Feb. 19, 2004

Illinois Men's Basketball Notes vs. Penn State in PDF Format
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FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #23: Illinois (17-5, 8-3) at Penn State (9-13, 3-8)
TV - ESPN * 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET
Feb. 21, 2004 * University Park, Pa. * Bryce Jordan Center (15,261)

Probable Starters
ILLINOIS (17-5, 8-3)
F - 40 James Augustine (So., 6-10, 225, 10.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg)
F - 43 Roger Powell (Jr., 6-6, 220, 12.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Jr., 6-3, 175, 10.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (So., 6-3, 210, 13.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.8 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (So., 6-0, 175, 11.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.6 apg)

Off The Bench ...
C - 1 Aaron Spears (Fr.-r, 6-9, 260, 1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg)
G - 25 Jerrance Howard (Sr.-r, 6-1, 200, 1.7 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
G - 33 Rich McBride (Fr., 6-3, 210, 3.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg)
F - 34 Fred Nkemdi (Jr., 6-6, 235, 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
F - 41 Warren Carter (Fr., 6-9, 205, 1.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg)
F - 42 Brian Randle (Fr., 6-8, 200, 3.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Jr.-r, 7-2, 240, 7.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg)
C - 50 Jack Ingram (Jr.-r, 6-10, 240, 2.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg)

Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 120-59/.670 (6th year)
Big Ten: 8-3/.727
At Illinois: 17-5/.773 (1st year)
Vs. Penn State: 1-0
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)

Penn State Head Coach: Ed DeChellis
Overall Record: 114-106/.518 (8th year)
At Penn State: 9-13/.409 (1st year)
Vs. Illinois: 0-1
Assistant Coaches: James Johnson, Kurt Kanaskie, Hilliary Scott

Series History: Penn State
Illinois leads the all-time series 15-6 over Penn State, and the Illini enjoy a 6-3 advantage in games played at University Park. In the most recent meeting between the two teams, Illinois defeated Penn State 80-37 in Champaign on Jan. 21. Illinois has won seven of the last eight games, with the last Nittany Lion win coming in 2001 at Penn State.

Quick Shots
Illinois ranks first in the Big Ten in scoring at 73.8 points per game, after leading the league in scoring each of the last three seasons ... The Illini have six players averaging between 7.7 and 14 points per game, including all five starters in double figures ... The Illini have had at least five players score in double figures five times this season ... Illinois players rank 10th (Williams), 16th (Powell), 19th (Brown), 26th (Augustine) and 29th (Head) in the Big Ten in scoring, making Illinois the only conference school to have five among the Top 30 scorers ... Seven different players have led the Illini in scoring this season and eight different players have led the team in rebounding ... James Augustine has posted seven double-doubles in 2003-04 ... Deron Williams (111 total, 5.8 avg.) and Dee Brown (101 total, 4.6 avg.) rank first and third, respectively, in assists in the Big Ten ... Illinois leads the Big Ten in assists (16.8 apg) ... Illinois ranks second in the league in rebounding (36.7 rpg) and third in field-goal percentage defense (.405) ... James Augustine has won the opening tip in 21 of 22 games (all but Providence) this season ... Illinois' 43-point win over Penn State Jan. 21 was its largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game since 1956, and the third-largest Big Ten win in school history ... Penn State shot just 21 percent (13-62) against the Illini on Jan. 21, marking the lowest field goal percentage in Assembly Hall history ... Illinois held Michigan to a season-low 35 percent field-goal shooting and season-low 52 points on Jan. 31 ...Illinois held Indiana to just four baskets on 15.4 percent second-half shooting, and without a field goal the final 9:53 of the game in a come-from-behind win Feb. 3 ...The Illini defeated Minnesota 79-69 on Feb. 8 to mark Illinois' 11th straight victory over the Gophers, which is the longest current winning streak by any Big Ten team over a conference opponent. The next closest active streak is Ohio State's 10 straight wins over Northwetsern ...Illinois forced Wisconsin into 17 turnovers (a season high) after the Badgers entered the game leading the nation at just 10.0 turnovers per game ... With victories at Indiana and at Minnesota, Illinois became just the second Big Ten team this season to record two road wins in the same week in conference play. Indiana first accomplished the feat with wins at Ohio State Jan. 20 and at Minnesota Jan. 24 ... Illinois is the only conference team in the Big Ten to defeat all four opponents it plays just once. This is the third time in seven seasons (since inception of Big Ten Tournament) that the Illini have swept the four "single" games. The previous two times came in 1998 and 2001, when the Illini went on to win shares of the Big Ten title.

Home Cookin'
Illinois is 50-2 (.962) at the Assembly Hall over the last three-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 nationally behind Pittsburgh, Duke and Creighton ... Illinois is 62-3 (.954) at the Assembly Hall over the past four-plus seasons ... The Illini have also won 31 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.

Getting Defensive
In its last six victories, Illinois has played its best defense of the season. The Illini held Penn State to 21 percent shooting on Jan. 21, marking the lowest field goal percentage in Assembly Hall history. Illinois held the Nittany Lions to just 13 field goals and a season-low tying 37 points. In a victory over Michigan on Jan. 31, The Illini held Michigan to a season-low field goal percentage of 35.3 percent and season-low 52 points. Illinois took that defensive tenacity on the road in a win at Indiana on Feb. 3. The Illini held the Hoosiers to 31.3 percent shooting on the evening. Indiana made just four baskets in the second half and did not score a field goal the final 9:53 of the game. Illinois surged past Minnesota on Feb. 8 by again cranking up the "D". The Illini held the Gophers to just one field goal over a span of 11:38 during the second half while turning a one-point deficit into a 14-point lead. The Illini most recently defeated Michigan State by 24 points, marking the worst loss of the season for the Spartans. MSU entered the game shooting 55 percent from the field in Big Ten play, but managed just 42 percent shooting against the Illini. Illinois held the Spartans without a field goal for a stretch of 8:20 spanning the end of the first half and beginning of the second half in which the Illini went on a 16-2 run to open up a 19-point advantage. In the win over Wisconsin Feb. 18, the Illini held the Badgers with no field goals from the 5:32 mark to 1:14 as they extended their lead from one to nine. Illinois also forced the Badgers, who entered the game leading the nation in fewest turnovers per game, into a season-high 17 turnovers.

In those six games, Illinois' opponents have combined to shoot just 36.5 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range while averaging 52.5 points per game. Below is a look at the statistics of the last six opponents Illinois has beaten:

Opp     FGs            3-Pt. FGs     Points
PSU     13-62/.210     1-13/.077     37
MICH    18-51/.353     3-18/.167     52
IND     15-48/.313     6-18/.333     49
MINN    25-58/.431     8-15/.533     69
MSU     18-43/.419     5-15/.333     51
WIS     24-48/.500     4-11/.364     57
Total   113-310/.365   27-90/.300    52.5 (avg)

Last Time Out
Illinois won its fifth game in a row with an impressive 65-57 victory over Wisconsin Wednesday night in Champaign. The Illini were led by Deron Williams, who scored a career-high 31 points on 9-of-8 shooting with five 3-pointers, while Luther Head added 10 and James Augustine nine for the Illini. The win moved Illinois into a second-place tie with Wisconsin, one-half game behind league-leader Michigan State. The Illini forced Wisconsin into a season-high 17 turnovers. The Badgers entered the game with a nation-leading 10 turnovers per game. Dee Brown led the Illini with six assists and six rebounds.

Colangelo and Kerr Among 16 Finalists for Basketball Hall of Fame
Former Fighting Illini standouts Jerry Colangelo and Johnny "Red" Kerr are among the 16 finalists for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Finalists need 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2004 will be announced on Monday, April 5 at a news conference in San Antonio, Texas prior to the NCAA Championship game.

Colangelo lettered at Illinois from 1960-62, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors and serving as team captain as a senior. Colangelo began his professional career with the Chicago Bulls in 1966 as a scout and sales/promotion manager. He was named general manager of the Phoenix Suns in 1968 at the age of 28, becoming the youngest GM in pro sports at the time. Now the CEO and Chairman of the Suns, Colangelo has been named NBA Executive of the Year four times (1976, 1981, 1989 and 1993) while helping the club advance to the NBA Finals in 1976 and 1993.

Kerr was a three-time All-American at Illinois from 1952-54, leading the Illini to a Big Ten title and NCAA Final Four appearance in 1952. As a senior in 1954, he was awarded the Silver Basketball Trophy by the Chicago Tribune as the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player. Kerr played professionally with the Syracuse Nationals (1954-63), Philadelphia 76ers (1963-65) and Baltimore Bullets (1969-70). He was a member of Syracuse's 1955 championship team and was a three-time All-Star. Following his playing days, Kerr coached the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns. He then worked in the front office of the ABA's Virginia Squires and the Bulls. In 1975, he became a color commentator for the Bulls, a position he continues to hold.

Top 25 Streak Comes to an End - Will a New One Start?
With a loss at Northwestern on Jan. 14, Illinois' streak of appearing in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll came to an end Jan. 19 at a school-record 68-consecutive polls. The team also dropped out of the AP Top 25, where it had been ranked for 26-consecutive polls. Illinois' longest streak in the AP poll is 43 from 1951-53.

Illinois is receiving votes in both the coaches and AP polls this week.

Illinois had a school record-streak of 30 straight polls in the Coaches' Top 10 snapped in January, 2002.

Purdue Game Date/Time Announced
Illinois' game at Purdue will be played on Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m ET and will be televised by ESPN+ Local.

Information for Illinois' game at Ohio State is still TBA. An announcement will be made on that game no later than March 1.

Weber Names Three Captains
In January, Illinois coach Bruce Weber named senior Jerrance Howard and sophomore guards Dee Brown and Deron Williams as team captains for the 2003-04 season.

Williams Finds His Name Among Big Ten's Best as Player of the Year Candidate
Deron Williams has returned to the level of play he exhibited prior to breaking his jaw in mid-December. In Illinois' win over Wisconsin Feb. 18, Williams led all scorers with a career-high 31 points to help pull the Illini closer to the top of the Big Ten standings. He shot 9-of-18 from the field against the Badgers, which included a career high five 3-pointers and career-best 8-for-8 shooting from the foul line.

In the win over Iowa Jan. 17, Williams scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds and handed out four assists. He followed that performance with 12 points and eight assists in a win over Penn State Jan. 21. In Illinois' win over Michigan (Jan. 31), Williams scored 15 and led the team with five rebounds and five assists. He then erupted for 12 second-half points and had a game-high six assists in a win at Indiana (Feb. 3).

Williams recorded his second career double-double at Minnesota Feb. 8, scoring a team-high 19 points and dishing out a career-high 11 assists. He followed that with 15 points and six assists in the win over Michigan State Feb. 10.

The sophomore missed three games (Memphis, Missouri and Illinois-Chicago) due to a fractured jaw that occurred Dec. 11 against Maryland-Eastern Shore after running into a screen early in the second half. Williams had surgery on Dec. 12 to repair the double fracture and made a successful return to the court Jan. 3 vs. Illinois State. With his jaw still wired shut and making it difficult to breath, Illinois coaches hoped to get Williams a maximum of 18-20 minutes of playing time. But he defied those odds, coming off the bench to play 34 minutes. Williams fueled the Illini comeback against ISU, leading the team with 20 points, including four 3-pointers. He also had four rebounds and three assists in his first game-action in nearly one month.

Williams has been turning heads with his sensational play during his sophomore season. He leads the team and ranks 10th in the Big Ten in scoring (13.9 ppg) and has scored in double figures in 14 of 19 games. His scoring average so far is more than double his freshman average of 6.3 points. He scored a then-career-high 22 points vs. North Carolina (Dec. 2) and recently topped that with 31 points in the win over Wisconsin (Feb. 18). Williams is shooting 42 percent from the field (93-224). While his scoring has improved dramatically, Williams remains an unselfish player with the ball in his hands, leading the Big Ten with 5.8 assists per game. He also leads the Big Ten in free-throw shooting at .891, making 41 of 46 so far.

What Can Brown Do For You?
With apologies to UPS, sophomore guard Dee Brown, nicknamed the "One-Man Fast Break," has delivered a solid second season for the Illini. The Big Ten's Preseason Player of the Year by the media is third on the team in scoring at 11.7 points, while leading the team in steals (34) and ranking second in assists (4.6 avg.). He's also fourth on the team in rebounding at 3.5 per game. Brown was named to the preseason All-Big Ten squad by both the media and coaches. Wisconsin's Devin Harris was the preseason player of the year as voted by the coaches. Brown was also named to the 12-man Playboy Magazine All-America squad and was one of 50 players on the Wooden Award All-America preseason watch list. Brown is the fourth-consecutive Illini to earn league preseason player of the year honors following Cory Bradford in 2001, Frank Williams in 2002 and Brian Cook in 2003.

Brown currently ranks third on the Illini in scoring at 11.7 points per game with a season-high 23 points coming in the season opener vs. Western Illinois Nov. 22. He ranks among the Big Ten's Top 10 players in two categories, ranking third with 4.6 assists per game, third with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.10 and eighth with 1.6 steals per game. Brown has scored in double figures in seven of his last 12 outings.

He dished out a season-high nine assists vs. UIC (Dec. 30) and had season highs of four steals vs. UIC, Ohio State (Jan. 7) and Wisconsin (Feb. 18). Brown has made at least four treys in four games this year and knocked down a career-high tying five 3s at Northwestern (Jan. 14).

Last year, he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and third-team honors from the coaches, and earned a spot on the first-ever Big Ten All-Freshman steam. Brown was second on the team in scoring, averaging 12.0 points. He led the Big Ten in assists with 4.97 per game and also led the league with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.56. One of the quickest guards in America, Brown's 1.78 steals per game led the team and ranked third in the Big Ten.

In Big Ten Conference games only, Brown totaled 76 assists with only 25 turnovers, leading the conference with an assist/turnover ratio of 3.04 in league play.

Air Rog Takes Off
Junior Roger Powell is second on the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. He ranks third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, shooting 61.0 percent from the field (108-177), and is second on the team with 48 offensive rebounds.

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. He followed up that performance than with another double-double in his next outing vs. Temple. Powell scored 19 points and matched his career high with 10 boards. He then scored 20 points against North Carolina Dec. 2.

Powell has had some of his best games in Big Ten play, reaching double figures in five of nine conference games. He had 11 points vs. Ohio State (Jan. 7), 20 points vs. Iowa (Jan. 17), 16 points vs. Penn State (Jan. 21), a season-high 24 points at Wisconsin (Jan. 24) and 15 points at Indiana (Feb. 3). Powell has scored in double figures 12 times this season.

Last year in Big Ten play, Powell led the league in field-goal shooting at 64.1 percent and was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team after helping the Illini to the title.

Augustine Nearly a Double-Double Man
Another member of the heralded Illini sophomore class is James Augustine. Augustine, named to the first-ever Big Ten All-Freshman Team last season, is nearly averaging a double-double with 10.4 points and team-leading 8.1 rebounds per game, which is the highest rebounding average by an Illini since Shelly Clark pulled down 8.5 boards a game in 1995. His rebounding average ranks third in the Big Ten, and he ranks second in the Big Ten in field-goal shooting at 63.5 percent (87-137). He also ranks third in the league in offensive rebounds with 3.1 per game and third in blocked shots at 1.4 per game. Augustine has scored at least nine points in 17 games, highlighted by a career-high 21 points vs. Memphis Dec. 13. He has had at least nine boards in 10 games, with a career-high 14 against Northwestern Jan. 14, and has led the team in rebounding 11 times. Augustine has recorded seven double-doubles on the season, most recently vs. Michigan State on Feb. 10 (16 pts-11 reb).

Last year as a freshman, Augustine averaged 7.0 points while shooting 58 percent from the field. He was second on the team behind Brian Cook and 13th in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 5.8 boards. He was also 13th in the league in blocked shots. In Big Ten play only, Augustine ranked third in field-goal shooting at 58.6 percent.

"Chainsaw" Strengthens UI Frontcourt
Nick Smith, a 7-foot-2-inch junior, has started four games this season and is averaging 7.7 points. He is third on the team with 3.7 rebounds per game and ranks sixth in the Big Ten in free-throw shooting at 83.9 percent (47-56). In 11 Big Ten games, Smith is averaging 8.2 points.

He has scored in double figures in eight games, with a career-high 22 points in in the win over Ohio State Jan. 7. Smith had a perfect shooting day, hitting all six of his field goal attempts, including a 3-pointer, and 9-of-9 shooting from the free throw line. Smith also had a career-high in rebounds against the Buckeyes with nine boards.

In the Jan. 17 win over Iowa, Smith scored 18 points, handed out four assists and made all 10 of his free-throw attempts.

Smith has made a habit of coming through in crunch time in a number of Illinois' victories this season. In a win at Indiana on Feb. 3, Smith hit a jumper with 3:28 remaining to give Illinois its first lead of the game. Then, with the game tied at 49-49, Smith hit a baseline jumper with 2:41 left for the game-winning basket. He also made a key defensive play at the end with the Illini up by two, blocking a 3-point attempt by IU's Bracey Wright with six second left.

Smith scored 14 points to help lead the Illini to a come-from-behind win over Illinois State on Jan 3. Smith was huge in the clutch, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the final eight minutes of the game and overtime. He shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the line, which included a pair of free throws with :19 left to send the game into overtime.

Smith also came up big and the end of Illinois' win over Missouri Dec. 23. He recorded an assist on James Augustine's layup that gave the Illini a 69-67 lead with under one minute to play and then came up with a steal on Missouri's next possession. Smith finished the game with six points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Last year, he put up some impressive numbers off the bench in Big Ten play. In 16 conference games, Smith shot 67.3 percent (33-49) from the field, made 4-of-6 treys, and shot 90.5 percent (19-21) from the free-throw line. Smith averaged 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in the league while averaging 18.8 minutes per game. He led the Illini and ranked seventh in the Big Ten with 38 blocked shots. Smith was Illinois' top free throw shooter, making 38-of-44 from the line for 86.4 percent on the season.

The Graduate
Nick Smith earned a bachelor's degree in finance this past December, graduating from Illinois' College of Business in three-and-a-half years. Smith is now working on his master's degree in finance.

Head Heating Up
Junior Luther Head has been a consistent scorer this season, ranking fifth on the team with 10.0 points per game. He has scored at least nine points in 13 of 18 games, with eight games in double figures. Head started the five games prior to the Ohio State game Jan. 7, where he averaged 11.8 points as a starter.

He scored 16 points in his first start of the year vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore, had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting vs. UIC, and scored 15 points against Illinois State. Head made four-of-five shots, including three 3-pointers, and scored 13 points in the win over Iowa Jan. 17. He grabbed a career-high nine rebounds to go along with eight points in the win over Penn State Jan. 21. Head led all scorers with a season-high 18 points in an Illini victory over Michigan Jan. 31, hitting five-of-eight three point attempts. He also led all scorers with 17 points, making five three-pointers, in the win over Michigan State Feb. 10.

Head is shooting 41 percent from 3-point range (19-46) this season at the Assembly Hall.

McBride Arrives
Freshman sharp-shooter Rich McBride emerged onto the scene Dec. 13 vs. Memphis and has shown the ability to possess a hot shooting hand. A three-time All-Stater during his high school career in Illinois, McBride sat out the first four games of the season but has since worked his way into the playing rotation.

He exploded for a career-high 22 points in 29 minutes of play vs. Memphis. McBride nailed 6-of-10 from 3-point range, tying the most 3s by a Big Ten player this season. He also had career highs of five assists and five rebounds vs. Memphis. He has tallied at least three treys in four games this season (Memphis, Missouri, UIC and Ohio State).

In 18 games on the season, McBride is averaging 3.6 points and has made 17 three-pointers (fourth-most on the team).

Randle an Early Contributor
Freshman Brian Randle earned a spot in the starting lineup nine times this season and is averaging 14 minutes per game. In his first game, he responded with eight points and a team-high three steals and had six points and five boards in the second. Against North Carolina, Randle had seven points and five rebounds, and he scored five points with six rebounds vs. Memphis. Against UIC, Randle just missed a double-double with nine points and a career-high 11 rebounds. In the Jan. 7 game vs. Ohio State, Randle reached double figures for the first time with a career-high 10 points. He most recently had six rebounds and a career-high three blocks vs. Minnesota.

On the season, he is averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds, while shooting over 58 percent from the field. Randle is also fifth on the team with 14 steals.

* For complete Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes, click on .pdf link at the top of this page.