Illinois Game Notes vs. Oakland
November 24, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 24, 2004
Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Oakland in PDF Format
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FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #3: #4/5(AP) Illinois (2-0) vs. Oakland (0-1)
ESPN+Local • 7:05 p.m. CT
Nov. 24, 2004 • Champaign, Ill. • Assembly Hall (16,500)
Probable Starters
#4/5 ILLINOIS (2-0)
F - 43 Roger Powell, Jr. (Sr., 6-6, 235, 11.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Jr., 6-10, 230, 12.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Sr., 6-3, 185, 14.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.5 apg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (Jr., 6-3, 210, 11.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 7.0 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Jr., 6-0, 185, 18.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.5 apg)
Off The Bench ...
G - 15 Calvin Brock (Fr., 6-4, 185, plans to redshirt)
G - 33 Rich McBride (So., 6-3, 215, 6.0 ppg, 0.5 apg)
F - 34 Fred Nkemdi (Sr., 6-5, 235, 0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg)
F - 41 Warren Carter (So., 6-9, 210, 6.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Sr.-r, 7-2, 250, 2.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
C/F - 50 Jack Ingram (Sr.-r, 6-10, 245, 3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
F - 55 Shaun Pruitt (Fr., 6-8, 245, 3.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
Injured
F - 42 Brian Randle (So., 6-7, 210, 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg in 2004)
Series Notes: Oakland
The Fighting Illini are 1-0 against the Grizzlies with an 88-53 victory over Oakland on Jan. 4, 2003. Dee Brown had 14 points and five assists, Deron Williams had 11 points and six assists, and James Augustine had 10 points and seven rebounds in the win. Rawle Marshall had 22 points for the Grizzlies.
Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 131-61/.682 (7th year)
Big Ten: 13-3/.813
At Illinois: 28-7/.800 (2nd year)
Vs. Oakland: First Meeting
Assistant Coaches: Wayne McClain (4th year), Jay Price (2nd year), Tracy Webster (1st year)
Assistant to the head coach: Gary Nottingham (2nd year)
Trainer: Al Martindale (22nd year at Illinois)
Oakland Head Coach: Greg Kampe
Overall Record: 336-237 (21st year)
At Oakland: Same
Vs. Illinois: 0-1
Assistant Coaches: Jeff Smith, Devon Smith, Jeff Tungate
On the Air
Television
ESPN+Local- Wayne Larrivee, play-by-play; Doug Altenberger, expert analyst.
Radio
Illini Sports Network-47 stations: Brian Barnhart, play-by-play; Stephen Bardo, expert analyst & Loren Tate, pregame/halftime/postgame interviews
Quick Shots
• Illinois enters the Oakland game with a winning streak of 33 straight victories over non-conference opponents at the Assembly Hall.
• After two games, the Illini are shooting an eye-popping 55.8 percent (67-120) from the field and 43.5 percent (20-46) from three-point range.
• All five Illini starters are averaging in double-figure scoring after two games.
• Illinois has led the Big Ten in scoring each of the last four seasons.
• The television package for the Wooden Tradition on Nov. 27 has been established. In the state of Illinois, the game can be seen on Superstation WGN (outside Chicago), on WBBM-Ch. 2 in Chicago and in Central Illinois on WCIA/WCFN.
Williams Fifth-Straight Illini Chosen Preseason Player of the Year Pick
Junior guard Deron Williams became the fifth straight Illini to be named Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year at the recent Big Ten Media Day in Chicago. Williams, also named to the All-Big Ten First-Team last season, is just the third Big Ten player ever to lead the league in assists in each of his first two seasons, joining Michigan State's Magic Johnson (1978-79) and Illinois' Bruce Douglas (1983-84).
Williams has also earned Preseason All-America honors from Playboy Magazine and is among 50 preseason candidates for the Wooden, Naismith and Rupp Awards.
Two Illini Earn All-Big Ten Honors
Junior guards Deron Williams and Dee Brown were both named to the Preseason All-Big Ten First Team at the recent Big Ten Media Day in Chicago. Brown was a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2004 after being named the preseason Player of the Year prior to his sophomore season.
Backcourt Earns National Rep
Junior guards Deron Williams and Dee Brown are both listed on the preseason lists for the Naismith Award and Wooden Award All-America teams.
Brown Earns Big Ten POTW Award
Junior guard Dee Brown earned the third Big Ten Player of the Week honor is his career Nov. 22 after leading the Illini to two victories over the weekend. Brown made 13-of-16 shots from the field, including 8-of-11 from three-point range.
Illinois Begins Season Near the Top
Illinois began the 2004-05 season ranked No. 5 in both the Preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and Associated Press Poll, its highest preseason ranking since starting the 2001-02 season ranked No. 2 in the coaches' poll and No. 3 in the AP poll. The Illini received one first place vote in the coaches' poll and two in the AP poll. The Illini moved to No. 5 in the AP poll and No. 4 in the ESPN/USA Today poll released Nov. 22.
Randle Sidelined with Broken Hand
Sophomore forward Brian Randle suffered a broken left hand in practice on Nov. 10 and will be sidelined for another 5-8 weeks. Surgery on Nov. 11 successfully repaired the bone.
Valpo Game Time Changed
Start time for the Dec. 19 men's basketball game against Valparaiso has been changed to 4 p.m. An Illini women's game against UCLA is scheduled to begin at Noon that day. The men's game against Valparaiso is part of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.
Last Time Out -- vs. Florida A&M
Illinois jumped out to a 22-4 lead in the first half, shooting a scorching 58.8 percent from the field, and posted an impressive 91-60 victory over 2004 NCAA Tournament qualifier Florida A&M. Dee Brown made his first eight shots of the night, including his first four three-pointers, on the way to a game-high 20 points. All five Illini starters reached double figures in scoring.
Hot Ticket to Watch the Illini at the Hall
Illinois sold out of season tickets for the 2004-05 campaign, making it one of the hottest tickets in program history. As of Nov. 23, single-game tickets remained only for games against Oakland (1,700) and Longwood (760), all games not part of the student season ticket package. Fans can also purchase tickets for the Dec. 11 game against Oregon at the United Center ($22) and for the Las Vegas Holiday Classic ($90 for all-session) through the UI Athletics Ticket Office. A very limited number of tickets for the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis ($20 & $50) and the road game at Georgetown ($22.50) are available as well.
For complete set of game notes, click on .pdf link at the top of this page.
