Jan. 3, 2005
Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Ohio State in PDF Format
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FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #15: #1 Illinois (14-0) vs. Ohio State (11-2)
Jan. 5, 2005 •8 p.m. CT •ESPN+ Local
Champaign, Ill. •Assembly Hall (16,618)
Probable Starters
#1 ILLINOIS (14-0)
F - 43 Roger Powell, Jr. (Sr., 6-6, 235, 13.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Jr., 6-10, 230, 9.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Sr., 6-3, 185, 16.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.8 apg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (Jr., 6-3, 210, 14.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 6.5 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Jr., 6-0, 185, 13.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.4 apg)
Off The Bench ...
G - 15 Calvin Brock (Fr., 6-4, 185, plans to redshirt)
G - 33 Rich McBride (So., 6-3, 215, 3.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg)
F - 34 Fred Nkemdi (Sr., 6-5, 235, 0.5 ppg, 0.4 rpg)
F - 41 Warren Carter (So., 6-9, 210, 3.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Sr.-r, 7-2, 250, 4.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
C/F - 50 Jack Ingram (Sr.-r, 6-10, 245, 3.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
F - 55 Shaun Pruitt (Fr., 6-8, 245, 0.5 ppg, 0.4 rpg)
Injured
F - 42 Brian Randle (So., 6-7, 210, 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg in 2003-04)
Illinois Head Coach: Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 143-61/.701 (7th year)
At Illinois: 40-7/.851 (2nd year)
Big Ten: 13-3/.813
Vs. Ohio State: 2-0
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)
Ohio State State Head Coach: Thad Matta
Overall Record: 113-33/.774 (5th year)
At Ohio State: 11-2/.846 (1st year)
Vs. Illinois: 0-0
Assistant Coaches: John Groce, Alan Major, Dan Peters
On the Air
Television
ESPN+ Local - Mike Gleason, 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.
Series Notes: Ohio State
Illinois leads the all-time series 99-59 over Ohio State and owns a 58-21 advantage over the Buckeyes in games played in Champaign. The Illini have won four straight in the series and claimed both matchups last season, winning 85-63 on Jan. 7 at the Assembly Hall and 64-63 on March 7 in Columbus to clinch the outright Big Ten Championship.
Undefeated Illini
Illinois is one of only six teams in the country to boast a perfect record, and with 14 victories has the most wins in the nation. The following is a list of the remaining undefeated teams in Div. I.
Illinois 14-0
Kansas 9-0
Duke 9-0
West Virginia 10-0
Boston College 11-0
Texas A&M 11-0
Hot Start
Illinois' 14-0 record is its fourth best start in the 100-year history of Fighting Illini basketball and is the Illini's best start since a school-record 17-0 beginning to the 1988-89 season. (See box below for best all-time Illini starts.). Illinois' current 14-game winning streak is the fourth longest single-season streak in school history and the longest streak for the program since the 17-straight wins to open the '88-89 campaign.
Illini in Control
Illinois has trailed in the scoring column for just 21:32 out of 560 minutes of play this year, meaning Illinois has held the lead in 96.1 percent of the minutes played to date in the 2004-05 season. Included in that streak, the Illini have held the lead the entire second half of every game this year. Illinois trailed Delaware State for a total of 7:01, all in the first half, Florida A&M for the first 50 seconds of the game, Arkansas for 1:34 of the first half, Chicago State for the first 47 seconds of the game, and Georgetown for a total of 11:20, all in the first half. The Illini have held the lead the entire way in nine of 14 games this year (Oakland, Gonzaga, Wake Forest, Oregon, Valparaiso, Missouri, Longwood, Northwestern State and Cincinnati) which includes the last six games. The last time Illinois trailed in a game was during the first half at Georgetown on Dec. 9.
Illini in Big Ten Openers
Illinois is 60-39 all-time in Big Ten opening games and has won its last five conference openers ... The Illini are 39-16 when opening the Big Ten season at home and 18-4 at the Assembly Hall in Big Ten home openers ... This is the 13th time that Illinois and Ohio State have opened the Big Ten season against each other, with the Illini owning an 8-4 edge over the Buckeyes in conference openers ...The last time Illinois and Ohio State opened Big Ten play against each other was last season, an 85-63 Illini victory on Jan. 7 at the Assembly Hall.
Tough Competition
Illinois has notched a number of impressive victories en route to its 14-0 start, No. 1 ranking in both voting polls, and No. 1 position in the Sagarin ratings. The seven major programs that Illinois played in the non-conference currently own a combined record of 69-15 (.821), with the Illini accounting for nearly half of those teams' losses (7 of 15). Four of those teams (Gonzaga, Wake Forest, Arkansas and Cincinnati) are currently ranked in the Top 20 of the Sagarin ratings.
Opponent Conf. Record Sagarin
Gonzaga WCC 10-2 21
Wake Forest ACC 12-1 4
Arkansas SEC 12-1 10
Georgetown Big East 8-3 93
Oregon Pac-10 9-2 40
Missouri Big XII 7-5 114
Cincinnati C-USA 11-1 14
Total 69-15 (.821)
Quick Shots
• Dee Brown recorded his 1,000th career point against Cincinnati on Dec. 31, becoming the 36th 1,000-point scorer in Illini history. Brown currently ranks 35th on the school career scoring chart with 1,010 points.
• For the third year in school history - and the fifth straight week - the Illini are ranked No. 1 in the nation. Prior to this season, Illinois last stood atop the national polls the week of January 23-29, 1989. Illinois' first tenure at No. 1 came the final week of January, 1952.
• This is the first time in school history that Illinois has spent multiple weeks ranked No. 1 in the polls. In 1952 and 1989, the Illini spent just one week at the No. 1 spot.
• Illinois' victory over Chicago State on Dec. 6 marked the first time in school history that the Illini have won their first game after earning the No. 1 ranking. In 1989, No. 1 Illinois lost at Minnesota and in 1952, the No. 1 Illini lost at DePaul. The Illini are now 10-2 all-time when ranked No. 1, with wins over Indiana in 1989 and at Purdue in 1952, in addition to the eight straight victories this season while sitting atop the polls.
• Illinois defeated a No.1-ranked team for the second time in school history and the first since 1979 on Dec. 1 when the Illini cruised past then-No. 1 Wake Forest 91-73.
• Illinois has won 13 of 14 games by double figures, and is outscoring its opponents by an average of 20.6 points per game on the year. Illinois ranked 15th in the nation in scoring margin as of Dec. 30.
• After 14 games, the Illini are shooting 50.9 percent (433-850) from the field and 40.5 percent (124-306) from 3-point range. As of Dec. 30, Illinois ranked eighth in the NCAA in field goal percentage.
• In the first half of games this season, Illinois is averaging 46.3 points (648 pts.) on 53.2 percent shooting (244-459), and enjoys an average halftime lead of 16.9 points.
• Four of Illinois' five starters are averaging in double-figures this season.
• Illinois has led the Big Ten in scoring each of the last four seasons. The Illini currently rank 16th in the nation in scoring (as of Dec. 30), averaging 82.4 points per game.
• Illinois has been credited with assists on 66.7 percent of its baskets this season (289 assists on 433 field goals). The Illini lead the nation in assists (as of Dec. 30), averaging 20.6 per game.
• The Illini have three players - Dee Brown, Luther Head and Roger Powell - shooting over 43 percent from 3-point range.
• The Illini are averaging 8.9 three-pointers per game this season, which ranks 18th in the NCAA (as of Dec. 30). Illinois tied its school record for 3-pointers in a game with 14 vs. Gonzaga on Nov. 27.
• Playing against ranked teams in consecutive games (No. 24 Gonzaga and No. 1 Wake Forest), Illinois combined for an amazing assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.92. The Illini had 24 assists with only seven turnovers against Gonzaga and tallied a season-high 27 assists with just six turnovers against top-ranked Wake Forest.
• 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 3-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.
1940s Night vs. Ohio State
As part of the celebration of the centennial season of Illini basketball, Wednesday's game has the theme of "1940s night." The first 8,000 people entering the Assembly Hall will be given an "Illini Times" courtesy of the News-Gazette, which reflects stories from the 1940s. There will also be videos throughout the game featuring great Illini players and plays from the decade of the 40s.
There will be two more theme nights at the Assembly Hall this season - Jan. 29 vs. Minnesota will be "1980s day" and Feb. 23 vs. Northwestern will be "1960s night."
Illini Remain No. 1
For just the third year in school history - and for the fifth straight week - Illinois is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. This marks the first time in school history that the Illini have been ranked first for more than one week in the same season. Prior to this year, the last time Illinois was ranked No. 1 was the week of Jan. 23-29, 1989. The UI was also ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for a week during the final week in January, 1952. In each of the previous two seasons when the Illini achieved a No. 1 ranking, they went on to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
Home Cookin'
Illinois is 58-2 (.967) 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 70-3 (.959) 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 38 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 7-0 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 69-3 (.958) 36-3 (.923)
Last Time Out: Las Vegas Holiday Classic
Illinois took care of business out in Las Vegas, defeating Northwestern State 69-51 on Dec. 30 and Cincinnati 67-45 on Dec. 31 to capture the Holiday Classic tournament title. Illinois' guards were at the top of there game again, as Luther Head, Deron Williams and Dee Brown combined for 43 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds in the win over Northwestern State and 42 points, nine assists and 19 rebounds in the win over Cincinnati. Williams and Brown were both named to the All-Tournament Team, while Head was named the MVP of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.
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 14.6 points. He leads the Big Ten and ranks 12th in the nation in assists (as of Dec. 30), averaging 6.5 apg. Williams tied his career-high vs. Wake Forest on Dec. 1, dishing out 11 assists. He boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.02 through 14 games. Williams is also third on the team in rebounding with 4.0 boards per game.
Williams had one of his best games of the season in Illinois' win over Missouri on Dec. 22, scoring 19 points - 15 of which came in the second half - with five assists. He then had a season-high 23 points with four 3-pointers vs. Longwood (Dec. 27).
Williams was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic after scoring 14 points with a game-high six assists vs. Northwestern State and a game-high 18 points with six rebounds and four assists vs. Cincinnati.
Great Guard Play
Illinois has what many believe is the top backcourt in the country in the three-guard lineup of senior Luther Head and juniors Dee Brown and Deron Williams. They comprise Illinois' top three scorers and assists leaders. The trio has accounted for 53.5 percent of Illinois' scoring and 79.8 percent of its 3-pointers. They have also totaled 80.6 percent of Illinois' assists and 56.4 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 an incredible combined assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.40. Below is a statistical look at Illinois' starting backcourt.
PPG APG RPG ST 3FG
Head 16.2 4.8 3.8 23 42
Williams 14.6 6.5 4.0 7 26
Brown 13.3 5.4 2.9 27 31
Total 44.1 16.7 10.7 57 99
Sharing the Wealth
One reason why Illinois ranks eighth in the nation in field goal percentage (as of Dec. 30) at 50.9 percent 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 289 assists on its 433 baskets, an impressive 66.7 percent assist-to-made field goals percentage. Illinois leads the nation in assists, averaging 20.6 apg, and has recorded at least 20 assists in 10 of 14 games on the year. The Illini recorded a season-high 27 assists against Wake Forest on Dec. 1.
First-Half Dominance
Illinois' play has been especially crisp in the first half of games this season. The Illini have shot 50 percent or better in 10 of the 14 first halves so far, and are averaging 53.2 percent shooting in the first half of its games. Illinois has scored 45 or more points in eight of the 14 first halves and is averaging 46.3 points in the first half. Illinois has also taken a double-digit lead into halftime 12 of 14 times this year and goes into the locker room with an average lead of 16.9 points. Below is a breakdown of Illinois' dominance in the first half:
UI UI UI
Opponent FG% PTS LEAD
Delaware St. 64.5 50 13
Florida A&M 58.8 58 29
Oakland 60.0 47 19
Gonzaga 55.0 58 31
Wake Forest 60.0 54 21
Arkansas 48.4 40 9
Chicago St. 54.5 47 15
Georgetown 41.9 31 7
Oregon 56.0 43 14
Valparaiso 57.1 49 26
Missouri 41.9 38 15
Longwood 57.5 56 13
Avg. 54.8 47.6 17.7
The Head of the Class
Guard Luther Head entered the season as one of the most underrated players in the nation, and has been playing like an All-America candidate to begin his senior year. Head leads the Illini in scoring at 16.2 points per game (7th in Big Ten), is second on the team with 23 steals (11th in Big Ten), and is also contributing 4.8 assists per game (4th in Big Ten). He is shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from 3-point land (3rd in Big Ten) with a Big Ten-leading 42 treys. Head opened the season by scoring in double figures in five straight games with 15 points vs. Delaware State, 13 vs. Florida A&M, a game-high 22 points vs. Oakland, 20 points vs. Gonzaga and 16 points vs. Wake Forest. After his streak ended with eight points against Arkansas, Head has responded with a career-long streak of eight straight games in double figures: a game-high 17 points vs. Chicago State; 13 at Georgetown; a season-high 23 vs. Oregon (which also marked the second highest total of his career); 11 against Valparaiso; 20 vs. Missouri; 20 vs. Longwood; a game-high 18 vs. Northwestern State; and 11 vs. Cincinnati.
Head has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.05 on the year to lead the team and rank second in the Big Ten. In consecutive games vs. Gonzaga and Wake Forest, he combined for 14 assists with only two turnovers. He tied his career-high in assists with nine dimes apiece in back-to-back games vs. Oakland and Gonzaga. Head also had nine assists with no turnovers in the win over Valparaiso.
Dee Lighting it Up
Dee Brown has had a hot shooting hand to start the season. Through 12 games, the junior guard is shooting 55.6 percent (69-124) from the field. That percentage is even more impressive when considering that over 57 percent of his shots have come from 3-point range. And Brown has been dependable from downtown as well, shooting 43.7 percent (31-71) from behind the arc.
Brown is third on the Illini in scoring at 13.3 points per game. He recorded his 1,000th career point against Cincinnati on Dec. 31, becoming the 36th 1,000-point scorer in Illini history. Brown currently ranks 35th on the school career scoring chart with 1,010 points.
Like his backcourt teammates, Brown has also been taking care of the ball and making good decisions. He has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.5 on the season, and in the two games vs. Gonzaga and Wake Forest, Brown combined for 15 assists without a turnover. In a three-game stretch vs. Chicago State, Georgetown and Oregon, he combined for 20 assists with just four turnovers (season-high nine assists with one turnover vs. Chicago State; game-high six assists with two turnovers at Georgetown; five assists with one turnover vs. Oregon). Against Longwood on Dec. 27, Brown had a career-high 13 assists, tying the third highest single-game assist total in UI history.
The Rev Rises to the Occasion
Senior forward Roger Powell, Jr., is averaging 13.1 points and is second on the team with 4.9 rebounds, while shooting 63.5 percent from the field (73-of-115). His field goal percentage leads the Big Ten and ranks 14th nationally (as of Dec. 30). Standing 6-foot-6 and playing the power forward position, Powell is often undersized against his opponent. But he causes a match-up problem for the defense with his quickness and ability to step out and face the basket and either drive or hit the outside shot. Powell currently ranks third on the UI career field goal percentage chart at 59.7 percent (354-593).
Powell had his best game of the season Dec. 1 vs. Wake Forest, scoring a season-high 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, which included a pair of 3-pointers. He followed that performance with a team-high 19 points and career-high 11 rebounds in a victory over Arkansas. Powell was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 6 for his performance in those two games.
In a victory at Georgetown on Dec. 9, Powell led the Illini with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
Powell moved into the Illinois Top 50 scoring list on Dec. 27 vs. Longwood and is currently 48th in school history with 895 career points.
Powell is scheduled to graduate with his bachelor's degree in speech communications in May. He is a licensed minister in the Pentecostal church.
Augie Off to Strong Start
Junior James Augustine is off to a strong start by shooting 63.0 percent from the field (51-81) and averaging a team-high 7.1 rebounds. His field goal percentage ranks second in the Big Ten and 19th nationally, and he ranks fifth in the league in rebounding. He grabbed 11 rebounds vs. Oakland on Nov. 24 - the highest total by an Illini player this season - which was Augustine's 13th career double-digit effort on the boards. He recorded his first double-double of the season and the 11th of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. Northwestern State on Dec. 30. After 14 games Augustine is fifth on the team with an average of 9.2 points per game and leads the Illini with 21 blocked shots (T-6th in Big Ten).
