Nov. 29, 2004
Champaign, Ill. -
Illinois Game Notes vs. Wake Forest in PDF Format
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FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #5: #3/5(AP) Illinois (4-0) vs. #1 Wake Forest (5-0)
Big Ten/ACC Challenge • ESPN • 6 p.m. CT
Dec. 1, 2004 • Champaign, Ill. • Assembly Hall (16,500)
Probable Starters
#3/5 ILLINOIS (4-0)
F - 43 Roger Powell, Jr. (Sr., 6-6, 235, 11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Jr., 6-10, 230, 9.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Sr., 6-3, 185, 17.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 7.3 apg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (Jr., 6-3, 210, 15.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.5 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Jr., 6-0, 185, 15.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.8 apg)
Off The Bench ...
G - 15 Calvin Brock (Fr., 6-4, 185, plans to redshirt)
G - 33 Rich McBride (So., 6-3, 215, 5.3 ppg, 0.5 apg)
F - 34 Fred Nkemdi (Sr., 6-5, 235, 0.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg)
F - 41 Warren Carter (So., 6-9, 210, 6.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Sr.-r, 7-2, 250, 2.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
C/F - 50 Jack Ingram (Sr.-r, 6-10, 245, 2.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
F - 55 Shaun Pruitt (Fr., 6-8, 245, 3.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
Injured
F - 42 Brian Randle (So., 6-7, 210, 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg in 2004)
Illinois Head Coach: Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 133-61/.686 (7th year)
At Illinois: 30-7/.811 (2nd year)
Big Ten: 13-3/.813
Vs. Wake Forest: 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)
Wake Forest Head Coach: Skip Prosser
Overall Record: 237-107/.689 (11th year)
At Wake Forest: 72-29/.713 (3rd year)
Vs. Illinois: First Meeting
Assistant Coaches: Jeff Battle, Dino Gaudio, Pat Kelsey
<>On the Air
Television
ESPN - National - Sean McDonough, play-by-play; Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas, expert analysts.
Radio
Illini Sports Network - 47 stations: Brian Barnhart, play-by-play; Stephen Bardo, expert analyst; Loren Tate, pregame/halftime/postgame interviews.
Series Notes: Wake Forest
This is just the second meeting all-time between Illinois and Wake Forest. The first match-up came in the 1998-99 season opener in New York City's Madison Square Garden as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Wake Forest won that game in overtime by the score of 75-73.
Quick Shots
• Illinois carries a 34-game home winning streak against non-conference opponents into Wednesday night's game vs. Wake Forest.
• After four games, the Illini are shooting an eye-popping 53.7 percent (132-246) from the field and 46.9 percent (46-98) from 3-point range.
• Illinois has trailed in the scoring column for just 7:51 out of 160 minutes of play this season. Illinois trailed Delaware State for a total of 7:01, all in the first half, and trailed Florida A&M for the first 50 seconds of the game. The Illini held the lead the entire game against Oakland and Gonzaga.
• Four of Illinois' five starters are averaging in double-figure scoring after four games.
• Illinois has led the Big Ten in scoring each of the last four seasons. The Illini are averaging 88 points this year after four games.
• Illinois has been credited with assists on 72 percent of its baskets this season (95 assists on 132 field goals). The Illini are averaging 23.8 assits per game.
• The Illini have three players - Dee Brown, Luther Head and Rich McBride - shooting over 40 percent from 3-point range.
• The Illini are averaging 11.5 three-point field goals per game this season. Illinois tied its school record for 3-pointers in a game with 14 vs. Gonzaga last Saturday.
• In its win over Gonzaga, Illinois set a number of Wooden Tradition team records, including points (89), assists (24), steals (13), three-pointers (14), as well as individual records, including assists (Luther Head, 9), steals (Luther Head-tied, 4), and three-pointers (Deron Williams-tied, 5).
• In the season opener on Nov. 19, Illinois and Delaware State combined to set the Illinois all-time and Assembly Hall records for combined field goal percentage. The teams joined to shoot 60.8 percent (59-97), with the Illini making 35-of-55 attempts and the Hornets connecting on 24-of-42 shots.
Paint the Hall Orange
Wednesday's game vs. Wake Forest is "Paint the Hall Orange V". The annual promotion by a local radio station encourages everyone in attendance to wear orange to the game. The event began in 2001, when No. 7 Illinois defeated No. 4 Michigan State 77-66. One year later, the Spartans defeated the 12th-ranked Illini 67-61. In the 2003 edition of Paint the Hall Orange, No. 18 Illinois defeated Purdue 75-62. Last year, Illinois rolled past Michigan State 75-51.
Illinois in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge
The Big Ten/ACC Challenge is now in its sixth year of existence. Illinois is 1-4 all-time in the Challenge, earning its first win of the annual event in 2002 over North Carolina. This marks just the second time in six years that Illinois will play a Challenge game at the Assembly Hall. 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. This is the second time that Illinois will play a No. 1-ranked team in the Challenge. Illinois fell to No. 1 Duke at Greensboro, N.C. in 2000. 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.
12/2/03 - North Carolina 88, Illinois 81
No. 10 North Carolina outlasted No. 11 Illinois to claim a seven-point victory at the Greensboro Coliseum. Illinois trailed by just one point late, 79-78, but could not stop Carolina down the stretch. Sean May scored a game-high 23 points while Rashad McCants added 20 for the Tar Heels. Deron Williams led the Illini with 22 points and Roger Powell added 20.
Big Ten/ACC Challenge Schedule
Here are the pairings for this year's Big Ten/ACC Challenge (all times listed are Central):
Monday, Nov. 29
Purdue at North Carolina State; 6 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Nov. 30
Michigan at Georgia Tech; 6 p.m., ESPN
Florida State at Minnesota; 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
Michigan State at Duke; 8 p.m., ESPN
Maryland at Wisconsin; 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
Wednesday, Dec. 1
Wake Forest at Illinois; 6 p.m., ESPN
Ohio State at Clemson; 6:30 p.m., ESPN2
North Carolina at Indiana; 8 p.m., ESPN
Virginia at Northwestern; 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
Taking on No. 1
Illinois will face an opponent ranked atop the Associated Press poll for the 21st time in school history on Wednesday night when the Illini take on No. 1 Wake Forest. Illinois is 1-19 all-time against No. 1-ranked opponents with the only victory coming at home against Michigan State on Jan. 11, 1979. That win over the Spartans also maked the last time that a team ranked No. 1 visited the Assembly Hall. Here are the Illini all-time scores vs. No. 1:
3/22/49 L, 47-76, vs. Kentucky
3/24/51 L, 74-76, vs. Kentucky
12/20/58 L, 75-76, at Kentucky
1/7/61 L, 65-91, at Ohio State
3/11/61 L, 66-95, Ohio State
3/24/62 L, 79-102, at Ohio State
1/26/63 L, 53-62, vs. Cincinnati
2/17/65 L, 79-80, Michigan
12/4/65 L, 79-97, at UCLA
1/29/67 L, 82-120, vs. UCLA
12/30/72 L, 64-71, vs. UCLA
1/27/75 L, 57-73, at Indiana
2/23/75 L, 89-112, Indiana
1/17/76 L, 55-83, Indiana
2/14/76 L, 48-58, at Indiana
1/11/79 W, 57-55, Michigan State
1/30/88 L, 70-78, at Arizona
2/17/93 L, 72-93, at Indiana
11/22/00 L, 76-79, vs. Arizona
11/28/00 L, 77-78, vs. Duke
Top-5 Matchups
When No. 5 Illinois takes on No. 1 Wake Forest, it will mark the 16th time in school history that the Illini will play a game in which both teams are ranked in the top five of the Associated Press rankings. Illinois is 8-7 all-time in top-5 matchups. The last time Illinois played a game in which both teams appeared in the top five was during the 2001 Big Ten/ACC Challenge, when No. 5 Maryland defeated the No. 2 Illini 76-63.
Illinois is 4-0 at home in top-5 matchups. The last time the Illini participated in a top-5 showdown at home was in 1979, when No. 4 Illinois defeated No. 1-ranked and eventual national champion Michigan State, 57-55.
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.
Williams is second on the team in scoring this season, averaging 15 points. He is shooting 47 percent from the field and is second on the team in assists, averaging 6.5 apg. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.6 through four games. Williams is also tied tied for third on the team in rebounding with four boards per game.
Two Illini Earn Preseason 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 Named Big Ten Player of the Week - Nov. 22
Junior guard Dee Brown earned the third Big Ten Player of the Week honor of his career Nov. 22 after leading the Illini to victories over Delaware State and Florida A&M. Brown totaled 37 points on the weekend, hitting 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.
Home Cookin'
Illinois is 54-2 (.964) at the Assembly Hall over the last four-plus years, with the only losses coming to Michigan State on Feb. 3, 2002 and to Purdue on Jan. 10, 2004 ... The Boilermakers broke a 23-game Illini winning streak at the Hall that at the time ranked fourth in the nation ... Illinois is 66-3 (.957) at the Assembly Hall over the past five-plus seasons, the best home mark in the nation over that period ...The Illini have also won 34 in a row at the Assembly Hall against non-conference opponents ... Illinois has won 35 of its last 37 (.946) Big Ten games at the Assembly Hall ... Below is a look at Illinois' home record the past five seasons:
Year Overall Big Ten
2004-05 3-0 0-0
2003-04 12-1 7-1
2002-03 14-0 7-0
2001-02 13-1 7-1
2000-01 12-0 8-0
1999-2000 12-1 7-1
Total 66-3 (.957) 36-3 (.923)
Great Guard Play
The three-guard lineup of senior Luther Head and juniors Deron Williams and Dee Brown has been regarded as one of the top backcourts in the country. They are Illinois' top three scorers as well as assists and steals leaders. The trio has accounted for 54 percent of Illinois' scoring and 83 percent of its 3-pointers. They have also totaled 78 percent of Illinois' assists and 56 percent of its steals. Perhaps most impressive is that despite playing the most minutes and handling the ball for the majority of the game, the three guards boast a combined assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.24. Below is a look a statistical look at Illinois' starting backcourt.
PPG APG RPG ST 3FG
Head 17.5 7.3 2.8 11 14
Williams 15.0 6.5 4.0 3 11
Brown 15.0 4.8 2.3 4 13
Total 47.5 18.6 9.1 18 38
Last Time Out - vs. Gonzaga
Illinois rolled past Gonzaga 89-72 on Saturday in the fifth annual John R. Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Illini were up to the challenge in facing its first ranked opponent of the season, manhandling the No. 24 Bulldogs. Illinois jumped out to a quick 18-4 lead in the first five minutes and carried a 31-point margin (58-27) into halftime. The Illini led by as many as 38 points with 12 minutes remaining. The three-guard lineup of Luther Head, Deron Williams and Dee Brown combined for 57 points, 12 three-pointers, 20 assists (with just two turnovers), eight steals and seven rebounds in the win. Illinois tied its school record for 3-point field goals in a game, making 14.
Sharing the Wealth
One reason why Illinois is shooting nearly 54 percent from the field through four games is unselfish play. The Illini have been moving the ball well and making the extra pass to set up an open shot. Illinois has been credited with 95 assists on its 132 baskets, an impressive 72 percent assist-to-made field goals percentage. Illinois has had over 20 assists in every game and is averaging 23.8 assists per game. The Illini recorded a season-high 26 assists on 31 field goals in the win over Oakland (Nov. 24).
The Head of the Class
Senior guard Luther Head has been regarded by many as one of the most underated players in the nation, and his play so far this season has been making that case. Head leads the Illini in scoring at 17.5 points per game, and also leads the team in assists at 7.3 per game and steals at 2.8 per game. He is shooting over 59 percent (26-44) from the field, and over 48 percent (14-29) from 3-point land. Head has scored in double figures in four straight games to open the season - with 15 points vs. Delaware State, 13 vs. Florida A&M, a season-high 22 points vs. Oakland (which also marked the second highest total of his career) and 20 points vs. Gonzaga. This is the third time over the course of his career that he has had four straight games in double figures. Head has never scored in double figures in five consecutive games.
Dee Lighting it Up
Junior Dee Brown has had a hot shooting hand to start the season. Through four games, the junior guard is shooting over 65 percent (21-32) from the field. That percentage is even more impressive when considering that nearly two-thirds of his attempts have come from 3-point range. And Brown is dialed in from downtown as well, shooting 62 percent (13-21) from behind the arc. Brown is tied for second on the team in scoring at 15 points per game.
Brown broke into Illinois' Top-50 career scoring list last Wednesday against Oakland, becoming the first player on the current UI roster to join the elite list. Brown stands 47th on the Illini all-time scoring chart with 884 points.
The Rev Rises to the Occasion
Senior forward Roger Powell, Jr., is averaging 11 points and four rebounds after four contests, while shooting over 74 percent from the field (20-of-27). Powell begins the season as a career 59 percent shooter from the field.
Powell is scheduled to graduate with his bachelor's degree in speech communications in December. He is a licensed minister in the Pentecostal church.
Augie Off to Strong Start
Junior James Augustine is off to a strong start by making 15 of his first 24 shots on the season (62.5 percent) and averaging a team-high 7.3 rebounds. He grabbed 11 rebounds vs. Oakland, the highest total by an Illini player this season, and Augustine's 13th career double-digit effort on the boards. After four games he is fifth on the team with an average of 9.8 points per game and leads the Illini with 10 blocked shots.
* For complete set of game notes, click on .pdf link at the top of this page.
