Nov. 30, 2003
Champaign, Ill. -
Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. North Carolina in PDF Format
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Game #4: #12/12 Illinois (3-0) vs. #9/10 North Carolina (3-0)
ESPN*8 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET * Dec. 2, 2003
Greensboro, N.C. * Greensboro Coliseum
Probable Starters
#12/12 ILLINOIS (3-0)
F - 40 James Augustine (So., 6-10, 225, 10.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg)
F - 43 Roger Powell (Jr., 6-6, 220, 16.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Jr.-r, 7-2, 240, 8.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (So., 6-3, 210, 14.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.0 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (So., 6-0, 175, 19.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.3 apg)
Off The Bench ...
C - 1 Aaron Spears (Fr.-r, 6-9, 260, 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Jr., 6-3, 175, 9.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg)
G - 25 Jerrance Howard (Sr.-r, 6-1, 200, 1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg)
G - 33 Richard McBride (Fr., 6-3, 210, n/a)
F - 34 Fred Nkemdi (Jr., 6-6, 220, n/a)
F - 41 Warren Carter (Fr., 6-9, 205, 6.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
F - 42 Brian Randle (Fr., 6-8, 200, 6.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
C - 50 Jack Ingram (Jr.-r, 6-10, 240, 4.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg)
Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 106-54 (6th year)
Big Ten: 0-0
At Illinois: 3-0 (1st year)
Vs. North Carolina: first meeting
Assistant Coaches: Chris Lowery (1st year), Wayne McClain (3rd year), Jay Price (1st year)
Assistant to the head coach: Gary Nottingham (1st year)
Trainer: Al Martindale (21st year at Illinois)
North Carolina Head Coach: Roy Williams
Overall Record: 421-101 (16th season)
At North Carolina: 3-0
Vs. Illinois: 2-2
Assistant Coaches: Joe Holladay, Steve Robinson, Jerod Haase
Illinois in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge
The Big Ten-ACC Challenge is now in its fifth year of existence. Illinois is 1-3 all-time in the Challenge, earning its first win of the annual event last season over North Carolina at the Assembly Hall. This marks the second time that the Illini will play a Big Ten-ACC Challenge game at the Greensboro Coliseum, having also played Duke in Greensboro in 2000. Illinois' opponent in the Challenge has twice gone on to win the NCAA Championship (Duke in 2000-01 and Maryland in 2001-02). Illinois has been ranked in the Top 25 every year of the Challenge and has also drawn a Top 25-ranked opponent every year. Here is a look back at Illinois' games in the Challenge:
11/30/99, Duke 72, Illinois 69
No. 16 Illinois shot just 34 percent from the field in dropping a three-point decision to No. 17 Duke at the United Center in Chicago. Duke's Chris Carrawell led all scorers with 21 points while Frank Williams and Cory Bradford led the Illini with 14 each.
11/28/00, Duke 78, Illinois 77
Turnovers cost the No. 9 Fighting Illini a chance at knocking off No. 1 Duke as Illinois committed 26 turnovers in a one-point loss to the Blue Devils at Greensboro, N.C. Illinois controlled the glass, outrebounding Duke 42-27. Frank Williams led the Illini with 19 points while Jason Williams led Duke with a game-high 23 points and Mike Dunleavy added 21.
11/27/01, Maryland 76, Illinois 63
No. 5 Maryland won its 80th consecutive home game against non-conference opponents in the final season at Cole Field House, handing No. 2 Illinois its first loss. Juan Dixon led all scorers with 25 points while Chris Wilcox scored 19. Blandon Ferguson scored 11 points off the bench to lead the Illini.
12/3/02, Illinois 92, North Carolina 65
No. 25 Illinois won its first Big Ten-ACC Challenge game with a 27-point rout of No. 12 North Carolina in Champaign. Brian Cook and Sean Harrington dominated the game for the Illini. Cook scored a game-high 22 points with eight rebounds and five assists. Harrington came off the bench to nail six 3-pointers and finish with 20 points and five steals. Sean May led UNC with 21 points.
Big Ten-ACC Challenge Schedule
Here are the pairings for this year's Big Ten-ACC Challenge (all times listed are Central):
Monday, Dec. 1
Northwestern at Florida State; 6 p.m., espn2
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Indiana at Wake Forest; 6 p.m., ESPN
N.C. State at Michigan; 6:30 p.m., espn2
Illinois vs. North Carolina; 8 p.m., ESPN
Wisconsin at Maryland; 8:30 p.m., espn2
Wednesday, Dec. 3
Georgia Tech at Ohio State; 6 p.m., ESPN
Clemson at Purdue; 6:30 p.m., espn2
Duke at Michigan State; 8 p.m., ESPN
Minnesota at Virginia; 8:30 p.m., espn2
Illinois-North Carolina: Past Matchups
This marks the fifth meeting between Illinois and North Carolina, with the all-time series tied 2-2.
The first matchup in the series came on Dec. 20, 1951, an 86-66 Illinois victory in Champaign's Huff Gym. Johnny "Red" Kerr led the way with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Bob Peterson added 16 points for the Illini, who went on to advance to the Final Four that season.
The two teams met for the second time in a showdown of Top 10 programs in Chapel Hill on Dec. 20, 1986, as No. 4 North Carolina defeated No. 5 Illinois 90-77. Kenny Smith scored 22 points for the Tar Heels, while Ken Norman led the Illini with 22 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
The rematch one year later in Champaign again went to the Tar Heels as No. 4 North Carolina defeated the Illini 85-74 on Dec. 19, 1987. J.R. Reid scored 30 points on 12-of-14 shooting to lead the Tar Heels to victory. Kendall Gill had 25 points and eight assists for the Illini while Nick Anderson added 16 points.
The most recent meeting in the series was Dec. 3, 2002 in the fourth annual Big Ten-ACC Challenge. No. 25 Illinois handed No. 12 UNC its first loss of the season, outscoring the Tar Heels 28-8 over the final eight minutes to turn a seven-point game into a lopsided 92-65 victory. Brian Cook scored a game-high 22 points, but it was Sean Harrington's shooting off the bench that sparked the Illini. Harrington nailed 6-of-8 three-pointers en route to 20 points.
Roy Williams Faces Illini For Fifth Time
While first-year Illinois coach Bruce Weber faces North Carolina for the first time, first-year UNC coach Roy Williams is no stranger to the Fighting Illini. While Williams was at Kansas, his Jayhawks played the Illini in four consecutive seasons, which included two NCAA Regional Semifinal showdowns. Williams is 2-2 all-time against the Illini. Illinois defeated Kansas 84-70 at Chicago's United Center in 1999 and 80-64 in the 2001 Sweet Sixteen at the Alamodome in San Antontio. Kansas defeated Illinois 65-55 at Kansas City's Kemper Areana in 1998 and 73-69 in the 2002 Sweet Sixteen at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.
Last Time Out
Illinois stormed out to a 27-7 lead in the game's first 10 minutes and never looked back, cruising to a 75-60 victory over Temple at the Palestra in Philadelphia. The Illini shot 53 percent for the game and displayed superb passing in shredding Temple's zone defense. Illinois was credited with 22 assists on its 27 baskets. Roger Powell led the Illini with his second straight double-double, registering 19 points and 10 rebounds. Deron Williams scored a career-high 18 points and Dee Brown added 16 as Illinois improved to 3-0.
Williams Showcases All-Around Game
He scores, he defends, he distributes the ball...guard Deron Williams has been turning heads with his senational play to start his sophomore season. Williams has scored in double figures in all three games and ranks third on the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game, more than doubling his freshman scoring average of 6.3 points. He scored a career-high 18 points vs. Temple and is shooting 50 percent from the field (15-30) and 3-point land (7-14). While his scoring has improved dramatically, Williams remains an unselfish player with the ball in his hands. He leads the Illini in assists with 18 (6.0 apg), setting a career high with eight assists in the season opener vs. Western Illinois.
Back-to-Back Double-Doubles for Powell
Junior Roger Powell recorded the first double-double of his Illinois career against Mercer on Nov. 26, scoring 16 points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds. What better way to follow up that performance than with another double-double in his next outing vs. Temple. Powell scored a season-high 19 points and matched his career high with 10 boards. Powell ranks second on the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. He is shooting over 61 percent from the field (19-31) and leads the Illini with 13 offensive rebounds in three games.
Complete game notes available by clicking on .pdf link at top of this page.
