Nov. 17, 2005
Champaign, Ill. -
Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. South Dakota State in PDF Format
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FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #1: #17 Illinois (37-2 in 2005) vs. South Dakota State (1-1)
Nov. 18, 2005 •7:05 p.m. CT •ESPN-Plus Local
Champaign, Ill. •Assembly Hall (16,618)
On the Air
Television
ESPN-PlusLocal: Jim Barbar, play-by-play; Doug Altenberger, expert analyst.
Radio
Illini Sports Network - 50 stations: Brian Barnhart, play-by-play; Jerry Hester, expert analyst; and, Loren Tate pregame/halftime/ postgame interviews.
Probable Starters
#17 ILLINOIS (0-0, 0-0)
F - 42 Brian Randle (So.-r, 6-8, 215, 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg 2003-04)
F - 40 James Augustine (Sr., 6-10, 235, 10.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.2 bpg)
C - 55 Shaun Pruitt (So., 6-10, 240, 1.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg)
G - 33 Rich McBride (Jr., 6-3, 205, 2.6 ppg, 1.3 rpg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Sr., 6-0, 185, 13.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.5 apg)
Off The Bench ...
G - 3 Chester Frazier (Fr., 6-2, 190)
G - 25 Calvin Brock (Fr.-r, 6-4, 185)
G - 31 Jamar Smith (Fr., 6-3, 175)
F - 34 C.J. Jackson (Fr., 6-8, 265)
F - 41 Warren Carter (Jr., 6-9, 210, 2.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg)
C - 44 Marcus Arnold (Jr.-r, 6-8, 245)
Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 166-63/.725 (8th year)
At Illinois: 63-9/.875 (3rd year)
Big Ten: 28-4/.875
Vs. South Dakota State: 0-0
Assistant Coaches: Wayne McClain (5th year), Jay Price (3rd year),
Tracy Webster (2nd year)
Assistant to the head coach: Gary Nottingham (3rd year)
Trainer: Al Martindale (23rd year at Illinois)
South Dakota State Head Coach: Scott Nagy
Overall Record: 221-78 (11th year)
At South Dakota State: 221-78 (11th year)
Vs. Illinois: 0-0
Assistant Coaches: Troy Larson, Matt Wilber, Deryl Cunningham
Series Notes vs. South Dakota State
Illinois and South Dakota State are meeting for the first time. Jackrabbit head coach Scott Nagy served at Illinois for two seasons as a graduate assistant under Lou Henson, helping the Illini to the 1989 Final Four. He is the son of longtime Illinois assistant coach Dick Nagy, and is a native of Champaign, having attended Champaign Centennial High School before a record-setting career at Delta State. South Dakota State is in its second season at the Division I level.
Illini in Season Openers
Illinois opens its 101st season of men's basketball on Friday, including its 44th season at the Assembly Hall. The Fighting Illini have posted an all-time record of 87-13 (.870) in season openers and have won their last six openers. Illinois is 85-15 (.850) in home openers, including a 35-7 (.833) record in home openers at the Assembly Hall.
A Look Back at the Fighting Illini's Magical 2004-05 Season
Illinois recorded its best season in school history in 2004-05. The Illini tied the NCAA record for wins with 37 en route to a 37-2 overall record. The UI made its first Final Four appearance since 1989 and advanced to the NCAA Championship game for the first time in school history, finishing as the national runner-up. The Illini were ranked No. 1 in the nation for 15 straight weeks, including a first-ever No. 1 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. Illinois reeled off 29 straight wins to start the season and secured its second straight outright Big Ten championship with a 15-1 league record as Bruce Weber became the first coach in the 100-year history of Big Ten basketball to win consecutive outright titles in his first two seasons. The Illini also added the Big Ten Tournament title in addition to the regular season crown.
Brown Preseason Player of the Year Candidate
Illinois senior guard Dee Brown is the first Illini player to ever be named preseason All-American by the Associated Press, and is a preseason Wooden Award, Naismith Award and Oscar Robertson Award candidate. He is also on the preseason Playboy Magazine All-America team for the second time. Brown earned Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year honors for the second time in his career (also prior to the 2004 season). Illinois has had the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year for each of the last six seasons (2001-Cory Bradford; 2002-Frank Williams; 2003-Brian Cook; 2004-Dee Brown; 2005-Deron Williams; 2006-Dee Brown).
Illini Reach 25-Win Marker for Fifth Straight Season in 2005
The 2005 season marked the fifth straight year that the Illini recorded at least 25 wins. Illinois and Duke are the only teams in the nation to accomplish this feat in each of the last five seasons (beginning in 2000-01). Duke has won at least 25 games each of the past eight seasons.
With a combined record of 141-33 (.810) over the last five years, this marks Illinois' winningest five-year stretch in school history.
Weber Nation's Winningest Coach over the Last Four Seasons
Bruce Weber has coached consistent winners everywhere he's been throughout his college career. In fact, over the past four seasons no head coach in America has more wins on his resume than Weber. Beginning with the 2001-02 season, Weber has recorded 115 victories, which is tied with Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams for the most wins by an NCAA Div. I over the past four years. In his final two years at Southern Illinois, Weber went 28-8 in 2001-02 and 24-7 in 2002-03. He then took over the Illinois program, leading the Illini to a 26-7 record in 2003-04 and a 37-2 mark in 2004-05.
Home Cookin'
Illinois carries a 21-game winning streak at the Assembly Hall into the 2005-06 season, which ranks fourth in the nation among active homecourt winning streaks ...Illinois is 66-2 (.971) at the Assembly Hall over the last five 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 78-3 (.963) at the Assembly Hall over the past six 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 43 of its last 45 (.956) Big Ten games at the Assembly Hall ... Below is a look at Illinois' home record the past six seasons:
Year Overall Big Ten
2004-05 15-0 8-0
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 78-3 (.963) 44-3 (.936)
Below is a list of the current longest homecourt winning streaks in Div. I:
School Wins Next Home Game
T1. Gonzaga 25 Nov. 18
T1. Washington 25 Nov. 19
3. Southern Illinois 24 Nov. 18
4. ILLINOIS 21 Nov. 18
Illini Nation's Second-Winningest Team over Past Five Seasons
Illinois ranks as the second-winningest team in the nation over the past five seasons in terms of total wins, and ranks third nationally over that same time span in terms of winning percentage. Illinois has reeled off 141 victories since the beginning of the 2000-01 season, which trails only Duke. Illinois' .814 winning percentage over that same time period trails just Duke and Gonzaga. Following is a list of the five winningest teams (ranked by total wins) over the past five years (wins listed entering 2005-06 season):
School Wins Record Pct.
1. Duke 150 150-27 .847
2. ILLINOIS 141 141-33 .810
3. Kansas 136 136-35 .795
T4. Gonzaga 133 133-28 .826
T4. Kentucky 133 133-34 .796
Illini Unveil New Starting Lineup
With the departure of three starters from last year, Illinois will have a new starting lineup on Friday for the first time since the 2004 Big Ten Tournament Championship game. Dee Brown, Deron Williams, Luther Head, Roger Powell and James Augustine were all in the same starting lineup for a school-record streak of 42 consecutive games, which included all 39 games of the 2004-05 season.
Quick Shots
• Illinois spent 15-straight weeks at the top of the national polls during the 2004-05 season, easily the longest streak in school history, and the longest such streak in the nation since Kansas also spent 15-straight weeks at No. 1 in 1996-97. It was the third year in school history (1952 and 1989) that the Illini were ranked No. 1 in the nation.
• Illinois' 21-game winning streak at the Assembly Hall is the fourth-longest current homecourt streak in the nation (behind Gonzaga, Washington and Southern Illinois). The Illini wrapped up their third undefeated season at the Assembly Hall in the last five years with a 15-0 record last year. Illinois also went undefeated at home in 2000-01 (12-0) and 2002-03 (14-0). Illinois has the best homecourt record in the nation over the past six years at 78-3 (.963).
• Illinois has led the Big Ten in scoring each of the last five seasons. The Illini led the Big Ten in scoring with an average of 75.9 points per conference game.
• More fans saw Illinois play in person during the 2004-05 season than any other school. Including the postseason, the Illini were seen by a total of 711,798 fans across the country. During the NCAA tournament alone, 196,065 fans watched the Illini advance to the national championship game. In home games, the Illini finished seventh in the nation with an average of 16,387 fans per game.
Last Time Out: Exhibition
Illinois opened exhibition play with victories over Illinois Wesleyan (82-60), the top-ranked team in Div. III, and Div. II-opponent Quincy (78-52). Bruce Weber used a myriad of lineups during the two games. Freshman Jamar Smith led all scorers with 16 points in the win over Wesleyan. James Augustine added 15 points, while Dee Brown handed out seven assists.
Brown led all scorers with 15 points in the win over Quincy, while Augustine scored 14 and Smith followed with 10. Sophomore center Shaun Pruitt grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Brown Sixth-Straight Illini Chosen Preseason Player of the Year Pick
Senior guard Dee Brown became the sixth consecutive Fighting Illini player to earn Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year honors, the second time he has earned the distinction. The streak began in 2000 with Cory Bradford and followed with Frank Williams, Brian Cook, Brown, Deron Williams and Brown again this season. Cook went on to win the postseason award, while Frank Williams and Deron Williams earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors. Brown earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors following the 2005 season.
Illinois Begins Season in the Top 25
Illinois began the 2005-06 season ranked No. 17 in both the Preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and Associated Press Poll, the sixth time in the last seven years they've been in the preseason Top 25. The Illini enter the season having played 51 straight games ranked in the Top 25.
Randle Returns after Redshirt
Redshirt-sophomore forward Brian Randle used the 2004-05 season as a medical redshirt season after suffering a broken left hand in practice on Nov. 10, 2004. Randle started nine games as a true freshman in 2004, averaging 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds on the season. As Illinois' most athletic player, Randle has shown great defensive ability and is a great finisher around the basket.
Hot Ticket to Watch the Illini at the Hall
For the second year in a row, and third time in the last five years, Illinois sold out of season tickets for the season, making it again one of the hottest tickets in program history.
*For complete set of game notes, click on .pdf link at top of this page.
