Illinois Game Notes vs. Purdue
January 6, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2005
Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Purdue in PDF Format
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FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #16: #1 Illinois (15-0, 1-0) at Purdue (4-7, 0-1)
Jan. 8, 2005 •4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT •CBS
West Lafayette, Ind. •Mackey Arena (14,123)
Probable Starters
#1 ILLINOIS (15-0, 1-0)
F - 43 Roger Powell, Jr. (Sr., 6-6, 235, 13.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Jr., 6-10, 230, 10.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Sr., 6-3, 185, 15.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.7 apg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (Jr., 6-3, 210, 14.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 6.6 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Jr., 6-0, 185, 13.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.3 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, 3.3 ppg, 1.7 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, 3.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
F - 55 Shaun Pruitt (Fr., 6-8, 245, 1.3 ppg, 0.9 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: 144-61/.702 (7th year)
At Illinois: 41-7/.854 (2nd year)
Big Ten: 14-3/.824
Vs. Purdue: 1-1
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)
Purdue Head Coach: Gene Keady
Overall Record: 549-275/.666 (27th year)
At Purdue: 509-256/.665 (25th year)
Vs. Illinois: 25-21
Assistant Coaches: Matt Painter, Cuonzo Martin, Paul Lusk
On the Air
Television
CBS - Split-National: Gus Johnson, play-by-play; Clark Kellogg, 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: Purdue
Purdue leads the all-time series 85-78 over Illinois, including a 54-26 advantage in games played in West Lafayette. The two teams split the season series last year. Purdue won at Illinois 58-54 on Jan. 10 to snap the UI's 23-game Assembly Hall winning streak. But the Illini returned the favor, winning at Purdue in an overtime thriller 81-79 on March 3 to clinch a share of the Big Ten Championship thanks to Luther Head's putback with nine-tenths of a second left in OT.
Undefeated Illini
Illinois is one of only four teams in the country to boast a perfect record, and with 15 victories has the most wins in the nation. The following is a list of the remaining undefeated teams in Div. I.
Illinois 15-0 (next; Sat. at Purdue)
Kansas 10-0 (next; Sun. at Kentucky)
Duke 10-0 (next; Sat. vs. Temple)
Boston College 12-0 (next; Sat. vs. Providence)
Hot Start
Illinois' 15-0 record ties its third 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. Illinois' current 15-game winning streak ties the third longest single-season streak in school history and is the longest streak for the program since the 17-straight wins to open the '88-89 campaign.
Reunion for Illini Coaches
There will be plenty of familiar faces on the Purdue bench Saturday for the Illini coaching staff. Illinois head coach Bruce Weber began his coaching career as an assistant at Western Kentucky under then-coach Gene Keady during the 1979-80 season. Weber then followed Keady to Purdue where he spent the next 18 years as an assistant coach in West Lafayette before taking the head job at Southern Illinois in 1998.
Second-year Illinois assistant coach Jay Price worked 10 years (1994-2003) as an assistant coach at Purdue under Keady. Price served as the recruiting coordinator for a number of players on Purdue's current roster.
Tracy Webster is in his first year as an Illinois assistant. Last season, he was an assistant at Purdue under Keady.
Countdown to 1,500
With an all-time record of 1,498-803, Illinois is just two wins away from collecting its 1,500th victory. When Illinois reaches that milestone, it will become the 15th program in NCAA history to reach 1,500 wins. Illinois is the 11th winningest program in NCAA history by percentage, with a .651 all-time winning percentage.
Big Ten Streakin'
Illinois has won 11 straight Big Ten games - its final 10 conference games last season and the Big Ten opener Wednesday vs. Ohio State. This is Illinois' longest conference winning streak since 1955 and 1956 when the Illini won 13 straight spanning the final three Big Ten games in '55 and the first 10 Big Ten games in '56.
Illinois carries a six-game Big Ten road winning streak into Saturday's contest at Purdue. It's the longest conference road winning streak for the Illini since 1955 and 1956 when the Illini also won six straight spanning the final two Big Ten road games in '55 and the first four Big Ten road games in '56.
Illini in Control
Illinois has trailed in the scoring column for just 28:43 out of 600 minutes of play this year, meaning Illinois has held the lead in 95.2 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, Georgetown for a total of 11:20, all in the first half, and Ohio State for a total of 7:11, all in the first half. The Illini have held the lead the entire way in nine of 15 games this year (Oakland, Gonzaga, Wake Forest, Oregon, Valparaiso, Missouri, Longwood, Northwestern State and Cincinnati), which included a streak of six straight games (Oregon through Cincinnati) that was broken against Ohio State.
Tough Competition
Illinois notched a number of impressive victories en route to its perfect 14-0 non-conference record. As of Jan. 6, the seven major programs that Illinois played in the non-conference owned a combined record of 72-15 (.821 winning percentage), 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 25 of the Sagarin ratings.
Opponent Conf. Record Sagarin Gonzaga WCC 10-2 22 Wake Forest ACC 12-1 5 Arkansas SEC 13-1 8 Georgetown Big East 9-3 64 Oregon Pac-10 9-2 31 Missouri Big XII 8-5 102 Cincinnati C-USA 11-1 14 Total 72-15 (.828)
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 34th on the school career scoring chart with 1,023 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 has won 14 of 15 games by double figures, and is outscoring its opponents by an average of 20.5 points per game on the year. Illinois ranks 13th in the nation in scoring margin (as of Jan. 3).
• The Illini are shooting 50.8 percent (465-915) from the field and 40.2 percent (129-321) from 3-point range. Illinois ranks 12th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (as of Jan. 3).
• In the first half of games this season, Illinois is averaging 46.3 points (694pts.) on 53.4 percent shooting (262-491), and enjoys an average halftime lead of 16.3 points.
• All five Illinois 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 20th in the nation in scoring (as of Jan. 3), averaging 82.5 points per game.
• Illinois has been credited with assists on 65.8 percent of its baskets this season (306 assists on 465 field goals). The Illini rank third in the nation in assists (as of Jan. 3), averaging 20.4 assists per game.
• The Illini have three players - Dee Brown, Luther Head and Roger Powell - shooting 44 percent or better from 3-point range.
• The Illini are averaging 8.6 three-pointers per game this season, which ranks 15th in the NCAA (as of Jan. 3). Illinois tied its school record for 3-pointers in a game with 14 vs. Gonzaga on Nov. 27.
• 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 11-2 all-time when ranked No. 1, with wins over Indiana in 1989 and at Purdue in 1952, in addition to the nine 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.
• 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.
Last Time Out: Ohio State
Illinois won its fifth straight Big Ten opener on Wednesday, defeating Ohio State by the score of 84-65 to improve to 15-0 on the season. James Augustine tied his career high with 21 points, hitting 8-of-10 from the field, and recorded his 12th career double-double by pulling down 10 rebounds. Augustine was one of four Illini in double figures, with Deron Williams scoring 14, Dee Brown 13 and Roger Powell adding 12, all of which came in the second half. The Illini outrebounded the Buckeyes 39-23 and limited OSU to just three offensive rebounds on the evening. Illinois also took care of the ball, committing just six turnovers.
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.
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 14.5 points. He leads the Big Ten and ranks 17th in the nation in assists (as of Jan. 3), averaging 6.6 apg. Williams tied his career-high vs. Wake Forest on Dec. 1, dishing out 11 assists. He boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.15 through 15 games. Williams is also third on the team in rebounding with 3.9 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.
Williams played 39 minutes in the Big Ten opener vs. Ohio State, finishing with 14 points and a game-high eight assists.
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 52.6 percent of Illinois' scoring and 79.8 percent of its 3-pointers. They have also totaled 81 percent of Illinois' assists and 55.8 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 2.48. Below is a statistical look at Illinois' starting backcourt.
PPG APG RPG ST 3FG
Head 15.6 4.7 3.9 24 43
Williams 14.5 6.6 3.9 7 27
Brown 13.3 5.3 3.0 27 33
Total 43.4 16.6 10.8 58 103
Sharing the Wealth
One reason why Illinois ranks 12th in the nation in field goal percentage (as of Jan. 3) at 50.8 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 306 assists on its 465 baskets, an impressive 65.8 percent assist-to-made field goals percentage. Illinois ranks third in the nation in assists, averaging 20.4 apg, and has recorded at least 20 assists in 10 of 15 games on the year. The Illini recorded a season-high 27 assists vs. 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 11 of the 15 first halves so far, and are averaging 53.4 percent shooting in the first half of its games. Illinois has scored 45 or more points in nine of the 15 first halves and is averaging 46.3 points in the first half. Illinois has also taken a double-digit lead into halftime 12 of 15 times this year and goes into the locker room with an average lead of 16.3 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 Northwestern St. 50.0 42 11 Cincinnati 35.5 35 8 Ohio State 56.3 46 6 Avg. 53.4 46.3 16.3
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 15.6 points per game (7th in Big Ten), is second on the team with 24 steals (11th in Big Ten), and is also contributing 4.7 assists per game (5th in Big Ten). He is shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from 3-point land (6th in Big Ten) with a Big Ten-leading 43 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 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 2.92 on the year to lead the team and rank third 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 vs. Valparaiso.
Head moved into the Illinois Top 50 scoring list on Dec. 27 vs. Longwood and is currently tied for 47th in school history with 907 career points.
Dee Lighting it Up
Dee Brown has had a hot shooting hand to start the season, shooting 56.5 percent (74-131) 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 44 percent (33-75) 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 34th on the school career scoring chart with 1,023 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 2.63 on the season (5th in Big Ten), 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 62.9 percent from the field (78-of-124). His field goal percentage ranks third in the Big Ten and 13th 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 59.6 percent (359-602).
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 tied for 47th in school history with 907 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 64.8 percent from the field (59-91) and averaging a team-high 7.3 rebounds. His field goal percentage leads the Big Ten, and he ranks fifth in the league in rebounding. He grabbed 11 rebounds vs. Oakland on Nov. 24 - which ties the highest total by an Illini player this season. Augustine recorded his first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. Northwestern State on Dec. 30, and notched the 12th double-double of his career in the Big Ten opener vs. Ohio State with a career-high tying 21 points and 10 boards. Augustine is fifth on the team in scoring with an average of 10.0 points and leads the Illini with 21 blocked shots (6th in Big Ten).
*For complete set of Illinois men's basketball game notes, click on .pdf link at the top of this page.
