March 2, 2004
Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Purdue in PDF Format
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FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #26: #18ap/20 Illinois (20-5, 11-3) at Purdue (17-10, 7-7)
TV - ESPN+ Local * 7 p.m. CT / 8 p.m. ET
March 3, 2004 * West Lafayette, Ind. * Mackey Arena (14,123)
Probable Starters
#18/20 ILLINOIS (20-5, 11-3)
F - 40 James Augustine (So., 6-10, 225, 9.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg)
F - 43 Roger Powell (Jr., 6-6, 220, 12.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Jr., 6-3, 175, 10.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (So., 6-3, 210, 13.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 6.0 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (So., 6-0, 175, 12.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.7 apg)
Off The Bench ...
C - 1 Aaron Spears (Fr.-r, 6-9, 260, 1.3 ppg, 0.7 rpg)
G - 25 Jerrance Howard (Sr.-r, 6-1, 200, 1.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg)
G - 33 Rich McBride (Fr., 6-3, 210, 3.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg)
F - 34 Fred Nkemdi (Jr., 6-6, 235, 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
F - 41 Warren Carter (Fr., 6-9, 205, 1.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg)
F - 42 Brian Randle (Fr., 6-8, 200, 3.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Jr.-r, 7-2, 240, 7.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
C - 50 Jack Ingram (Jr.-r, 6-10, 240, 1.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 123-59/.676 (6th year)
Big Ten: 11-3/.786
At Illinois: 20-5/.800 (1st year)
Vs. Purdue: 0-1
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)
Purdue Head Coach: Gene Keady
Overall Record: 543-264/.673 (26th year)
At Purdue: 505-234/.683 (24th year)
Vs. Illinois: 25-20
Assistant Coaches: Tracy Webster, Todd Foster, Cuonzo Martin
Series History: Purdue
Purdue leads the all-time series 85-77 over Illinois, including a 54-25 advantage in games played in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers beat the Illini, 58-54, at Champaign on Jan. 10. The Illini have won four of the last seven meetings, including an 82-61 win at Mackey Arena in 2001.
Illini Streaks
*Illinois' eight-game winning streak is the longest by any Big Ten team this season. It is also Illinois' longest winning streak since winning eight straight to open the 2002-03 season.
*Among the 10 highest-rated conferences in the RPI, Illinois' eight-game winning streak ranks as the third-longest current streak behind St. Joseph's of the Atlantic 10 (26 games), and Stanford of the Pac-10 (25 games).
*Illinois' eight-game conference winning streak is its longest since winning nine straight league games spanning the final seven games of the 2002 Big Ten season and the first two games of the 2003 Big Ten season.
*Illinois has won its last four Big Ten road games, its longest road winning streak since winning five straight conference road games spanning the final four road games of the 2002 Big Ten season and the 2003 Big Ten road opener.
*A victory at Iowa Feb. 25 marked Illinois' 10th Big Ten win of the season, the fifth straight year the Illini have reached double figures in conference wins.
*A victory over Northwestern Saturday marked Illinois' 20th win on the year, as the Illini recorded its fifth straight 20-win season, which is also its seventh in the last eight years and 23rd all-time.
*Saturday's win over Northwestern also guaranteed Illinois a top-three finish in the conference and gives the Illini a bye in the first round of the upcoming Big Ten Tournament for the fifth year in a row.
*Illinois went undefeated in the month of February, winning all seven of its games. This marked Illinois' first perfect February record in 50 years, since the 1954 Illini also went 7-0 in the month of February.
*With a win over Purdue, Bruce Weber would become just the sixth coach in the Big Ten since 1951 (when Michigan State joined the league) to defeat every other conference team in his first season. The other five coaches to accomplish this feat were Indiana's Bob Knight in 1972, Iowa's Tom Davis in 1987, Penn State's Jerry Dunn in 1996, Illinois' Bill Self in 2001 and Wisconsin's Bo Ryan in 2002.
*Illinois is the only Big Ten team this season to defeat all four conference opponents it played 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.
Quick Shots
Illinois leads the Big Ten in scoring at 73.3 points per game, after leading the league in scoring each of the last three seasons ... Illinois has shot 50 percent or better from the field in five of the last six games ... In the last three games, Dee Brown is averaging 20.7 points and is shooting over 59 percent from 3-point range (13-22) ...The Illini have six players averaging between 7.7 and 13.8 points per game, including four 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), 15th (Brown), 18th (Powell) and 28th (Head) in the Big Ten in scoring ... Seven different players have led the Illini in scoring this season and eight different players have led the team in rebounding ... The Illini lead the Big Ten in scoring margin (+11.2 ppg) and assists (17.0 apg) ...James Augustine has posted seven double-doubles in 2003-04 ... Deron Williams (131 total, 6.0 avg.) and Dee Brown (118 total, 4.7 avg.) rank first and second, respectively, in assists in the Big Ten ... Illinois ranks second in the league in both field goal percentage (.470) and defensive field-goal percentage (.408) ... James Augustine has won the opening tip in 23 of 25 games (all but vs. Providence and at Penn State) 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 ... 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 ... With victories at Indiana (Feb. 3) and at Minnesota (Feb. 8), 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 forced Wisconsin into 17 turnovers (a season high) Feb. 18 after the Badgers entered the game leading the nation at just 10.0 turnovers per game.
Brown Named Big Ten Player of the Week
Dee Brown was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 19 points on 58 percent shooting both from the field and 3-point range in a pair of victories over Iowa and Northwestern last week. The sophomore added 6.0 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game to earn his first player of the week honor this season.
Brown opened the week by nearly recording a triple-double with 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in a victory at Iowa. Brown registered the first double-double of his career while setting a season-high in assists against only one turnover. In the final game of the year in Assembly Hall, he tallied a game-high 20 points against Northwestern, hitting seven-of-10 shots from the field and a scorching five-of seven from 3-point range. Brown recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 6.0 in the two games, racking up 12 assists with only two turnovers in 73 minutes of action.
Brown ranks second in the conference with 4.72 assists per game and second on the team with 12.8 points per outing. Brown collects the second Player of the Week award of his career, as he was also honored as a freshman on December 23, 2002.
Williams Set to Join Elite Company
Ranking first in the league with an average of 5.9 assists, Illini sophomore Deron Williams is aiming to lead the Big Ten in assists in conference play for the second straight year after finishing first as a freshman with 4.8 assists per game. Williams seeks to become the first player to top the conference in back-to-back seasons since Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves was the league-leader in three straight campaigns from 1998-2000. Williams would also become 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).
Home Cookin'
Illinois is 51-2 (.962) at the Assembly Hall over the last four 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 63-3 (.955) at the Assembly Hall over the past five 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 ... Below is a look at Illinois' home record the past five seasons:
Year Overall Big Ten
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 63-3 (.955) 36-3 (.923)
Getting Defensive
In its last nine 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 then 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 a win over Wisconsin Feb. 18, the Illini held the Badgers with no field goals from 5:32 left to play until 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 a win at Penn State Feb. 21, Illinois trailed by one point with just over 11 minutes remaining. But the Illini again clamped down on defense, holding PSU to just one field goal over the next nine minutes while grabbing an eight-point lead en route to its sixth straight victory.
Illinois shut down Iowa on its home floor Feb. 25. The Hawkeyes entered the game leading the Big Ten in scoring at 73.7 ppg but managed just 59 points on 39.6 percent shooting against the Illini defense.
In its most recent victory, Illinois held Northwestern to just 56 points, the fifth-straight UI opponent to score in the 50s. The Wildcats shot just 24 percent from 3-point range and under 37 percent in the second half.
In those nine games, Illinois' opponents have combined to shoot just 38.5 percent from the field and 28.9 percent from 3-point range while averaging 54.2 points per game. Below is a look at the statistics of the last nine 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
PSU 20-43/.465 4-15/.267 58
IOWA 21-53/.396 6-19/.316 59
NU 22-51/.431 6-25/.240 56
Total 176-457/.385 43-149/.289 54.2 (avg)
Ohio State Game Date/Time Announced
Illinois' game at Ohio State will be played on Sunday, March 7 at 3 p.m. CT/4 p.m ET and will be televised by CBS.
Last Time Out
Illinois extended its winning streak to eight Saturday, defeating Northwestern 66-56 in the final game of the season at the Assembly Hall. The victory capped a perfect 7-0 record in the month of February for the Illini, Illinois' first undefeated February in 50 years. It was also Illinois' 20th win of the season, helping the Illini reach the 20-win plateau for the fifth straight year.
The Illini had four players reach double figures, led by Dee Brown's game-high 20 points. Brown made 7-of-10 shots, including 5-7 from 3-point range. Nick Smith came off the bench to add 14 points, matching Brown with 7-10 shooting from the field. Deron Williams and Roger Powell each added 13 points. Illinois shot 54.2 percent as a team, its third-highest shooting percentage of the season.
Illinois Returns to Top 25
Illinois is ranked in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls for the second straight week, checking in at No. 18 in this week's AP poll and No. 20 in the Coaches poll.
On Jan. 19, Illinois' school-record streak of appearing in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for 68-consecutive polls came to an end. 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 had a school record-streak of 30 straight polls in the Coaches' Top 10 snapped in January, 2002.
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.
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. Williams has scored in double figures in nine consecutive games with his most recent performances of 12 points vs. Penn State (Feb. 21), 13 points vs. Iowa (Feb. 25) and 13 points vs. Northwestern on Saturday. Williams added seven assists and six boards against the Hawkeyes and had a game-high eight assists and six rebounds vs. the Wildcats.
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 (13.8 ppg) and has scored in double figures in 17 of 21 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 nearly 42 percent from the field (108-258) and leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage at 38.5percent (45-117). While his scoring has improved dramatically, Williams remains an unselfish player with the ball in his hands, leading the Big Ten with 5.95 assists per game. He is also shooting 87.5 percent from the free-throw line, making 42-of-48. Williams had a streak of 26 consecutive free throws come to and end vs. Penn State on Feb. 21.
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 second on the team and 15th in the Big Ten in scoring at 12.8 points, while leading the team in steals (37) and ranking second in the league in assists (4.7 avg.). He's also fourth on the team in rebounding at 3.7 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 has led the Illini in scoring the past three games, avering 20.7 points and shooting over 59 percent (13-22) from 3-point range.
Brown erupted for a season-high 24 points vs. Penn State on Feb. 21, just one point shy of his career high. He made 8-13 from the field, including 6-10 from 3-point range. Brown's six treys were a career high and tied the most 3-pointers by a Big Ten player this season.
Brown showcased his all-around game in a win at Iowa Feb. 25. He scored 18 points and dished out a season-high 10 assists to record his first career double-double, while also pulling down seven boards.
Brown most recently scored a game-high 20 points vs. Northwestern Saturday. He made 7-of-10 shots, including 5-for-7 from 3-point land.
Brown stands among the Big Ten's Top 10 players in four categories, ranking second with 4.7 assists per game, third with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.27, fifth with 2.2 three-pointers per game and ninth with 1.5 steals per game. He has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 15 outings.
Brown has had a season-high four steals vs. UIC (Dec. 30), Ohio State (Jan. 7) and Wisconsin (Feb. 18). He has made at least four treys in six games this year, highlighted by his career-high six threes vs. Penn State (Feb. 21).
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 team. 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 third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding, averaging 12.2 points and 5.0 boards. He ranks third in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, shooting 61.5 percent from the field (123-200), and is second on the team with 58 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 eight of 14 conference games, including the last three. 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), 15 points at Indiana (Feb. 3), 10 points at Penn State (Feb. 21), 12 points at Iowa (Feb. 25) and 13 points vs. Northwestern on Saturday. Powell has scored in double figures 15 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 Scores and Rebounds
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 averaging 9.4 points and team-leading 7.4 rebounds per game. His rebounding average ranks fourth in the Big Ten, and he ranks second in the Big Ten in field-goal shooting at 63.4 percent (90-142). He ranks sixth in the league in offensive rebounds with 2.7 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.
* For complete Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes, click on .pdf link at the top of this page.
