Nov. 19, 2005

Champaign, Ill. -

Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Texas-Pan American in PDF Format
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FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #2: #17 Illinois (1-0) vs. Texas-Pan American (1-0)
Nov. 20, 2005 •4:05 p.m. CT •No TV
Champaign, Ill. •Assembly Hall (16,618)

On the Air
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 (1-0, 0-0)
F - 42 Brian Randle (So.-r, 6-8, 215, 6.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Sr., 6-10, 235, 18.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg)
C - 55 Shaun Pruitt (So., 6-10, 240, 11.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg)
G - 33 Rich McBride (Jr., 6-3, 205, 15.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Sr., 6-0, 185, 19.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)

Off The Bench ...
G - 3 Chester Frazier (Fr., 6-2, 190, 2.0 ppg, 1.0, rpg, 4.0 apg)
G - 4 Chris Hicks (So., 6-2, 190)
G - 25 Calvin Brock (Fr.-r, 6-4, 185, 3.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg)
G - 31 Jamar Smith (Fr., 6-3, 175, 9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.0 apg)
F - 34 C.J. Jackson (Fr., 6-8, 265)
F - 41 Warren Carter (Jr., 6-9, 210, 7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg)
C - 44 Marcus Arnold (Jr.-r, 6-8, 245, 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg)

Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 167-63/.726 (8th year)
At Illinois: 64-9/.877 (3rd year)
Big Ten: 28-4/.875
Vs. Texas-Pan Am: 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)

Texas Pan-Am Head Coach: Robert Davenport
Overall Record: 13-16 (2nd year)
At UTPA: Same
Vs. Illinois: 0-0
Assistant Coaches: Brian Dolan, Greg Wright, Spencer Wright

Series Notes: Texas-Pan American
Illinois owns a 3-0 record against the UTPA Broncs. The Illini defeated UTPA, 88-60, in 1997 at Champaign, 71-56 at Edinburg in 1998 and 98-61 at Champaign in 1999, all when former Bronc head coach and athletics director Lon Kruger was head coach at Illinois.

This is the first of four games to be played in the South Padre Island Invitational. Illinois' first two games will be played at Champaign, with the final two being played at South Padre Island. NCAA experimental rules will be used in the four games of the tournament.

NCAA Experimental Rules in Effect for South Padre Island Invitational Games
The following three experimental rules will be in effect for the four South Padre Island Invitational games, including the Illini home games on Nov. 20 and 22.

• The three-point line has been moved back one foot behind the normal line, creating a new distance of 20 feet, nine inches.
• The lane has been widened one foot on each side, serving as both the three-second lane and the free-throw lane.
• A restricted area arc has been placed in the lane, three feet from the center of the basket. Defenders cannot draw a player control foul inside of this restricted area arc.

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 142-33 (.810) over the last five-plus years, this marks Illinois' winningest stretch over that time period 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 and entering the 2005-06 season, Weber recorded 115 victories, which 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.

Last Time Out: South Dakota State
Illinois opened the 2005-06 season with a 90-65 victory over South Dakota State Friday night at the Assembly Hall. James Augustine posted a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Dee Brown led the Illini in scoring with 19 points. Rich McBride added 15 points in his first career start and sophomore Shaun Pruitt was impressive with 11 points and nine rebounds in his first starting assignment.

* For complete set of Illinois men's basketball game notes, click on .pdf link at top of page.