Dec. 1, 2005
Champaign, Ill. -
Illinois Men's Basketball Notes vs. Xavier in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #7: #12 Illinois (6-0) vs. Xavier (3-0)
Lexus December to Remember Classic
Dec. 3, 2005 • 1 p.m. CT • ESPN+ Local / Fox Sports Net Ohio
Chicago, Ill. • Unted Center (21,711)
On the Air
Television
ESPN+ Local: Wayne Larrivee, play-by-play; Doug Altenberger, expert analyst.
FSN Ohio: Brad Johansen, play-by-play; Steve Wolf, 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
#12 ILLINOIS (6-0, 0-0)
F - 42 Brian Randle (So.-r, 6-8, 215, 8.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.5 apg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Sr., 6-10, 235, 15.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg. 2.3 apg)
C - 55 Shaun Pruitt (So., 6-10, 240, 6.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg)
G - 33 Rich McBride (Jr., 6-3, 205, 11.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 3.8 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Sr., 6-0, 185, 14.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.8 apg)
Off The Bench ...
G - 2 Chris Hicks (So., 6-2, 190, 2.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg)
G - 3 Chester Frazier (Fr., 6-2, 190, 1.7 ppg, 2.3, rpg, 2.5 apg)
G - 25 Calvin Brock (Fr.-r, 6-4, 185, 1.2 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
G - 31 Jamar Smith (Fr., 6-3, 175, 8.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.7 apg)
F - 34 C.J. Jackson (Fr., 6-8, 265, intends to redshirt)
F - 41 Warren Carter (Jr., 6-9, 210, 5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
C - 44 Marcus Arnold (Jr.-r, 6-8, 245, 3.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 172-63/.732 (8th year)
At Illinois: 69-9/.885 (3rd year)
Big Ten: 28-4/.875
Vs. Xavier: First meeting
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)
Xavier Head Coach: Sean Miller
Overall Record: 20-12/.625 (2nd year)
At Xavier: Same
Vs. Illinois: First Meeting
Assistant Coaches: Kenya Hunter, Chris Mack, James Whitford
Series Notes: Xavier
Illinois and Xavier are meeting for just the second time ever and the first since Dec. 18, 1961 when the Illini defeated the Musketeers, 81-69, at Huff Gymnasium, a stretch of 44 years between match-ups.
The United Center: Illinois' Home Away from Home
While games played at the United Center count as neutral site in the record book, for the Illini the UC is a home away from home. Saturday's contest against Xavier marks the 34th game the Illini have played at the UC, dating back to the 1994-95 season. Illinois owns an all-time record of 27-6 (.818) at the United Center, which includes a current winning streak of 14 straight games spanning the last four seasons.
Past Illinois Games at the United Center
Dec. 4, 1994 Duke L, 65-70
Dec. 23, 1995 California W, 83-69
Dec. 21, 1996 UCLA W, 79-63
Dec. 13, 1997 Clemson W, 71-61
March 6, 1998 Wisconsin W, 66-61
March 7, 1998 Purdue L, 47-68
Dec. 5, 1998 Bradley W, 53-48
March 4, 1999 Minnesota W, 74-67
March 5, 1999 Indiana W, 83-66
March 6, 1999 Ohio State W, 79-77
March 7, 1999 Michigan State L, 50-67
Nov. 30, 1999 Duke L, 69-72
Dec. 18, 1999 Kansas W, 84-70
March 10, 2000 Indiana W, 72-69
March 11, 2000 Penn State W, 94-84
March 12, 2000 Michigan State L, 61-76
Dec. 16, 2000 Arizona W, 81-73
March 9, 2001 Purdue W, 83-66
March 10, 2001 Indiana L, 56-58
Dec. 8, 2001 Arkansas W, 94-91
March 15, 2002 San Diego State W, 93-64
March 17, 2002 Creighton W, 72-60
Dec. 14, 2002 Temple W, 70-54
Feb. 22, 2003 Northwestern W, 73-61
March 14, 2003 Northwestern W, 94-65
March 15, 2003 Indiana W, 73-72
March 16, 2003 Ohio State W, 72-59
Dec. 6, 2003 Arkansas W, 84-61
Dec. 29, 2003 Illinois-Chicago W, 75-60
Dec. 11, 2004 Oregon W, 83-66
March 11, 2005 Northwestern W, 68-51
March 12, 2005 Minnesota W, 64-56
March 13, 2005 Wisconsin W, 54-43
Chicagoans Brown and Augustine Make Final United Center Appearance
Saturday's game will mark the final United Center appearance for a pair of Chicagoland products on the Illini roster in seniors Dee Brown and James Augustine. The duo has never lost a game at the UC, carrying a perfect 11-0 record into Saturday's match-up with Xavier.
Current Illini at the United Center
James Augustine (11 G): 9.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg
UC Highlights: Named Most Outstanding Player of the 2005 Big Ten Tournament after averaging 12.7 points on 74 percent shooting and 10.3 rebounds in Illinois' run to the title ... Top scoring performance was 15 points vs. Northwestern in 2005 BTT Quarterfinal (3/11) ...Most rebounds was 14 vs. Minnesota in 2005 BTT Semifinal (3/12) ... Tied his career high in blocks with five vs. Arkansas (12/6/03) ...Has three double-doubles at the UC: 12 pts.-10 reb. vs. Ohio State in 2003 BTT championship (3/16), 12 pts.-12 reb. vs. Arkansas (12/6/03) and 11 pts.-14 reb. vs. Minnesota in 2005 BTT Semifinal (3/12).
Dee Brown (11 G): 8.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.1 apg, 2.4 spg
UC Highlights: Scored 15 points vs. Temple in first game at the United Center with the Illini (12/14/02) ...Top scoring performance was 18 points vs. Northwestern (2/22/03), along with five assists and five steals ...Had 10 points and nine assists vs. Northwestern in 2003 Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal (3/14) ...Scored 13 points with six assists vs. Arkansas (12/6/03) ...Had 13 points, five assists and three steals vs. Oregon (12/11/04) ... Has scored in double figures six times at the UC.
Brian Randle (2 G): 6.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg
UC Highlight: Had nine points and career-high 11 rebounds vs. Illinois-Chicago (12/30/03).
Rich McBride (6 G): 2.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg
UC Highlight: Scored nine points vs. Illinois-Chicago (12/30/03).
Shaun Pruitt (2 G): 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
UC Highlight: Had two points and two rebounds vs. Northwestern in 2005 Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal (3/11).
Warren Carter (6 G): 0.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg
UC Highlight: Had five rebounds vs. Northwestern in 2005 Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal (3/11).
Last Time Out: North Carolina
Illinois won the rematch of the 2005 NCAA Championship game, defeating North Carolina 68-64 at Chapel Hill on Tuesday in the 7th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. With the victory the Illini broke a 21-game winning streak for the Tarheels at the Dean Smith Center, UNC's second-longest homecourt winning streak in the 20-year history of the arena.
Dee Brown led the Illini with 14 points while James Augustine recorded his third double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, which included six offensive boards. Brian Randle and Rich McBride added 12 points apiece and Jamar Smith came off the bench to knock down three 3-pointers en route to nine points.
Illinois turned a 51-48 second-half lead into a 61-48 advantage thanks to a 10-0 spurt over 2:08 on a Jamar Smith 3-pointer, a basket and three free throws by James Augustine and a basket by Dee Brown. Illinois led by as many as 14 points before UNC went on a 12-0 run to make it a 64-62 game with three minutes left. Brian Randle scored in traffic to make it a four-point game but UNC again cut it to two. Dee Brown was fouled and hit a pair of free throws with :13 left to seal the victory as the Illini improved to 6-0 on the year.
Road Warriors
Illinois has received much attention from its homecourt dominance, but the Illini have also enjoyed great success on the road. Illinois is 16-3 (.842) in away games under coach Bruce Weber. The Illini had to win six straight road games to clinch the 2004 Big Ten championship, finishing the 2003-04 season 7-2 in away games. Illinois then compiled an 8-1 record on the road last season. Illinois' 14-game road winning streak was snapped in the 2005 regular season finale at Ohio State, but the Illini began a new road winning streak with Tuesday's 68-64 victory at North Carolina.
Auggie Taking Over
Illinois is counting on a big year from senior James Augustine, and he is delivering. A four-year starter, Augustine was the Illini's fifth-leading scorer last year, but leads the team in scoring this season at 15 points per game. He has reached double figures in all six games, led by a season-high 18 points vs. South Dakota State and Rutgers. Augustine has three double-doubles on the season with 18 pts.-14 reb. vs. South Dakota State (Nov. 18), 14 pts.-10 reb. vs. Wichita State (Nov. 25) and 13 pts.-13 reb. vs. North Carolina (Nov. 29). The top field goal percentage in Illinois history, Augustine has made 66 percent of his shots this season (35-53).
Randle Hitting Stride
After redshirting last season due to a broken hand, sophomore Brian Randle is back in the UI lineup and has had a pair of breakout performances in Illinois two most recent games. Randle scored a career-high 16 points against Rutgers on Nov. 26, shooting 6-8 from the field. He then had 12 points on 4-5 shooting against North Carolina on Tuesday. He came up huge in the clutch, scoring in traffic with 1:06 remaining to give Illinois a 66-62 lead after the team had gone scoreless for five-and-a-half minutes.
Randle has started every game this season and is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 8.3 points. He is shooting 64.5 percent from the field (20-31) and is a perfect 3-3 from three-point range. He is also third on the team in rebounding at 4.5 rpg and leads the Illini with five blocks.
McBride Showcases All-Around Game
Rich McBride was known as a three-point specialist in his first two seasons with the Illini. Now that he has moved from a reserve role to a starter, McBride has strengthened other parts of his game. He worked hard over the summer to improve his conditioning and is now playing nearly 30 minutes per game and has earned a reputation as one of the team's top perimeter defenders. He is still a threat from behind the arc, leading the team with 18 treys while shooting nearly 42 percent from 3-point land. Most impressive has been McBride's ability to take care of the basketball. He is tied with Dee Brown for the team lead in assists with 23 and has committed just six turnovers the entire season, good for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.83.
Smith: Instant Offense
True-freshman shooting guard Jamar Smith has given the Illini instant offense off the bench. Despite playing just 17.5 minutes per game, Smith is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 8.7 points. Smith is shooting 47 percent from the field and leads the team in 3-point field goal shooting at over 48 percent (13-27). He has scored nine or more in five of six games on the year, led by a season-high 12 points vs. Texas Southern (Nov. 22).
Augustine Named MVP of South Padre Island Invitational
Senior James Augustine was named Most Valuable Player of the South Padre Island Invitational. Augustine averaged 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds over the course of the four-game tournament, while shooting 65 percent from the field. He tied his season-high with 18 points on 7-9 shooting in the championship game vs. Rutgers, and recorded a double-double vs. Wichita State with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Augustine also tied his career high in assists with four against the Shockers.
Brown and McBride Named to South Padre Island All-Tournament Team
In addition to James Augustine bringing home the MVP trophy from South Padre Island, guards Dee Brown and Rich McBride were named to the All-Tournament Team. Brown averaged 13 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals during the tournament. He best game came against Texas-Pan American where he scored a season-high 20 points while tying his career high with seven rebounds, along with tallying four assists and four steals.
McBride was Illinois' best perimeter defender during the tournament while also averaging 9.8 ppg. In the four games, he dished out a combined 14 assists while turning the ball over just three times.
Augustine Joins 1,000-Point Club
Senior James Augustine became the 40th player in Illinois history to record 1,000 career points when he scored his 1,000th point against Rutgers on Saturday. He joins Dee Brown as current UI players in the 1,000-point club. Brown scored his 1,000th point last season against Cincinnati (Dec. 31, 2004). Brown currently ranks 13th in school history with 1,427 career points, while Augustine ranks 38th with 1,025 career points.
*For complete set of Illinois men's basketball pregame notes, click on .pdf link at top of this page.
