games are sold out. Here's a look at the remaining home games and the amount of tickets available.

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 30.8 ppg, 12.9 rpg, 7.4 apg, and 4.7 spg through 18 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 (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 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

National Polls

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