Dec. 1, 2004

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1. With its 91-73 victory over No. 1 Wake Forest, the Illini record only their second win over a top-ranked foe in school history. The last time Illinois defeated a No. 1 team was in 1979 against Michigan State in a 57-55 nailbiter. The Illini are now 2-19 all-time against the nation's best.

2. The Illini shot 60 percent from the field in the first half against the Demon Deacons. Illinois has gotten off to a strong start in all five games this season, shooting 55 percent or better in each of the first halves of all five contests.

3. With tonight's victory, Illinois improves to 55-2 at the Assembly Hall over the past four-plus years. The Illini also are 67-3 at home over the past five-plus seasons. Illinois has now defeated 35 consecutive nonconference opponents at the Assembly Hall.

4. Illinois is winning its games convincingly this season, as it is averaging a 23.4 point margin of victory. The Illini led by as many as 32 against No. 1 Wake Forest, and finished the game with an 18-point margin. The smallest margin was a 17-point win over No. 24 Gonzaga.

5. The Illini improve their record in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge to 2-4, with both wins coming at Assembly Hall. With the win over No. 1 Wake Forest, Illinois evens its record to 1-1 against top-ranked foes in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Illini fell to Duke 78-77 in 2000.

6. The Illini scored 91 points against Wake Forest, hitting the 90-point mark for the second time this season and the fifth time under head coach Bruce Weber. It is also the fourth-most points scored by the Illini in the last two seasons.

7. Illinois also evens its all-time record against the Demon Deacons at 1-1. Wake Forest won the first series matchup in 1998.

8. The Illini never trailed against Wake Forest, continuing its scoring dominance this season. To date, the Illini have trailed only 7:51 out of 200 minutes this season.

9. Tonight was the fourth time in five games this season that four of Illinois' starters have scored in double figures. Roger Powell led the Illini with a season-high 19 points, Luther Head and Dee Brown each contributed 16 points and James Augustine added 10.

10. Illinois is now 15-1 when playing on December 1. The Illini's only loss was a 56-52 defeat by Wright Field in 1945. Since then Illinois has reeled off 15 consecutive victories when playing on Dec. 1.

11. Illinois improves its record to 9-7 all-time in games in which both the Illini and their opponent are ranked in the top 5. Illinois is also 5-0 at home in these matchups.

12. The Illini posted a season-high 27 assists off 38 field goals (.711). This continues Illinois' unselfish play, which has produced 99 assists on 170 field goals (.582)

13. Illinois is now 4-1 on the night of the "Paint the Hall Orange" promotion. This year was the first time the event was not held during the Big Ten season.

14. In what was billed as a battle of two of the nation's top backcourts, Illinois clearly came out on top. Illinois' third guard, Luther Head was the highest scorer at the position in the game for both teams with 16 points, while adding five rebounds and five assists. Deron Williams tied a career high with 11 assists, while scoring eight points and grabbing five rebounds. Dee Brown contributed 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, seven assists and six boards. For Wake Forest, Chris Paul had 10 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Justin Gray scored 11 with two assists and three boards. However, Paul and Gray combined to shoot a season-worst 7-for-27, compared to Brown and Williams' combined 11-for-22.

15. The Illini posted their lowest number of turnovers this season with six. The previous low was seven against Gonzaga on Nov. 27.