Feb. 28, 2002
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Illinois can clinch a share of its second consecutive Big Ten title with a win at Minnesota on Sunday, the first back-to-back league championships in basketball for the Illini in 50 years since 1951-52 ... The other back-to-back title runs came in 1942 and 1943 ... Illinois enters the regular-season finale in nearly the exact same position as last season, needing a win over the Gophers to clinch a share of the league title ... The last time the Big Ten champion had five losses was the 1982-83 season when Indiana won the league with a 13-5 record ... Illinois would become the first Big Ten school to win league championships in both football and men's basketball during the same academic year since the Illini captured both titles in 1983-84 ... During its seven-game winning streak, Illinois' opponents have combined to shoot just 39 percent from the field (140-of-360) and 30 percent from 3-point range (42-of-140) ... Also, during the current streak, Illinois opponents are scoring just 58.9 points per game, while during the three-game losing streak prior to the current streak, opponents averaged 77.7 points ... With its victory over Penn State Feb. 20, Illinois reached 20 wins for the 21st time in school history, the third straight year, and fifth time in the last six seasons ... Illinois has won at least 10 games in conference play for the third straight season, and fifth of the last six years ... Robert Archibald, who leads the Big Ten in field-goal percentage at .642, had the second-best shooting day in Illinois basketball history Feb. 20 against Penn State when he made 11-of-12 attempts on his way to a career-high 25 points. Only Derek Harper's perfect 11-for-11 shooting in 1983 tops Archibald's recent performance in the Illinois record books ... A pair of victories at Michigan and at Michigan State gives Illinois its first road sweep in the state of Michigan since 1989 ... Brian Cook became the 35th player in school history to score 1,000 or more career points during his 23-point, 15-rebound performance Feb. 16 at Seton Hall ... Illinois is the only team in the Big Ten to have three current players eclipse 1,000 career points (Bradford, Williams and Cook) ...Brian Cook has made 35 of his last 37 free throws over the span of the last 12 games, while Frank Williams has made 57 of his last 63 free throws over the span of the last 13 games ... In Big Ten play, Cook ranks first and Williams second in free throw percentage with Cook at 90.9 percent (40-of-44) and Williams at 88.4 percent (61-of-69) ...Illinois is shooting 74.5 percent from the free throw line this season, which is on pace to break the school record of 74.4 percent set during 1996-97 ...Illinois shot a season-high 93.3 percent (14-of-15) from the free throw line in the victory at Michigan Feb. 7 for the Illini's first road win of the season ... Cory Bradford has started every game of his collegiate career (128 games) and set the Illinois school record with his 121st start against Michigan State on Feb. 3, surpassing the previous record set by Efrem Winters ... Illinois leads the Big Ten in scoring (76.8 ppg), but is third in scoring in league play at 70.8 points per game ... Frank Williams ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring with a 16.3 average, is second in steals with an average of 2.10 and is sixth in assists with 4.0 per game ... Williams is 15th on the UI career scoring list with 1,346 points, and needs 14 points to catch Dave Downey for 14th place ... Cory Bradford moved into fifth place on the UI career scoring list Jan. 15 against Iowa and with 1,645 career points, he needs eight points to reach Mark Smith for fourth place ... Illinois' shooting percentage of .680 (34-50) against Michigan on Jan. 12 was the best since setting the school record of .691 (38-55) against Wisconsin-Green Bay on Dec. 4, 1985 ... Illinois also shot 68 percent (17-25) in the first half against Wisconsin on Jan. 23 ... The Illinois bench is averaging 22.3 (646 total) points per game after 29 games, while opponent reserves are averaging 19.2 (556 total) points per game.
Self Nears Historic Mark
Last season, Bill Self became the first coach in 22 years, just the sixth all-time in the Big Ten, and second Illini coach to win a Big Ten championship in his first season as coach at a conference school.
A win at Minnesota on Sunday, and Self becomes the first coach in Big Ten history to win Big Ten basketball titles in his first two seasons.
Minnesota's Bill Musselman is the only coach to win an outright title in his first season in 1972. Other league rookies earning hardware are Iowa's Sam Barry in 1923, Michigan's George Veekner in 1929, Illinois' Doug Mills in 1937, Purdue's Lee Rose in 1979, Self in 2001 and Wisconsin's Bo Ryan this year.
Getting Hot at the Right Time
Illinois carries a seven-game winning streak into Sunday's game against Minnesota. The Illini own the fifth-longest active winning streak among nationally ranked teams. Here is a breakdown of winning streaks among the nation's current Top 25.
Last Time Out : Indiana
Illinois won its seventh straight game and climbed into a first-place tie with a 70-62 victory over Indiana Tuesday at Champaign. Frank Williams led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Brian Cook added 15 points and six rebounds in the Illini win. The Illini jumped out to a 14-point lead then held on with some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch. The win, coupled with an Ohio State loss to Michigan State, moved Illinois into a first-place tie with Wisconsin, Ohio State and Indiana. Indiana scoring leader Jared Jeffries was held to three points and four rebounds, with six turnovers, in 29 minutes
Archibald Big Ten Co-Player of the Week
Senior Robert Archibald was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 25-Mar. 3 following Illini wins over Penn State and Northwestern. Archibald shared the award with Michigan State's Adam Ballinger.
Archibald earned Co-Player-of-the-Week honors after averaging a double-double in the two victories with 16.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game while shooting an astounding 82.4 percent from the field, hitting 14 of 17 shot attempts. The senior forward recorded a pair of career-high performances on the week, beginning with a 25-point effort to equal a career-best vs. Penn State. Archibald added 10 rebounds against the Nittany Lions for his first double-double of the year and third of his career. He hit 11-of-12 shots against PSU for a percentage of 91.7 percent, the second-best shooting performance in UI school history. Archibald followed that performance by setting a career-high with 13 rebounds against Northwestern while adding seven points, three blocks and three assists. This is the first Big Ten weekly honor for Archibald.
Illini Seniors Look To Go Out In Style
Illinois honored five seniors playing in their final game at the Assembly Hall Feb. 26 when the Illini defeated Indiana. Here are some "Class Notes" for the group of Robert Archibald, Cory Bradford, Lucas Johnson, Damir Krupalija and Frank Williams:
Helped Illinois win the 2001 Big Ten title.
Shooting for the third straight NCAA Tournament invitation.
Led Illinois to at least 20 wins each of the last three seasons and an average of 21 wins over the last four.
Led Illinois to a 37-2 record at the Assembly Hall over the last three years, and 42-10 record at the Hall over their four seasons.
Helped Illinois reach at least the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament each of their three previous appearances.
Robert Archibald
124 career games with 55 starts.
738 points, 502 rebounds.
Career shooting percentage of .559.
72 career blocked shots (11th UI career).
Cory Bradford
128 career games with 128 starts.
1645 points (5th UI career list).
805 3-pt. attempts (1st UI career).
299 3-pt. FGs (1st UI career).
1424 career FG attempts (2nd UI career).
546 career FGs (11th UI career).
4,144 minutes (2nd UI career).
261 career assists.
88 consecutive games with a 3-pointer.
Lucas Johnson
109 career games with 24 starts.
557 career points.
348 career rebounds.
186 career assists.
66 career steals.
Floor Burns - Too many to count.
Damir Krupalija
94 career games with 13 starts.
458 career points.
432 career rebounds.
Frank Williams
95 career games with 91 starts.
1,346 career points (15th UI career).
371 career rebounds.
394 career assists (7th UI career).
202 career steals (4th UI career).
358 career free throws (5th UI career).
444 career free throw att. (7th UI career).
.806 career FT pct. (11th UI career).
120 career 3-pt. FGs (8th UI career).
383 career 3-pt. FG att. (7th UI career).
2001 Big Ten Player of the Year.
Williams Earns Big Ten Honor
Junior guard Frank Williams earned Co-Big Ten Player-of-the-Week honors on Feb. 18 for the second time this season following Illini wins over Michigan State and Seton Hall. Williams shared the award with Wisconsin guard Kirk Penney.
Williams was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals in a pair of road wins, as the Illini stretched their winning streak to four straight games. The 2001 Conference Player of the Year opened the week with 22 points and eight boards in a crucial road triumph at Michigan State, as Illinois improved to 2-4 on the road in League play. Williams followed that performance with 19 points and five assists on the road at Seton Hall, including three treys to spark an Illini rally after the team fell behind 13-2 to start the game. Williams earned his second weekly Conference honor this season and the fourth of his career.
"Jim Turpin Night" Honors Broadcast Legend
The legendary "Voice of the Illini," Jim Turpin, makes his "Final Call" of an Illini home game Feb. 26, his 70th birthday, when Illinois hosts Indiana.
Turpin was honored by the UI at the Illinois-Penn State men's basketball game Feb. 20. Turpin, a play-by-play announcer for UI football and basketball over the last 42 years, announced his retirement from the broadcast booth in August, 2001 and will step down at the end of this season. He has been the regular "Voice of the Illini" on the Illini Sports Network since 1980.
Illinois Governor George Ryan proclaimed Feb. 20 as "Jim Turpin Day" across the state of Illinois. A formal proclamation wsa presented to Turpin during on-court ceremonies Wednesday. Locally, the cities of Champaign and Urbana also announced a joint proclamation announcing "Jim Turpin Day" on Feb. 20 in the Twin Cities, thanks to the efforts of Champaign Mayor Gerald Schweighart and Urbana Mayor Tod Satterthwaite.
Over the last 42 years, Turpin has called more than 1,300 Illini games through 10 U.S. Presidents (beginning with Dwight Eisenhower), nine football coaches (beginning with Ray Eliot), six basketball coaches (beginning with Harry Combes) and six athletics directors (beginning with Doug Mills).
Frank Williams a Naismith Award Finalist
Frank Williams is one of 20 finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year Award, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Feb. 12. Williams is one of only two Big Ten Players, along with Indiana's Jared Jeffries, listed as a finalist. The Naismith Award winner will be honored on April 5.
Williams, Cook earn NABC All-District Honors
The National Association of Basketball Coaches announced its All-District teams on Feb. 12, and Illinois had two players honored. Frank Williams was placed on the District 11 first team, while Brian Cook made the second team for District 11. The NABC names a five-player first team and five-player second team for the 15 districts throughout Division I. The 150 players honored are now eligible for the NABC All-America Team, which will be announced at the conclusion of the season.
Home Cookin'
In eight Big Ten home games this season, Brian Cook averaged 17.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He shot 60 percent from the field (50-83), 39 percent from 3-point land (9-23) and 93 percent from the free throw line (25-27) in the eight games combined. He led Illinois in scoring in five of the eight games, with 16 points vs. Minnesota, 20 vs. Michigan, 21 vs. Iowa, 22 vs. Michigan State and 16 vs. Purdue. The only games he wasn't Illinois' leading scorer, (Wisconsin, Penn State and Indiana) he still finished in double figures with 12, 12 and 15 points, respectively.
Cook's production has also gone up on the road recently. He just missed a double-double at Michigan on Feb. 7, scoring a game-high 19 points with nine rebounds and two blocked shots. He was in double figures again with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in the win at Michigan State on Feb. 12. He posted a double-double with a season-high 23 points and a career-high 15 boards at Seton Hall on Feb. 16 and had another near double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds at Northwestern Feb. 23.
Comeback Kids
Illinois had a habit of making great comebacks last year, and this year's team is on the way to earning the title of "Comeback Kids" once again. The Illini have fought back from five double-digit deficits to post victories. The Illini fell behind by 13 points against Penn on Nov. 22, 32-45 with :47 left in the first half, before rallying for a 78-71 win. Illinois trailed by as many as 12 points against Arkansas Dec. 8, 36-48 with 17:49 remaining in the game, before mounting another comeback and finishing with a 94-91 win. On Feb. 7 at Michigan, Illinois trailed by 13 points, 14-27, with 6:10 left in the first half before fighting back for a 68-60 victory. Just two days later, Illinois found itself down 18 points to Purdue, 17-35 with 6:46 left in the first half, before rallyling for a 69-67 victory. On Feb. 16 at Seton Hall, the Pirates jumped out to an 11-point lead at 13-2 with 16:36 remaining in the first half before the Illini posted a 75-65 win.
Krupalija Out Until At Least Big Ten Tourney
Illinois senior forward Damir Krupalija re-injured his left foot against Michigan State on Feb. 3 and had surgery Feb. 6 to place a small plate on the area affected by the stress fracture. It is hoped that Krupalija will return to the court for the Big Ten Tournament. Krupalija has missed 13 games this season because of his injured foot.
Illini Roster Yet To Reach Full Strength
After having key players missing practice time and games for a number of different injuries this season, Illinois' roster was nearly back to full strength before Damir Krupalija re-injured his foot Feb. 3.
Lucas Johnson returned to practice on Jan. 11 after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee that was surgically repaired in October. Johnson played in his first game Jan. 23 against Wisconsin, scoring five points and grabbing three rebounds in 12 minutes. Johnson made his first start of the season Feb. 3 against Michigan State. He played a season-high 27 minutes against Michigan on Feb. 7, scoring 10 points and tying his career high with eight rebounds.
Krupalija missed seven games and had not played since Dec. 22 before also returning to the court against Wisconsin. Krupalija played 11 minutes against the Badgers. He re-injured his left foot Feb. 3 against Michigan and is out until at least the Big Ten Tournament.
Brett Melton has missed every game since suffering a severe ankle sprain against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 1. Following the season, he will apply for a medical redshirt.
A Look at Illinois' RPI and Sagarin Ratings
Illinois currently (as of Feb. 27) ranks No. 13 in the nation in the ratings percentage index (RPI) with an RPI of .6175. The only Big Ten teams other than the Illini in the RPI's Top 50 are Indiana (19th), Ohio State (22nd) and Michigan State (33rd). Illinois' strength of schedule is ranked 24th in the country.
The Illini are ranked No. 11 in the nation in Jeff Sagarin's latest rankings (thru Feb. 27) with a rating of 88.16. Illinois' strength of schedule is ranked 21st by Sagarin.
High-Scoring Illini
Through 29 games this season, Illinois leads the Big Ten with a scoring average of 76.8 points per game and is shooting 46.0 percent from the field, which ranks fourth in the conference. The Illini have shown unselfish play with a Big Ten-leading average of 16.3 assists per game.
During Illinois' current seven-game winning streak, the Illini are averaging 69.1 points while allowing 58.9.
Tournament Tested
Illinois has earned 10 victories this season over teams that participated in last year's NCAA Tournament in Gonzaga, Eastern Illinois, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Penn State and Indiana. The Illini have lost to Arizona, who was the national runner-up last year, Maryland and Michigan State, Final Four participants from a year ago, and Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio State. Illinois has played 16 games against last season's NCAA Tournament field.
Williams Among 30 Midseason Candidates for Wooden Award
Frank Williams is one of 30 candidates placed on the midseason list (released Dec. 27) for the John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year and All-America Team. Joining Williams on the midseason list from the Big Ten are Luke Recker and Reggie Evans of Iowa and Jared Jeffries of Indiana.
Getting to the Line ... And Making it Count
Illinois has outscored opponents from the line in 22 of 29 games this season. The Fighting Illini have outscored its opponent by a combined score of 546-414 at the line, an average of 4.6 points more per game. The Illini made 37 free throws against Arkansas on Dec. 8, just one shy of the school record, in 49 attempts, which is three short of the all-time UI record. Against Minnesota on Jan. 2, the Illini outscored the Gophers 20-to-6 from the free throw line. The Illini shot a season-high 93.3 percent against Michigan on Feb. 7, connecting on 14-of-15 from the line. Illinois has made more free throws than any team in the Big Ten and is shooting 74.5 percent from the line this season, which ranks second in the Big Ten. The Illini are also on pace to break the school record for free throw percentage in a season. The current Illinois record is 74.4 percent set during the 1996-97 season.
Top 10 Streak Snapped
Illinois moved to No. 12 in the Jan. 28 ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll, snapping a school-record streak of 30 consecutive appearances in the Top 10, the first 30 polls after Bill Self was named head coach Jan. 21, 2002. The previous longest stretch of Top 10 action was a string of 28 straight polls in the AP Top 10 from the preseason 1989 poll until Jan. 23, 1990.
Illinois has been ranked in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls for 37 consecutive polls.
Illini Gridder Young Has Short Stint With Hoops Squad
Illinois junior wide receiver Walter Young, who began practicing with the basketball team on Jan. 17 and saw his first action against Wisconsin on Jan. 23, has returned back across Kirby Avenue to prepare for sring football. A knee injury suffered in the Nokia Sugar Bowl kept Young on the sidelines during practice last week and the decision was made to allow his knee to heal before spring practice opens in March. He saw action in two games, scoring two points and grabbing one rebound. Young was second on the Big Ten Champion Illini football team with 50 receptions for 890 yards and eight touchdowns. The 6-foot-5-inch forward wasz the first Illinois student-athlete since 1973 to play both football and basketball in the same season. Jim Rucks and Garvin Roberson were the last two Illini to double up in the same academic year. Rucks played for the Illini basketball team in 1971, 1972 and 1973, while lettering as a tight end in football in 1970, 1971 and 1972. Roberson played basketball in 1972 and 1973, while lettering as a split end on the football team from 1971-73. Jeff Finke played basketball as a freshman at Illinois in 1987 before switching to football from 1987-90 because of a back injury.
Top 10 Matchups
When No. 9 Illinois defeated No. 8 Missouri on Dec. 22, it marked Illinois' third Top 10 showdown of the season. On Nov. 27, No. 2 Illinois fell at No. 5 Maryland 63-76 and on Dec. 4, the No. 5 Illini lost to No. 7 Arizona in Phoenix, 82-87. Illinois is 1-2 in Top 10 matchups this year. Last season the Illini were involved in seven games between two Top 10 programs, posting a 4-3 record.
Dee-Fence ... Dee-Fence: Through 29 games, the Illini have held opponents to 41.3 percent field goal shooting, including 33.0 percent from three-point range. The Illini are forcing 15.6 turnovers per game and have averaged 7.3 steals.
Defending Home Court: In 14 home games this season, Illinois opponents shot just .390 (305-783) from the field, .320 (85-265) from three-point range and .625 (168-269) from the free throw line.
In Illinois' 12 homes games at the Assembly Hall during the 2000-01 season, opponents shot a combined 34.6 percent (240-693 FG) from the field and 29.4 percent (74-252 3FG) from three-point range.
Starting High: Preseason pollsters placed the Fighting Illini as high as they've ever been entering a season. The USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll started Illinois at No. 2 in the preseason poll, and the Associated Press had the Illini at No. 3. The two previous high marks for preseason rankings came in 1962 and 1984 when the AP had Illinois No. 2 in the preseason. The Sporting News ranked Illinois No. 1 in the preseason while Sports Illustrated had the Illini No. 2.
Williams Preseason Honors: Guard Frank Williams was named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America First-Team Nov. 6. Williams was joined on the team by Duke's Jason Williams, Missouri's Kareem Rush, Stanford's Casey Jacobsen and Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince. The last Illinois player to earn First-Team All-America honors from AP in the postseason was Andy Phillip in 1943.
Self in Select Company: When Illinois defeated Iowa on Feb. 24, 2001, Bill Self became just the fourth coach in the Big Ten since 1951 (when Michigan State joined the league) to defeat every other conference team in his first season. The other three coaches are Indiana's Bob Knight in 1972, Iowa's Tom Davis in 1987 and Penn State's Jerry Dunn in 1996.
Self Defense: For the 2000-01 season, opponents shot just 38.6 percent from the field. That was the lowest opponent shooting percentage since the 1955-56 season when Illini opponents shot 35.2 percent from the field. Illinois finished third in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, behind only Kansas and Holy Cross.
In league play, the Illini were second in the Big Ten in field-goal percentage defense (.387) while ranking second in blocked shots (5.19), second in steals (7.44) and fourth in scoring defense (63.6).
Board Work: This season, the Illini are averaging 36.8 rebounds per game, an average of 5.0 more boards than their opponent. Illinois' average of 40.0 rebounds per game in 2001 was the team's highest average since 1979 when the Illini averaged 41.3 rebounds per game. Illinois' rebounding margin (6.7) ranked 13th in the nation last year.
Williams Big Ten Preseason P-O-Y
Junior Frank Williams was named Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year by both the media and coaches for 2001-02, as well as preseason First-Team All-Big Ten. Last year, Williams was the first Illini player to earn conference player of the year honors since Bruce Douglas was named co-Big Ten Player of the Year (with Purdue's Jim Rowinski) in 1984. Illinois' last league MVP before Williams in 2001 was Jim Dawson in 1967.
National Exposure
For the 2001-02 season, Illinois is scheduled to play 13 regular-season games on national television. The Illini are scheduled to appear eight times on ESPN, four times on CBS and once on FOX Sports Net.
Bradford Holds NCAA 3-Point Record
Illinois junior guard Cory Bradford holds the NCAA record for consecutive games with a three-pointer with a trey in 88 straight games. He broke the previous record of 73 games set by Wally Lancaster of Virginia Tech from 1986-89 with his first trey against Arizona on Dec. 16, 2000.
Illini Basketball is a Hot Ticket
For the first time in Assembly Hall history, the Fighting Illini sold out in season tickets with 16,500 sold and set a school record with 12 sellouts in 2002. The eight sellouts last season were the most at the Assembly Hall since 1989. Four Sign With Illini in November
Four future Fighting Illini players signed national letters of intent to attend Illinois during the fall signing period in November. Dee Brown, a 6-foot guard from Proviso East High School in Maywood, Ill., Deron Williams, a 6-3 guard from The Colony, Texas, Kyle Wilson, a 6-8 forward from Plano, Texas and James Augustine, a 6-10 forward from Lincoln-Way Central High School in New Lenox, Ill., all signed with the Illini. Bob Gibbons' All-Star Report ranks the Illini class No. 4 in the nation. The Illini have one scholarship remaining to issue in the spring.
