March 2, 2000

PDF Formatted Notes

25/RV Illinois (18-8, 10-5)
vs. Northwestern (5-23, 0-15)
Saturday, March 4 - 7:00 p.m.
Champaign, Ill. (ESPN+ Regional)
Assembly Hall (16,450)

The Head Coaches

Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger
Overall Record: 314-231 (18th year)
At Illinois: 76-46 (4th year)

Northwestern Head Coach Kevin O'Neill
Overall Record: 170-174 (11th year)
At Northwestern: 30-54 (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

ILLINOIS
F - 40 Sergio McClain (Jr., 6-4, 222, 6.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
F - 22 Lucas Johnson (F, So, 6-8, 217, 6.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
C - 34 Brian Cook (Fr., 6-10, 231, 9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
G - 13 Cory Bradford (So., 6-3, 200, 15.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
G - 30 Frank Williams (Fr., 6-3, 197, 11.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.3 apg)

Reserves
00 - Victor Chukwudebe (F, Sr., 6-7, 230, 2.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
05 - Nate Mast (G, Jr., 5-11, 160, 0.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg)
12 - Joe Cross (G, Jr., 6-2, 205, 1.2 ppg, 0.2 rpg)
21 - Robert Archibald (F, So., 6-11, 228, 4.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
24 - Sean Harrington (G, Fr., 6-3, 185, 2.4 ppg, 0.5 rpg)
25 - Jerrance Howard (G, Fr., 6-1, 175)
32 - Cleotis Brown (F, Sr., 6-5, 220, 7.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
33 - Damir Krupalija (F, So., 6-9, 216, 3.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
52 - Marcus Griffin (F, Jr., 6-9, 235, 11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

NORTHWESTERN
F - 14 Steve Lepore (So., 6-5, 200, 9.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
F - 33 Tavaras Hardy (So., 6-8, 223, 8.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
C - 55 Aaron Jennings (Fr., 6-11, 200, 5.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
G - 32 Collier Drayton (So., 6-2, 189, 3.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
G - 05 Ben Johnson (Fr., 6-2, 180, 11.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.5 apg)

Last Time Out
Illinois' seven game winning streak was finally haulted at the hands of Ohio State on Sunday. The Buckeyes second half defensive effort was the difference, as Illinois fell 64-51.

After falling behind 14-7 ten minutes into the game, Illinois used a barrage of three point bombs to take the lead at half. Brian Cook nailed two and Cory Bradford connected on three treys as Illinois built a 30-25 lead at intermission.

But in the second half the outside shots stopped falling and the inside attack was nullified by OSU's shot blocking machine, center Ken Johnson. Johnson had six blocks in the game and kept the Illini from scoring in the paint. OSU's defense held the Illini to 24 percent shooting in the second half, including a scoring drought of six and a half minutes.

Illinois saw a 38-34 lead turn into an eight point deficit during that scoreless 6:21, as Ohio State went on a 12-0 run. After a Lucas Johnson three cut the deficit to 46-41, the Illini without a point for another three minutes. Meanwhile, OSU put together another run, this time eight unanswered points, to take its biggest lead of the game at 13 points.

Ohio State held a double-digit lead for the remaining seven minutes to preserve the victory, just the second Buckeye win over the Illini in the last 15 meetings between the two clubs.

About Northwestern
Northwestern enters Saturday night's matchup against Illinois with a record of 5-23 overall, and winless in league play with a Big Ten mark of 0-15. The Wildcats are coming off of a 62-46 loss against Wisconsin on Wednesday.

Northwestern has had the most difficulty in two areas: scoring and rebounding. The Wildcats are the only Big Ten team averaging under 60 points, currently scoring 52.1 ppg. They are being outscored by opponents by a margin of -12.6 ppg., and the Wildcats are shooting just 37 percent from the floor as a team.

Hitting the boards has also been a difficulty, as the Wildcats are last in the league in rebounding, averaging 29.5 per contest. NU ranks last in rebounding margin at -6.2 per game.

The Wilcats are led by freshman guard Ben Johnson. Johnson is the only Wildcat averaging in double figures, scoring 11.6 ppg. Northwestern is without question the youngest team in the league, starting three sophomores and two freshmen. In fact, NU has just one upperclassman, junior Jeff Eschmeyer, on is entire roster.

Illinois vs. Northwestern: The History
Illinois and Northwestern have met 143 times, with Illinois leading 110-33 in the series. Illinois also leads the series in Champaign, 55-13, although NU won the last meeting in Assembly Hall, 59-46, on Jan. 9 last year. Earlier this season Illinois beat Northwestern, 63-30, in Evanston. The Wildcats struggled in the first half and were unable to score until the 4:26 mark in the first half. NU scored a season-low six in the first half before finishing with only 30 points, the fewest points Illinois has held an opponent to since a 96-30 win over Creighton in 1949.

Illini Players vs. Northwestern
Robert Archibald (3G, 3.6 ppg, 0.7 rpg)
High Points: 5, on 2/19/00
High Rebounds: 2, on 1/9/99
Cory Bradford (3G, 16.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
High Points: 22, on 1/9/99
High Rebounds: 5, on 1/9/99
Cleotis Brown (3G, 4.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
High Points: 8, on 2/19/00
High Rebounds: 5, on 2/19/00
Victor Chukwudebe (6G, 2.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
High Points: 12, on 2/17/99
High Rebounds: 7, on 1/9/99
Brian Cook (1G, 9 pts, 7 reb)
Joe Cross (1G, 0 pts, 0 reb)
Marcus Griffin (1 G, 5 pts, 3 reb)
Sean Harrington (1G, 5 pts, 0 reb)
Lucas Johnson (3G, 6.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
High Points: 8, two times
High Rebounds: 7, on 2/17/99
Damir Krupalija (3G, 2.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
High Points: 7, on 2/17/99
High Rebounds: 9, on 2/17/99
Nate Mast (3G, 1.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg)
High Points: 2, on 2/19/00
High Rebounds: 1, on 2/17/99
Sergio McClain (5G, 6.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
High Points: 13, on 2/17/99
High Rebounds: 7, on 2/17/99
Frank Williams (1G, 4 pts, 2 reb)

Illini Jump Back Into National Rankings
Illinois reappeared in this week's AP Top 25 after a six-week absence. After being ranked in the first ten polls of the year and as high as 15th twice, Illinois fell out of the national rankings following losses to Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan. Since that time, Illinois has won nine of 11 games, including seven in a row in one stretch, to climb back into the polls. Illinois beat one ranked team, then-No. 16 Indiana, during the stretch, and lost to then-No. 6 Ohio State as well.

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 16th by Sagarin as of Feb. 27. Big Ten teams ahead of Illinois include Michigan State (5th), Indiana (11th) and Ohio State (15th). Other Big Ten teams in the top 25 are Purdue (22nd) and Wisconsin (25th).

The RPI rankings as of Feb. 27 are also out. The RPI ranks teams based on Division I winning percentage (25%), strength of schedule (50%) and opponent's strength of schedule (25%). The Big Ten's RPI ranks second to the SEC as a conference. Individually in the Big Ten, Indiana is ranked 14th, Michigan State is 19th, Illinois is 21st and Ohio State is 24th.

Illinois vs. Ranked Teams
Illinois is 3-4 against ranked teams this year (and 2-2 against ranked teams in the Big Ten). Illinois has played ranked opponents back-to-back ranked opponents twice, facing Duke (11/30) and Maryland (12/4) back-to-back in the non-conference season and Indiana (2/22) and Ohio State (2/27) in the Big Ten schedule. Illinois lost the games to both Duke and Maryland after missing last second shots, while the team split its games with Indiana and OSU, beating Indiana in Champaign before falling to Ohio State in Columbus on Senior Day. The 87-63 win over then-No. 16 Indiana was the largest win over a ranked opponent at Illinois during the Lon Kruger era.

Biggest Win over a Ranked Opponent Under Coach Kruger
Illinois' 87-63 win over No. 16 Indiana on Tuesday in Champaign was the largest (24 points) over a ranked team in the Lon Kruger era. The previous high was a 21 point win (84-63) over No. 13 Michigan State on Feb. 12, 1998.

Seven in a Row
Illinois enjoyed a seven-game winning streak from Feb. 2-Feb. 22, the longest such streak in two years for the Orange and Blue. After starting the conference slate 1-3, many expected a young Illinois team to be unable to recover. But instead the team has regrouped and forced its way back into the Big Ten conference race, winning nine of the last 11 going into this weekend's rematch with Northwestern. The only losses in the last 11 games have come to top-10 teams on the road: Illinois lost came at then-No. 9 Michigan State, 66-91 and at then-No. 6 Ohio State, 51-64.

Bradford Chasing Two Single-Season Records
Sophomore Cory Bradford has his sights set on two of Illinois' single-season records. With 80 three's already made this year, Bradford has a shot of breaking his own school record for three's in one year (85) that he set a year ago. Bradford has also attempted 208 three's this year, only four shy of Kevin Turner's 1997-98 school record of 212 three-point attempts in one season.

Griffin and Williams Eye Top 10 Single-Season Lists
While it will be a long shot for either Marcus Griffin or Frank Williams to set any single-season records this year, each has a chance to finish in the top 10, Griffin in blocked shots and Williams in steals. Griffin has 33 blocks, and to reach the top 10 he would need 37, enough to tie wiht James Griffin and Deon Thomas in the ninth spot. Williams, meanwhile, has 63 steals so far in 1999-00, and he needs only two more to catch Kendall Gill's 65 in 1997-88 and break into the single-season top 10.

Bradford Among Illinois' Top 50 Career Scorers
Less than two seasons into his Illini career, guard Cory Bradford has broken into Illinois' list of its top 50 career scorers. Bradford's 899 career points rank him 43rd all-time at Illinois, and only nine points away from 42nd place and Steve Bardo's 908 career points. If Bradford continues at this pace, he'll finish his Illini career third all-time in Illinois scoring history.

Illinois Knows Defense Wins Games
While Illinois does not stand out among league leaders in many offensive categories, the Illini are on top in a number of defensive categories, proving once again the adage that defense wins games. Illinois leads the Big Ten in both steals (9.60 per game) and turnover margin (+4.84) while ranking third in field goal percent defense (.400) and three-point field goal percent defense (.308).

Tightening up on 'D'
During its recent seven-game winning streak, Illinois held five of its seven opponents below 60 points and the team held Northwestern to only 30 points, the fewest points allowed by an Illinois team since 1949. In the seven games combined, Illinois is holding its opponent to an average of just 55.6 points per game. Here is a look at what the Illinois defense has done in its last seven games:

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 Feb. 9 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 against the Wolverines and 10 points and five rebounds in 13 minutes against Iowa. He then played a post-injury best 23 minutes at Minnesota and chipped in 12 points and five rebounds in Illinois' win before scoring five points with two blocks and steals apiece against Northwestern. Brian Cook's outstanding play in Griffin's absence will allow Griffin to come off the bench and contribute as he is able until he plays himself back into game shape.

Johnson Thrives as Starter
Sophomore Lucas Johnson has started the last six games and has averaged 9.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game since starting. Johnson shot a team season-high 14 free throws Feb. 12 against Iowa, connecting on a career-high 12 en route to his season-high 16 point effort. He then set a career-high with 18 points at Minnesota as Illinois collected its first win at Willimas Arena since 1991 on Feb. 17. The Illinois coaches may be tempted to make Johnson's move to the starting line-up a permanent one - not only are the Illini 5-1 since moving Johnson to the line-up, but Johnson's 9.5 points per game in the conference games he has started are 3.5 more points per game than his Big Ten average of 6.0 points per game.

Cook Keeps 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 seven starts, Cook has scored 20, 19, 12, 16, 15, eight, 21, five, nine, nine and 17 points. He is averaging 13.7 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game since becoming the starting center and is the team's second leading scorer in conference play (10.5 ppg) despite averaging only nine minutes and 1.2 points per game in the Big Ten before stepping in for Griffin.

Cook recorded his first career double-double at No. 6 Ohio State Sunday, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Cook also has two 20+ point efforst since starting, having scored 20 against Penn State in his first career start and 21 in a home game against Iowa.

Williams Keeps Improving
Ever since a rough outing at Michigan on Jan. 16, Frank Williams has stepped up every aspect of his game. In wins over Michigan and Iowa last week, Williams recorded 13 points, 13 assists and only two turnovers. He also tallied nine rebounds and four steals over the two games.

He scored a team-high 20 points at Minnesota, including 3-8 shooting from three-point land, with three assists and four steals in 30 minutes and added four points, two assists and three steals in a win at Northwestern.

Against No. 16 Indiana, Williams scored 11 points to go with six rebounds and five assists. At Ohio State, he had 11 points and four assists with no turnovers.

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 State 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 Feb. 2 for the second time in three games when he scored eight points on just 2-of-9 shooting.

He has gotten back on track, scoring a game-high 18 points in the win over Penn State and a game-high 22 against Michigan. He dipped to nine points against Iowa but scored 14 at Minnesota before tapping Indiana for 26 and Ohio State for 14. Bradford has now scored in double figures in 51 of 58 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 on Jan. 16. 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. At Iowa City, 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 the Feb. 6 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 on Feb. 9 and another five boards, four assists and two steals against Iowa on Feb. 12. He was Illinois' leading scorer (11 points) in the win at Northwestern on Feb. 19.

Packed House
The past two home games, against rivals Iowa and Indiana, were the first two sellouts of the season at Assembly Hall. The season finale against Northwestern is also expected to sellout. Prior to the Iowa sellout, Illinois had 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.

Tough Losses
With the exception of Illinois' loss to No. 9 Michigan State Jan. 30, Illinois' other six losses have been decided by an average difference of only 4.7 points. Five of those seven losses were by by four points or less. The biggest differential other than the MSU loss was a 15-point loss at No. 6 Ohio State. Illinois' worst loss to a team not ranked in the nation's top 10 was six points to Missouri, 72-78, 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 58-straight games, every game in his Illini career.

This season, Bradford has already made 80 threes, an average of 3.1 threes a game, which leads the Big Ten and ranks 16th in the nation. He tied his season high of five threes against Indiana on Feb 22. Bradford also nailed five threes against Seton Hall, Kansas and Michigan.

More on Bradford
With his 26 points against Indiana on Feb. 22, Cory Bradford tallied his sixth 20+ point effort of the season. It was his 14th 20+ point night of his career. 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 76.2 points per game.

Problems on the Boards
The Illini have been out-rebounded in 11 of 26 games this year, including eight of 15 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. After being outrebounded 39-35 against Michigan, the Illini responded by beating Iowa, 41-32, on the boards and Minnesota, 37-34 before dipping back down and losing the war on the boards, 35-31, at Northwestern. Illinois beat Indiana, 37-36, in a tight rebounding game Feb. 22 before losing out to OSU, 40-30, last Sunday.

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 eight games, most recently tying the team season-high with 13 threes against Indiana.

Against Loyola-Chicago, Illinois also made 13 three-pointers. 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 7.27 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 80 threes, while Frank Williams is second with 32, and Lucas Johnson is third with 28. The other seven players who have made a three-pointer this year are Cleotis Brown (18), Sean Harrington (12), Brian Cook (11), Damir Krupalija (4), Sergio McClain (2), Nate Mast (1) and Joe Cross (1).

Illini in Big Ten Rankings
(As of Mar. 1) Cory Bradford is eighth in scoring (15.6 ppg), first in three-pointers per game (3.08), and third in three-point field goal percentage (.385) ... Frank Williams is fifth in assists (4.31), fifth in assist to turnover ratio (1.65) and leads the league in steals (2.42), while Sergio McClain is seventh in steals (1.75) ... Marcus Griffin is fourth in blocks (1.57), while Brian Cook is tenth in blocked shots (0.88).

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.

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.

Team Krush a Success
The University of Illinois men's basketball student section, Orange Krush, is more than a cheering section for the basketball program. Students in Krush solicit pledges throughout the year for three-point shots made by the Illinois team in order to raise money for charity. In return, they have the chance to earn free tickets.

To date, Orange Krush has raised more than $52,000 in pledges, money that has been split between scholarships for needy students (50%), the Fighting Illini Scholarship Fund (25%) and local charities (25%).

Earlier this season, Krush has presented checks to Journey and Crisis Nursery, local charities, in addition to a $2,000 check that was presented to Dick Vitale for the Jimmy V. Foundation before the Illinois-Duke game earlier this season at the United Center.

Orange Krush recently began a drive to begin the Orange Krush Endowment which will create the Orange-Krush - Matthew Heldman Memorial Men's Basketball Scholarship in tribute to Heldman, the point guard of the 1998 Big Ten Championship team, who was tragically killed in a car accident earlier this year. The endowed scholarship would go to the men's basketball program, significantly enhancing Illinois' ability to recruit top-flight student-athletes to the men's basketball program.

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.

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 28.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 7.0 apg, and 4.5 spg through 26 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. In fact, Illinois has only played five Big Ten games all season in which the entire roster has been healthy and available to play. 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. Griffin missed five games before returning against Michigan, Feb. 9, only two and a half weeks after surgery.
• Damir Krupalija suffered a mild to moderate sprain of his right ankle in the game against Minnesota on Feb. 2. Krupalija returned to play 12 minutes in Illinois' next game at Penn State on Feb. 6.
• Victor Chukwudebe reinjured his finger in practice on Feb. 11 and did not play against Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana or Ohio State.
• Robert Archibald came down with the flu on Feb. 16 and did not travel with the team to Minnesota.

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 state's Mr. Basketball honorees on the roster at the same time.
• Since 1980 Illinois has signed 11 McDonald's 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 McDonald's All-Americans among Division I schools.
• Illinois has the 18th best all-time winning percentage (.641) among Division I schools.
• Illinois has an all-time record of 1375-770. The 1375 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.