Feb. 11, 2000

RV/-- Illinois (14-7, 6-4)
vs.
Iowa (11-11, 4-6)

Saturday, Feb. 12, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN Plus Regional)
Champaign, Ill., Assembly Hall (16,450)

The Head Coaches

Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger
Overall Record: 310-230 (18th year)
At Illinois: 73-45 (4th year)

Iowa Head Coach Steve Alford
Overall Record: 167-88 (9th year)
At Iowa: 11-11 (1st year)

On the Air

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

Last Time Out
The Illini survived an early game drought to defeat the Michigan Wolverines 75-59 Wednesday night at Assembly Hall.

Michigan built a 12-3 lead eight minutes into the game after holding the Illini to just one field goal, a layup by Frank Williams. Although the UM zone defense was giving Illinois fits, Michigan switched to man and from there the tide started to turn.

That nine point deficit turned into a two point advantage for the Illini in less than seven minutes, with most of the damage being done at the free throw line. The story of the game came when Marcus Griffin checked in during the first half, just 16 days after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Griffin got the fans involved and gave the Illini an inspirational lift, as the hosts took a 34-28 lead into the locker room.

Cory Bradford, who went off for 28 points against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, continued his hot shooting against the foe. Bradford scored eight of Illinois' first 15 points in the second stanza as the lead grew to double digits.

Michigan cut the lead down to seven with five minutes left but the Illini responded with a crucial 12-1 run, led by seven points from Bradford, to put the game out of reach and move the Illini to 6-4 in Big Ten play.

About Iowa
Iowa owns a record of 11-11 overall and 4-6 in Big Ten play coming into the Illinois game. The Hawkeyes enter the Assembly Hall on a high note, after knocking off fifth-ranked Ohio State in Columbus on Wednesday night. Kyle Galloway nailed a three-pointer with two seconds remaining to give Iowa the 67-64 win over OSU.

Iowa is led by its inside-outside combination of center Jacob Jaacks and point guard Dean Oliver. Oliver leads the team in scoring at 13.9 points per game and in the win over Ohio State, he exploded for 22 points. Oliver is a steady player who runs the team and protects the basketball, averaging 4.5 assists to only 2.0 turnovers per game. Jaacks is the team's second leading scorer (12.6 ppg) and leading rebounder (7.3 rpg). He also has good touch from the perimeter for a big man, shooting 44-percent from behind the arc on the year. Jaacks has had problems staying out of foul trouble, fouling out of six of 22 games this season.

Illinois vs. Iowa: The History
Illinois and Iowa have met 127 times, with the Illini holding a slight 65-62 edge in the series. Illinois is 50-14 against the Hawkeyes in Champaign. Prior to last season, when Iowa won at Assembly Hall 78-72, Illinois has beaten the Hawkeyes 11-straight times, dating back to a 91-88 overtime Iowa win on Jan. 14, 1987.

The Illini earned a hard-fought victory over the Hawkeyes on Jan. 26 in Iowa City, holding on for a 69-58 victory. Illinois controlled the first half, jumping out to as much as a 15 point advantage when Cory Bradford's trey made it 34-19. But in the final five minutes of the half, Iowa began connecting from three-point range, 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. Just when it looked as though the Illini had let another big lead slip away, the team responded. 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 McClain's pressure of Dean Oliver. 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.

ILLINOIS
F - 40 Sergio McClain (Jr., 6-4, 222, 6.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
F - 22 Lucas Johnson (F, So, 6-8, 217, 5.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
C - 34 Brian Cook (Fr., 6-10, 231, 8.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
G - 13 Cory Bradford (So., 6-3, 200, 15.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
G - 30 Frank Williams (Fr., 6-3, 197, 11.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.4 ast)

Reserves
00 - Victor Chukwudebe (F, Sr., 6-7, 230, 2.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
5 - Nate Mast (G, Jr., 5-11, 160, 0.4 ppg, 0.5 rpg)
12 - Joe Cross (G, Jr., 6-2, 205, 1.5 ppg, 0.0 rpg)
21 - Robert Archibald (F, So., 6-11, 228, 4.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
24 - Sean Harrington (G, Fr., 6-3, 185, 2.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
25 - Jerrance Howard (G, Fr., 6-1, 175)
32 - Cleotis Brown (F, Sr., 6-5, 220, 8.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
33 - Damir Krupalija (F, So., 6-9, 216, 3.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
52 - Marcus Griffin (F, Jr., 6-9, 235, 12.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg)

IOWA
F - 23 Duez Henderson (So., 6-7, 200, 6.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
F - 30 Kyle Galloway (So., 6-6, 190, 8.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
C - 14 Jacob Jaacks (Sr., 6-8, 235, 12.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
G - 24 Ryan Luehrsmann (Sr., 6-1, 175, 7.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
G - 20 Dean Oliver (Jr., 5-11, 175, 13.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.5 ast)

Illini Players vs. Iowa

Cory Bradford (3G, 6.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
High Points: 10, on 2/21/98
High Rebounds: 7, on 1/26/00

Cleotis Brown (3G, 12.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
High Points: 19, on 1/7/99
High Rebounds: 9, on 1/7/99

Victor Chukwudebe (7G, 2.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
High Points: 4, three times
High Rebounds: 6, on 2/22/98

Brian Cook (1G, 19 pts, 4 reb)

Marcus Griffin (DNP)

Sean Harrington (1G, 0 pts, 1 reb)

Lucas Johnson (3G, 2.3 ppg, 0.3 reb)
High Points: 7, on 1/7/99
High Rebounds: 1, on 1/7/99

Damir Krupalija (3G, 9.7 ppg, 6 rpg)
High Points: 18, on 2/21/99
High Rebounds: 9, on 2/21/99

Nate Mast (2G, 0 pts, 0 reb)

Sergio McClain (5G, 9.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
High Points: 14, three times
High Rebounds: 5, on 1/8/98

Frank Williams (1G, 12 pts, 5 reb)

Time to Talk Power Rankings
With the regular season winding down, attention has turned to the power rankings and how they could affect possible postseason berths. The Big Ten is rated the toughest conference in the nation by Sagarin, which ranks schools based on win-loss record and strength of schedule. The Big Ten is followed by the SEC and the Pac-10. Individually, Illinois is ranked 19th by Sagarin. Big Ten teams ahead of Illinois include Indiana (7th) and Michigan State (9th). Other Big Ten teams in the top 25 are Ohio State (23rd) and Purdue (24th).

The Big Ten's RPI ranks second to the SEC as a conference. Individually in the Big Ten, Indiana is ranked seventh, Michigan State comes in 22nd, Illinois is 24th and Wisconsin is 25th.

Packed House
The Iowa game this Saturday is the first sellout at home for the Illini this season. Illinois has played one game with more than 16,000 fans in the stands (16,038 vs. Penn State) and three with 15,000 or more (15,841 vs. Ohio State, 15,082 vs. Purdue and 15,539 vs. Michigan) at home so far this season. It's likely Illinois will sellout its remaining home games, with Indiana tickets already gone and 400 left for the home finale against Northwestern on March 4.

Griffin Makes Early Return
Center Marcus Griffin injured his knee on Jan. 21 and was told he'd miss three to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery. But Griffin proved the doctors wrong, returning Wednesday evening against Michigan, only two and a half weeks after surgery. Coming off the bench, Griffin scored eight points and collected three rebounds in 15 minutes of action.

Johnson Earns Second Start
Sophomore Lucas Johnson, coming off an inspired game at Penn State, earned his second start of the season Wednesday night against Michigan. He responded with nine points and four rebounds.

Cook Still Cookin'
When Marcus Griffin went down with a knee injury on Jan. 21, it opened the door for freshman Brian Cook to make his first start in an Illini uniform. Cook stepped up to the challenge by scoring a career high 20 points against the Nittany Lions.

He has not cooled down since. In the win over Iowa, Cook scored a game high 19 points and followed with 12 against Michigan State with six rebounds. In last week's two victories, he scored 16 points against Minnesota and had 15 points and seven rebounds against Penn State. Even with Griffin's return to action against Michigan, Cook kept his starting role and scored eight points.

Since taking over as a starter, Cook is averaging 15 points per game the last six games.

Williams Steps Up
Ever since a rough outing at Michigan on Jan. 16, Frank Williams has stepped up every aspect of his game. In Wednesday's win over Michigan, the freshman tallied seven assists and no turnovers while adding eight points. While Penn State held Williams' scoring in check on Feb. 6, the freshman impacted the game in other ways, with seven assists and five steals in a season-high 37 minutes of playing time.

In last week's win over Minnesota, Williams put on a show by scoring 14 points and dishing out four assists. The point guard also had four steals and pulled down a career high 10 rebounds.

Williams' improved play began Jan. 22 against Penn State at home. Coming off the Michigan game, he responded with 16 points off the bench in a home win over Penn State and led the team with seven rebounds.

He worked his way back into the starting lineup against Iowa and had another excellent showing, scoring 12 points with four assists, four steals, and just one turnover in 33 minutes.

Against Michigan St. on Jan. 30, he played a team-high 33 minutes while collecting 11 points and four assists despite beng guarded by All-American Mateen Cleaves.

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.

After scoring 13 points against Michigan State, Bradford was held under double figures against Minnesota last Wednesday for the second time in three games when he scored eight points on just 2-of-9 shooting.

He has gotten back on track this week, scoring a game-high 18 points in the win over Penn State and another game-high 22 against Michigan. Bradford has now scored in double figures in 47 of 53 career games.

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.

In Sunday's win over Penn State, McClain was 4-of-6 from the field for eight points, including a layup with under two minutes left that put the Illini up for good. He followed that up with a game-high eight rebounds at home against Michigan.

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.

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

This season, Bradford has already made 63 threes, an average of 3.0 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.

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 (50.6 of the Illini's 76.8 points per game) and 53 percent (19.7 of the 37.1 boards per game).

More on Bradford
With his 22 points against Michigan on Feb. 12, Cory Bradford tallied his second 20+ point effort against the Wolverines this season and posted his 13th 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 76.8 points per game, the third highest scoring average in the Big Ten.

Problems on the Boards
The Illini have been out-rebounded in eight of 19 games this year, including five of nine 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. The Illini got back on the plus side, outrebounding Minnesota 38-33 on Feb. 2 before tying Penn State, 33-33 on Feb. 6 and being outrebounded by Michigan, 39-35, in a home win 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 seven games, most recently nailing nine treys against Minnesota on Feb. 2.

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 7.1 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 63 threes, while Frank Williams is second with 24, and Lucas Johnson is third with 21. The other seven players who have made a three-pointer this year are Cleotis Brown (18), Sean Harrington (8), Brian Cook (8), Damir Krupalija (4), Sergio McClain (2), Nate Mast (1) and Joe Cross (1).

Illini in Big Ten Rankings
(As of Feb. 6) Cory Bradford is seventh in scoring (15.9 ppg), first in three-pointers per game (3.00), ninth in field goal percentage (.374) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.380) ... Frank Williams is fifth in assists (4.38), fourth in free throw percentage (.803), eighth in assist to turnover ratio (1.51) and second in steals (2.38), while Sergio McClain is seventh in steals (1.79) ... Marcus Griffin is third in blocks (1.69) and tenth in offensive rebounds per game (2.31) ... Brian Cook is 11th in blocked shots (0.86).

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 State on Jan. 30, nailing his first and only shot, a three late in the contest and then made his Assembly Hall debut one game later against Minnesota on Feb. 2.

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 Midseason Wooden List
Illinois' Cory Bradford is one of 41 players named to the midseason list of candidates for the 2000 Wooden Award All-American team. The 1999 Big Ten Freshman of the Year is one of only six sophomores tabbed on the midseason list, joined by St. John's Erick Barkley, Florida's Mike Miller, Notre Dame's Troy Murphy, De Paul's Quentin Richardson and Arizona's Michael Wright. He is one of eight candidates from the Big Ten Conference.

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.
March 4 Northwestern -- 300

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 30.5 ppg, 13.1 rpg, 7.5 apg, and 4.9 spg through 21 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).