March 7, 2000

The Head Coach

Illinois Head Coach: Lon Kruger
Overall Record: 315-231 (18th year)
At Illinois: 78-46 (4th year)
In Big Ten Tournament: 4-2
Assistants: Robert McCullum, Rob Judson, Steve Henson

Illinois' big ten tournament history

1998 Big Ten Tournament

Illinois' 1997-98 Big Ten Championship squad headed to Chicago for the inaugural Big Ten Tournament. The second-seeded Illini defeated Wisconsin, 66-61, in the second round after receiving a first-round bye only to lose to third-seeded Purdue, 47-68, in the semifinals.

Illinois 66, Wisconsin 61 (Second Round 3/5/98)
Purdue 68, Illinois 47 (Semifinals 3/6/98)

1999 Big Ten Tournament

The 11th-seeded Illini made themselves the Cinderella talk of the nation after beating three-straight ranked teams to advance to the finals of the 1999 Big Ten Tournament. Freshman point guard Cory Bradford set four tournament records and two single-game tournament records en route to being named to the all-tournament team.

Illinois 67, Minnesota 64 (First Round 3/4/99)
Illinois 82, Indiana 66 (Second Round 3/5/99)
Illinois 79, Ohio State 77 (Semifinals 3/6/99)
Michigan State 67, Illinois 50 (3/7/99)

Tournament Quick Shots

The third annual Big Ten Touranment rolls into Chicago from Thurs., March 9 to Sun., March 12 at the United Center. Michigan State will be looking to defend its tournament title while three of five players from last year's all-tournament team return to the United Center this year: Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves (MVP), Illinois' Cory Bradford and OSU's Michael Redd. cory bradford made the Cinderella Illini the talk of the nation a year ago as he led the 11th-seeded Illini to the championship game of the tournament while setting four tournament records and two individual single-game records. Bradford set marks for an individual in the tournament for most points scored (75), most field goals attempted (58), most three-point field goals (16) and most three-point field goals attempted (29). In single-game action, Bradford set the record for three-point field goal percentage (.857, 6-7 vs. Minnesota) and tied the record for three-point field goals made (7, vs. Michigan State). As a team Illinois holds 10 of the 16 tournament team records.

ILLINOIS
F  40 Sergio McClain  (Jr., 6-4,  222, 6.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
F  22 Lucas Johnson   (So., 6-8,  217, 6.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
C  34 Brian Cook      (Fr., 6-10, 231, 9.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
G  13 Cory Bradford   (So., 6-3,  200, 15.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
G  30 Frank Williams  (Fr., 6-3,  197, 11.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.2 apg)

Reserves
00  Victor Chukwudebe (F, Sr., 6-7,  230, 2.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
 5  Nate Mast         (G, Jr., 5-11, 160, 0.8 ppg, 0.4 rpg)
12  Joe Cross         (G, Jr., 6-2,  205, 1.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg)
21  Robert Archibald  (F, So., 6-11, 228, 4.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
24  Sean Harrington   (G, Fr., 6-3,  185, 2.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg)
25  Jerrance Howard   (G, Fr., 6-1,  175, DNP)
32  Cleotis Brown     (F, Sr., 6-5,  220, 7.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg)
33  Damir Krupalija   (F, So., 6-9,  216, 3.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
52  Marcus Griffin    (F, Jr., 6-9,  235, 11.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg)

Illinois at the United Center
The United Center is a home away from home for the Illini, who have already played two games at the UC this season. On. Nov. 30, Illinois lost to then-No. 17 Duke 72-69 in the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge. On Dec. 18, Illinois defeated then-No. 8 Kansas, 84-70 in front of 16,714 in Chicago.

Illinois has an all-time record of 9-4 at the United Center, including a 4-1 record last season.

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
Pan American, 1983-86 52-59
Kansas State, 1987-90 81-46
Florida, 1991-96 104-80
Illinois, 1997-present 78-46 (.628)
Total 315-231 (.577)

Illinois vs. Indiana

Illinois and Indiana met once during the regular season, with the Illini winning 87-63 in Champaign on Feb. 22. Cory Bradford led the way with 26 points, as the Illini drained 13 threes against the No. 16 ranked Hoosiers. A.J. Guyton was held to just three points on 1-of-5 shooting.

Indiana Head Coach: Bob Knight
Career Record: 763-288/35th year
Record at IU: 661-238/29th year
Series Record: Indiana leads 75-67
Largest Illinois win: 29 (35-6), Jan. 6, 1914 in Urbana
Largest Illinois loss: 40 (107-67), Feb. 9, 1974 in Bloomington
Overtime games: 5 (Last was Feb. 24, 1999. Indiana won 70-64 in Champaign)
Kruger vs. Indiana all-time: 5-2

Illinois players vs. Indiana
Robert Archibald (4G, 1.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
High Points: 3, on 3/5/99
High Rebounds: 7, on 3/5/99
Cory Bradford (4G, 16.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
High Points: 26, on 2/22/00
High Rebounds: 4, two times
Cleotis Brown (4G, 3.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
High Points: 8, on 3/5/99
High Rebounds: 4, two times
Victor Chukwudebe (6G, 4.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
High Points: 13, on 2/24/99
High Rebounds: 11, on 2/24/99
Brian Cook (1G, 9 pts, 7 reb)
Joe Cross (1G, 2 pts, 0 reb)
Marcus Griffin (1G, 3 pts, 1 reb)
Sean Harrington (1G, 6 pts, 0 reb)
Lucas Johnson (4G, 7.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
High Points: 17, on 3/5/99
High Rebounds: 5, on 3/5/99
Damir Krupalija (4G, 10.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg)
High Points: 19, on 2/24/99
High Rebounds: 16, on 1/3/99
Nate Mast (4G, 1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg)
High Points: 4, on 2/24/99
High Rebounds: 1, three times
Sergio McClain (6G, 5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
High Points: 13, on 3/5/99
High Rebounds: 6, on 2/22/00
Frank Williams (1G, 11 pts, 6 reb)

Cook, bradford nab big ten honors
Illinois sophomore shooting guard Cory Bradford was named second-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media, while freshman forward Brian Cook was tabbed Co-Freshman of the year by the coaches along with Michigan's LaVell Blanchard.

Bradford earned his first all-conference honors from the media, and his second from the coaches after being named to the third team and winning Freshman of the Year honors last season.

Bradford started all 27 games for the Illini and led the team with a 15.7 points per game scoring average, which also ranked seventh in the conference. Bradford was Illinois' leading scorer in 14 games, with a season high 28 coming at Michigan on Jan. 16, and has scored 20 points or more in seven games this season. Bradford ranked first in the Big Ten in three-pointers per game (3.11) and has hit a three in 59 straight games, every game in his Illini career.

Cook helped earn the title of Co-Freshman of the Year after seeing his minutes and production rise significantly during Big Ten play. He made the first start of his career against Penn State on Jan. 22, scoring a game high 20 points. He scored his career high of 21 in the win over Iowa on Feb. 12, and recorded his first double-double against Ohio State on Feb. 27 with 17 points and 10 boards. As a starter, Cook is averaging 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds over the 12-game span. For the season, he carries averages of 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Illini Jump Back Into National Rankings
Illinois reappeared in last week's AP Top 25 after a six-week absence, and is currently 25th. 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 10 of 12 games, including seven in a row in one stretch, to climb back into the polls. Illinois beat one ranked team, No. 16 Indiana, during the stretch, and lost to 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 19th by Sagarin as of Mar. 6. Big Ten teams ahead of Illinois include Michigan State (4th), Indiana (11th) and Ohio State (14th). Other Big Ten teams in the top 25 are Purdue (22nd) and Wisconsin (25th).

The RPI rankings as of Mar. 4 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%). Individually in the Big Ten, Indiana is ranked 13th, Michigan State is 19th, Ohio State is 23rd, Illinois is 27th, and Purdue is 28th.

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 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.

Biggest Win over a Ranked Opponent Under Coach Kruger
Illinois' 87-63 win over No. 16 Indiana on Feb. 22 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.

protecting home court
Illinois won all but one game this year at Assembly Hall, finishing the season 12-1 at home. The one loss was a 66-69 setback to Purdue on Jan. 12. Illinois outscored its opponents by an average of 23.2 points per game at Assembly Hall. That is Illinois' best home record since the 1997-98 season, when the Illini went 13-1 with the lone loss again coming to the Boilermakers. The last Illinois team to go undefeated at home was the Final Four squad of 1988-89, which finished with a perfect mark of 17-0 at the Hall.

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 upper half of the Big Ten, winning 10 of its last 12 conference games. The only losses in the last 12 games have come to top-10 teams on the road: at No. 9 Michigan State, 66-91 and at No. 6 Ohio State, 51-64.

Bradford SETS THREE-POINT ATTEMPTS MARK, ON VERGE ON TRIFECTA RECORD
Sophomore Cory Bradford has his sights set on two of Illinois' single-season records. With 84 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 217 three's this year, breaking 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 34 blocks, and to reach the top 10 he would need 37, enough to tie with James Griffin and Deon Thomas in the ninth spot. Williams has 66 steals, ranking 10th on the all-time UI single-season list and just one back of Derek Harper for ninth (67 in 1981-82).

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 919 career points rank him 42nd all-time at Illinois, and only two points away from Don Ohl (921 points, 41st place).

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 steals and turnover margin, is fourth in scoring defense, and ranks fifth in field goal percent defense and second in three-point field goal percent defense.

'D' DOWN THE STRETCH
Illinois won eight of its last nine games down the stretch, holding six of its last nine opponents below 60 points, including 30 and 44 point outings by Northwestern. The Illini also held Penn State and Iowa to 50 points. In those nine games, Illinois held its opponent to an average of just 55.4 points per game. Here is a look at what the Illinois defense did during the 8-1 streak to end the season.

Pre-Illinois vs. Illinois

Team	PPG	FG%	Pts.	FG%
Minnesota	72.8	.478	59	.415
Penn State	73.6	.427	50	.405
Michigan	79.0	.467	59	.353
Iowa	69.5	.414	50	.315
Minnesota	72.0	.473	80	.466
N'Western	53.3	.381	30	.262
Indiana	80.4	.489	63	.500
Ohio St.	72.6	.452	64	.446
N'Western	52.1	.373	44	.306

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. Griffin was efficient last week vs. Northwestern, hitting 4 of 7 shots and scoring 11 points with six rebounds in 15 minutes vs. the Wildcats.

Johnson Thrives as Starter
Sophomore Lucas Johnson has started the last seven games and has averaged 8.4 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. Illinois is 6-1 with Johnson in the starting lineup down the stretch.

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 20 points against the Nittany Lions.

He has not cooled down since. In twelve starts, Cook has scored 20, 19, 12, 16, 15, eight, a career high 21, five, nine, nine, 17 and five points. He is averaging 13.0 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game since becoming the starting center and is the team's third leading scorer in conference play (10.2 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 on Feb. 27, 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 Improves rapidly
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 on Feb. 9 and 12, 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 on Feb. 22, 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. In the regular season finale against Northwestern, Williams tallied 17 points.

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

He has since gotten back on track, scoring a game-high 18 points in the win over Penn State and another game-high 22 against Michigan. He dipped to nine points against Iowa but scored 14 at Minnesota before tapping Indiana for 26, Ohio State for 14, and Northwestern for 20. Bradford has now scored in double figures in 52 of 59 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 scored in double figures with 11 points in three straight victories over Minnesota, Northwestern, and Indiana.

Packed House
Illinois sold out its last three home games (Iowa, Indiana and Northwestern), drawing 16,450 fans for each game. 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.

For the season, Illinois drew 189,507 fans to Assembly Hall, an average of 14,578 per game, the highest average attendance since 1995-96.

Tough Losses
With the exception of Illinois' loss to No. 9 Michigan State Jan. 30, Illinois' other seven losses have been decided by an average difference of only 5.0 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.

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

This season, Bradford has already made 84 threes, an average of 3.11 threes a game, which leads the Big Ten. He tied his season high of five threes against Indiana on Feb 22. Bradford also nailed five treys against Seton Hall, Kansas and Michigan.

More on Bradford
With his game high 20 points against Northwestern last Saturday, Cory Bradford tallied his seventh 20+ point effort of the season. It was his 15th 20+ point night of his career.

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 76.0 points per game, the third highest scoring average in the Big Ten.

Problems on the Boards
The Illini have been out-rebounded in 11 of 27 games this year, including seven of 16 Big Ten games.

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. Illinois beat NU, 38-32 on the boards last Saturday.

Ill.	Opp. Margin
46	Western Illinois	31	+ 15
35	Bradley	35	Even
45	Duke	46	- 1
29	Maryland	40	- 11
44	Seton Hall	36	+ 8
44	Texas Pan-Am	31	+ 13
39	Kansas State	43	- 4
41	Kansas	53	- 12
35	Missouri	25	+ 10
47	Bethune	37	+ 10
35	Loyola-Chicago	34	+ 1
38	Ohio State	45	- 7
36	Wisconsin	38	- 2
29	Purdue	43	- 14
45	Michigan	43	+ 2
37	Penn State	34	+ 3
43	Iowa	29	+ 14
41	Michigan State	16	- 25
38	Minnesota	33	+ 5
33	Penn State	33	E
35	Michigan	39	- 4
41	Iowa	32	+9
37	Minnesota	34	+3
31	Northwestern	35	-4
37	Indiana	36	+1
30	Ohio State	30	-10
38	Northwestern	32	+6

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 nine 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 7.33 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 84 threes, while Frank Williams is second with 35, 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 (13), Brian Cook (12), Damir Krupalija (4), Sergio McClain (2), Nate Mast (1) and Joe Cross (1).

Illini in Big Ten Rankings
(As of Mar. 6) Cory Bradford is seventh in scoring (15.7 ppg), first in three-pointers per game (3.11), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.387), and tenth in field goal percentage (.375) ... Frank Williams is sixth in assists (4.22), seventh in assist to turnover ratio (1.56) and second in steals (2.44), while Sergio McClain is seventh in steals (1.75) ... Marcus Griffin is fourth in blocks (1.55) and 11th in offensive rebounds per game (2.09) ... Brian Cook is ninth in blocked shots (0.85).

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.

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 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 for 696 (25.8) points, 300 (11.1) rebounds, 184 (6.8) assists and 122 (4.5) steals through 27 games.

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).

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 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.

Sergio McClain missed the Northwestern game with a sprained left knee.

UI vs. Ranked Opponents
Under Lon Kruger, the Illini have won 17 games against ranked opponents. Following is a complete list of the Illini vs. ranked opponents under Lon Kruger.

12/21/96	#24 UCLA	W, 79-63
1/9/97	#16 Michigan	L, 74-88
1/14/97	#7 Minnesota	W, 96-90
2/2/97	#17 Indiana	W, 78-74
2/9/97	#25 Iowa	W, 66-51
2/22/97	#2 Minnesota	L, 66-67
3/2/97	#24 Michigan	W, 70-51
11/28/97	#19 Louisville	L, 57-58
12/13/97	#17 Clemson	W, 71-61
12/30/97	#9 UCLA	L, 69-74
1/8/98	#11 Iowa	W, 76-64
1/13/98	#9 Purdue	L, 58-68
1/25/98	#16 Michigan	W, 64-53
2/12/98	#13 Mich. St.	W, 84-63
2/14/98	#8 Purdue	L, 73-75
3/7/98	#9 Purdue	L, 47-68
3/12/98	#20 Maryland	L, 61-67
12/19/98	#13 Kansas	L, 65-65
12/29/98	#14 Clemson	W, 67-50
1/3/99	#10 Indiana	L, 53-62
1/7/99	#19 Iowa	L, 62-84
1/13/99	#13 Purdue	L, 54-63
1/16/99	#14 Mich. St.	L, 49-51
1/20/99	#15 Wisconsin	L, 53-75
1/30/99	#15 Ohio St.	L, 61-64
2/3/99	#18 Minnesota	L, 63-75
2/6/99	#11 Wisconsin	W, 53-51
2/11/99	#5 Mich. St.	L, 44-61
2/13/99	#21 Purdue	L, 56-63
2/21/99	#20 Iowa	L, 72-78
2/24/99	#20 Indiana	L, 64-70/OT
3/4/99	#23 Minnesota	W, 67-64
3/5/99	#17 Indiana	W, 82-66
3/6/99	#11 Ohio St.	W, 79-77
3/7/99	#2 Mich. St.	L, 50-67
11/30/99	#17 Duke	L, 69-72
12/4/99	#24 Maryland	L, 67-69
12/18/99	#8 Kansas	W, 84-70
1/6/00	#13 Ohio State	W, 80-77
1/30/00	#9 Michigan State	L, 66-91
2/22/00	#16 Indiana	W, 87-63
2/27/99	#6 Ohio State	L, 51-64
Week-by-Week Rankings
	AP	ESPN/USA Today
PS	16th	18th
11/15	17th	18th
11/22	15th	16th
11/29	16th	16th
12/6	22nd	24th
12/13	20th	22nd
12/20	15th	17th
12/27	20th	20th
1/3	19th	17th
1/10	22nd	21st
1/17	RV	25th
1/24	RV	RV
1/31	RV	RV
2/7	RV	---
2/14	RV	---
2/21	RV	RV
2/28	25th	RV
3/6	25th	RV

National Polls

AP			ESPN/USA Today
1.	Cincinnati	1.	Cincinnati
2.	Stanford	2.	Duke
3.	Duke	3.	Stanford
4.	Ohio State	4.	Michigan State
5.	Michigan State	5.	Ohio State
6.	Temple	6.	Arizona
7.	Iowa State	7.	Temple
8.	Tennessee	8.	Tennessee
9.	Arizona	9.	Iowa State
10.	LSU	10.	Florida
11.	Florida	11.	LSU
12.	Syracuse	12.	Syracuse
13.	Texas	13.	Indiana
14.	Tulsa	14.	Oklahoma St.
15.	Oklahoma	15.	Texas
16.	Kentucky	16.	Kentucky
17.	Oklahoma St.	17.	Tulsa
18.	Indiana	18.	Oklahoma
19.	St. John's	19.	Maryland
20.	Maryland	20.	St. John's
21.	Connecticut	21.	Purdue
22.	Purdue	22.	Connecticut
23.	Miami	23.	Auburn
24.	Kansas	24.	Kansas
25.	ILLINOIS	25.	Oregon

Chasing the Career Records

3-Point Field Goals Made

1.	237	Richard Keene, 1993-96
2.	189	Kiwane Garris, 1994-97
3.	179	Kevin Turner, 1995-98
4.	169	Cory Bradford, 1999-
5.	161	Matt Heldman, 1995-98
6.	149	Tom Michael, 1991-94
7.	143	Jerry Hester, 1994-98
8.	105	Andy Kaufmann, 1989-93
9.	90	T.J. Wheeler, 1991-94
10.	82	Kendall Gill, 1987-90

3-Point Field Goals Attempted

1.	617	Richard Keene, 1993-96
2.	520	Kiwane Garris, 1994-97
3.	496	Kevin Turner, 1995-98
4.	422	Cory Bradford, 1999-
5.	398	Matt Heldman, 1995-98
	398	Jerry Hester, 1994-98
7.	332	Tom Michael, 1991-94
8.	276	Andy Kaufmann, 1989-93
9.	250	T.J. Wheeler, 1991-94
10.	219	Kendall Gill, 1987-90

** Bradford set the single-season record for three-pointers made with 85 in 1998-99 and has 84 this season. His 217 attempts this season broke Kevin Turner's record of 212 in 1997-98.

Steals

1.	324	Bruce Douglas, 1983-86
2.	218	Kendall Gill, 1987-90
3.	178	Derek Harper, 1981-83
4.	161	Kenny Battle, 1988-89
	161	Mark Smith, 1978-81
6.	153	Sergio McClain, 1998-
7.	135	Stephen Bardo, 1987-90
8.	133	Doug Altenberger, 1983-87
9.	127	Rennie Clemmons, 1991-93
10.	125	Richard Keene, 1993-96

Illini Record Under Lon Kruger

When leading at the half	67-15
When trailing at the half	11-28
When tied at the half	0-3
When scoring over 70 points	54-7
When leading in rebounding	43-18
When trailing in rebounding	31-27
When rebounding is tied	5-0
In November	14-6
In December	20-8
In January	15-18
In February	20-9
In March	9-5

Illini Record in 1999-2000

When leading at the half	17-5
When trailing at the half	2-3
When tied at the half	0-0
When scoring over 70 points	16-2
When leading in rebounding	12-2
When trailing in rebounding	5-6
When rebounding is tied	2-0
In November	2-1
In December	6-2
In January	3-4
In February	7-1
In March	1-0

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 1376-770. The 1376 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.

By the Numbers
1 Illinois was the only team in the preseason Associated Press poll that had a losing record last season.
2 Number of double-doubles Marcus Griffin has recorded this season.
3 Number of Illini players originating from foreign countries. Robert Archibald was born in Scotland, Victor Chukwudebe is a native of Nigeria, and Damir Krupalija moved to the United States from Bosnia.
4 There are four different states represented on the Illinois roster (Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee and Alabama).
10 A total of ten Illini players have made a three-pointer this year, led by Cory Bradford with 84 treys.
11 The number of players on the roster from the state of Illinois (Victor Chukwudebe, Brian Cook, Joe Cross, Marcus Griffin, Sean Harrington, Jerrance Howard, Lucas Johnson, Damir Krupalija, Nate Mast, Sergio McClain, Frank Williams).
12.3 The scoring margin between the Illini and opponents.
13 The number of threes Illinois made against Loyola-Chicago and Indiana, just one shy of the Illini single game record of 14 set against Iowa on February 24, 1996.
13 Illinois has racked up 13 Big Ten Championships with the last one coming in 1998.
18 Number of rebounds Sergio McClain had against Michigan, the most since Shelly Clark pulled down 19 against Northwestern on March 8, 1995.
18 Illinois has produced a 20-win season 18 times.
31 School record for wins, set by the 1989 team.
50 The winning margin for Illinois over Bethune-Cookman, the largerst since Dec. 18, 1993 when Illinois beat Chicago State by 69 points, 121-52.
59 Consecutive games in which Cory Bradford has hit a three-pointer.
107 Points scored in the win over Loyola-Chicago, the most since Dec. 22, 1993 when Illinois lost to Missouri in triple overtime, 107-108
117 Number of career games for Victor Chukwudebe.
315 Number of victories for Head Coach Lon Kruger.

Illinois Team Season Highs

Points --           107  (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)
Rebounds --          47  (12/28/99 vs. Bethune-Cookman)
Assists --           23  (12/28/99 vs. Bethune-Cookman)
                         (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)
Steals --            18  (12/28/99 vs. Behune-Cookman,
                          vs. Northwestern, 2/19/00)
Blocks --             8  (11/30/99 vs. Duke)
Turnovers --         23  (11/22/99 vs. Bradley)
Fouls --             32  (1/16/00  vs. Michigan)
Field Goals --       36  (12/8/99  vs. Texas-Pan American)
FG Attempts --       75  (1/16/00  vs. Michigan)
FG Percentage --   .508  (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago
Three-Pointers --    13  (12/30/99 vs. Loy., 2/22/00 vs. Indiana)
Three-Point Att. --  27  (2/22/00  vs. Indiana)
Three-Point Pct. --.520  (12/30/99 vs. Loyola-Chicago)
Free Throws --       31  (2/9/00   vs. Michigan)
FT Attempts --       43  (2/9/00   vs. Michigan)
FT Percentage --   .808  (1/16/00  vs. Michigan)   

Illinois Individual Season Highs

Points --        28,  Cory Bradford  (1/16/00  vs. Michigan)
Rebounds --      18,  Sergio McClain (1/16/00  vs. Michigan)
Assists --       13,  Frank Williams (12/30/99 vs. Loyola)
Steals --         6,  Frank Williams (12/28/99 vs. Bethune)
Blocks --         4,  Marcus Griffin (11/30/99 vs. Duke)
                  4,  Marcus Griffin (12/12/00 vs. Purdue)
Field Goals --   10,  Cory Bradford  (2/22/00  vs. Indiana)
FG Attempts --   22,  Cory Bradford  (1/16/00  vs. Michigan)
3-Pointers --     5,  Cory Bradford  (12/5/99  vs. Seton Hall)
                  5,  Cory Bradford  (12/18/99 vs. Kansas)
                  5,  Cory Bradford  (1/16/00  vs. Michigan)
                  5,  Cory Bradford  (2/22/00  vs. Indiana)
3-Point Att. --  13,  Cory Bradford  (12/18/99 vs. Kansas)
                 13,  Cory Bradford  (1/16/00  vs. Michigan)
Free Throws --   12,  Marcus Griffin (12/30/99 vs. Loyola)
                 12,  Lucas Johnson  (2/12/00  vs. Iowa)
FT Attempts --   14,  Lucas Johnson  (2/12/00  vs. Iowa)