Feb. 3, 2006
Champaign, Ill. -
Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Penn State in PDF Format
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FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #23: #6 Illinois (20-2, 6-2) vs. Penn State (10-9, 2-6)
Feb. 4, 2006 • 8 p.m. CT • ESPN+ Local
Champaign, Ill. • Assembly Hall (16,618)
On the Air
Television
ESPN-Local: Mike Adamle, play-by-play; Doug Altenberger, expert analyst.
Radio
Illini Sports Network - 50 stations: Brian Barnhart, play-by-play; Jerry Hester, expert analyst; Loren Tate, pregame/halftime/postgame interviews.
Probable Starters
#6 ILLINOIS (20-2, 6-2)
F - 42 Brian Randle (So.-r, 6-8, 215, 8.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.4 apg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Sr., 6-10, 235, 13.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg. 1.6 apg)
C - 55 Shaun Pruitt (So., 6-10, 240, 5.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
G - 33 Rich McBride (Jr., 6-3, 205, 9.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.2 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Sr., 6-0, 185, 15.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.9 apg)
Off The Bench ...
G - 2 Chris Hicks (So., 6-2, 190, 1.0 ppg, 0.1 rpg)
G - 3 Chester Frazier (Fr., 6-2, 190, 1.4 ppg, 1.8, rpg, 2.3 apg)
G - 25 Calvin Brock (Fr.-r, 6-4, 185, 1.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
G - 31 Jamar Smith (Fr., 6-3, 175, 9.2 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.3 apg)
F - 34 C.J. Jackson (Fr., 6-8, 265, intends to redshirt)
F - 41 Warren Carter (Jr., 6-9, 210, 4.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
C - 44 Marcus Arnold (Jr.-r, 6-8, 245, 4.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 186-65/.741 (8th year)
At Illinois: 83-11/.883 (3rd year)
Big Ten: 34-6/.850
Vs. Penn State: 4-0
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)
Penn State Head Coach: Ed DeChellis
Overall Record: 131-144/.476 (10th year)
At Penn State: 26-51/.338 (3rd year)
Vs. Illinois: 0-4
Assistant Coaches: Dan Earl, Kurt Kanaskie, Hilliary Scott
Series Notes: Penn State
Illinois is 18-6 all-time against Penn State and owns a 9-2 advantage in games played at Champaign. The Illini have won the last six games in the series which included both meetings last year: 90-64 at the Assembly Hall on Jan. 12, and 83-63 at State College on Feb. 16.
Illini Headlines
• Illinois was the first team this season to reach the 20-win marker with its 20th victory at Wisconsin on Tuesday, and currently has the most victories of any team in the nation (tied with Duke and Memphis). The Illini also led the nation in wins last season with an NCAA-record tying 37 victories.
• Illinois has recorded its seventh straight 20-win season, which is also its ninth in the last 10 years and 25th all-time.
• Illinois owns a record of 57-4 since the beginning of last season.
• Illinois has won 59 of its last 62 games during the regular season.
• Illinois owns the nation's longest homecourt winning streak at 33 games, tied with Gonzaga.
• Illinois' 33-game winning streak at the Assembly Hall has set a school record, breaking the previous record of 31 straight from Jan. 15, 1984 through Jan. 4, 1986.
• Illinois is 90-3 (.968) at the Assembly Hall over the last six-and-a-half seasons, the best home mark in the nation over this time period.
• Illinois is the second-winningest team in the nation over the past five-and-a-half seasons. Illinois has won 161 games since the beginning of the 2000-01 season, which trails only Duke (170 wins).
• Bruce Weber is the winningest coach in the nation over the past four-and-a-half seasons. Since the beginning of the 2001-02 season, Weber has won 135 games, recording 52 wins in his final two years at Southern Illinois and 83 wins in his first two-and-a-half years at Illinois. He is tied with Duke's Mike Krzyzewski over this time period.
• Illinois and Duke are the only two schools in the nation to win at least 25 games each of the last five seasons.
• Illinois, Duke and Oklahoma State are the only three teams to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 each of the last two seasons.
• 16 of Illinois' 20 wins have been by double figures. The Illini lead the Big Ten and ranking seventh in the nation (as of Jan. 30) in scoring margin at +15.7 ppg.
• Illinois' opponents are averaging just 56.2 points on 38.5 percent shooting on the season, including just 27.6 percent from 3-point range. The Illini lead the Big Ten and rank sixth in the nation (as of Jan. 30) in scoring defense, are second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally (as of Jan. 30) in field goal percentage defense, and lead the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage defense.
• Illinois has allowed more than 65 points only once this season (Michigan-74 on Jan. 14) and no opponent has shot 50 percent against the Illini.
• Illinois is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 7.7 boards per game. The Illini lead the Big Ten and rank 12th in the nation (as of Jan. 30) in rebounding margin and have outrebounded 19 of 22 opponents on the year. Illinois also leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounds, averaging 13.5.
• Dee Brown ranks second in the Big Ten and 22nd in the nation (as of Jan. 23) in assists, averaging 5.9 apg. Over the last five games, he is averaging 8.0 assists.
• James Augustine ranks second in the Big Ten and 22nd in the nation (as of Jan. 30) in field goal percentage at 60.2 percent (115-191). He ranks third in the Big Ten and 41st in the nation (as of Jan. 30) in rebounding, averaging 9.0 rpg.
• Sharp-shooting freshman guard Jamar Smith leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage at 53.5 percent (53-99). He has come off the bench to make his first 3-point attempt in 12 games and has made at least one 3-pointer in 20 of 22 games.
• Guards Rich McBride (55), Dee Brown (54) and Jamar Smith (53) have accounted for all but 10 of Illinois' three-pointers this season (162-172, 94 percent).
• Dee Brown has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.82 over the past 15 games (107 assists, 38 turnovers), after opening the season with an assist/turnover ratio of 0.96 in the first six games (23 assists, 24 turnovers).
• Dee Brown scored a career-high 34 points in the win over Michigan State on Jan. 5. It marked the most points by an Illini player in eight years, since Kevin Turner scored 35 vs. Indiana on Jan. 3, 1998.
• James Augustine broke the school record for career rebounds vs. Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 30 when he collected his 854th rebound, breaking the previous Illini career record of 853 rebounds set by Efrem Winters from 1983-86. Augustine currently has 922 career rebounds and is on pace to become the first 1,000-point scorer and 1000-rebounder in UI history and just the 11th in Big Ten history.
• Dee Brown and James Augustine have each played in 108 wins during their respective careers, ranking second on the UI career wins chart. The Illinois record for wins (played in) is 110 by Nick Smith (2002-05).
• Dee Brown recorded his 1,500th career point vs. Coppin State on Dec. 18, becoming just the eighth player in UI history to reach that milestone. Brown currently has 1,675 points to rank sixth on the all-time UI list and needs just 17 points to move into a tie for fifth. Brown is also the top active career scorer in the Big Ten.
• James Augustine has won the opening tip in 19 of 22 games this season, and has won the tip 81 percent of the time during his career (99-23).
• Illinois has played 71 consecutive games while ranked in the Top 25, and 15 straight games while ranked in the Top 10.
• Illinois has the nation's longest nonconference homecourt winning streak at 46 games (tied with Oklahoma).
• Illinois tied its fourth-best start in school history this season with a 15-0 start, marking the second straight season that the UI won its first 15 games. The Illini won a school-record 29 games to start last season.
• Illinois sold out of season tickets for the entire season for the second year in a row and third time in the last five years. The Illini have played in front of a school-record 24 consecutive sell-out crowds at the Assembly Hall.
Illini By the Numbers Under Weber
Illinois has been a consistent winner during Bruce Weber, a tenure that spans the most successful period in school history. The following is a breakdown of Illinois' success under Weber:
• 83-11: Illinois' overall record under Weber, a winning percentage of .883.
• 39-1: Illinois' record at the Assembly Hall under Weber, a winning percentage of .975.
• 59-3: Illinois' record in its last 62 regular season games under Weber (beginning Jan. 31, 2004), a winning percentage of .952.
• 37-2: Illinois' record last season, which tied the record for the winningest season in NCAA history.
• 26-7: Illinois' record in Weber's first season (2003-04), which tied the fourth-winningest season in school history.
• 20-2: Illinois' record so far this season, the second straight year under Weber that Illinois has gone undefeated in non-conference play and reached 20 wins.
• 34-6: Illinois' record in Big Ten play under Weber - which incudes back-to-back outright championships in 2004 and 2005 - a winning percentage of .850.
• 71-8: Illinois' record in regular season games under Weber, a winning percentage of .899.
• 18-5: Illinois' record in road games under Weber, a winning percentage of .783.
• 26-5: Illinois' record in neutral-site games under Weber, a winning percentage of .839.
• 7-2: Illinois' NCAA Tournament record under Weber - which includes a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2004 and the program's first-ever appearance in the national championship game in 2005 - a winning percentage of .778.
• 5-1: Illinois' Big Ten Tournament record under Weber - which includes the 2005 tournament title - a winning percentage of .833.
• 12-3: Illinois' combined postseason record under Weber, a winning percentage of .800.
Brown Named Finalist for Cousy Award
Dee Brown is one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, an honor presented annually to the nation's top collegiate point guard. The Award is presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group.
Fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite finalist online at www.cousyaward.com with the leading vote getter from the fans receiving one vote on the Blue Ribbon committee that will select the winner.
The recipient of the Bob Cousy Award will be announced at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 3.
Illinois-Minnesota Date/Time Set
Illinois' game at Minnesota has been set for Tuesday, Feb. 28 and will be televised nationally by ESPN at 8 p.m. Central Time.
Illini Record Seventh Straight 20-Win Season
Illinois has recorded its seventh straight 20-win season, which is also its ninth in the last 10 years and 25th all-time. The school record for consecutive 20-win seasons is nine, which happened under Lou Henson from 1983-91.
Brown Named to Wooden Award Midseason List
Dee Brown is listed as one of 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, released on Jan. 28. Brown and Duke's J.J. Redick are the only candidates on the midseason list who were named to last year's Wooden Award All-America Team.
The national ballot consisting of approximately 20 players will be released in March, and over 1,000 voters comprised of sports media members and college basketball experts across the nation will then cast their votes to determine both the 10-member All-America Team and the Player of the Year recipient.
Illini Show Balanced Attack in Recent Big Ten Play
Illinois leaned on its seniors at the beginning of Big Ten play but has shown a more balanced offensive attack throughout the lineup in recent games.
In the first three Big Ten games, seniors Dee Brown and James Augustine averaged 36.7 of the team's 62.3 points (110 of 187 points), accounting for 58.8 percent of the offense. But in the last five Big Ten games, Brown and Augustine have averaged just 23.4 of the team's 67.4 points (117 of 337 points) accounting for just 34.7 percent of the offense.
Home Cookin'
Illinois carries a 33-game winning streak at the Assembly Hall, which leads the nation among active homecourt winning streaks (tied with Gonzaga) ... Illinois' 33-game winning streak at the Assembly Hall has set a school record, breaking the previous record of 31 straight wins at The Hall from Jan. 15, 1984 through Jan. 4, 1986 ... The Illini have also won 46 in a row at the Assembly Hall against non-conference opponents, which is tied with Oklahoma for the longest non-conference homecourt winning streak in the country ...Illinois is 78-2 (.975) at the Assembly Hall over the last five-and-a-half 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 90-3 (.968) at the Assembly Hall over the past six-and-a-half seasons, the best home mark in the nation over that period ... Illinois has won 47 of its last 49 (.959) Big Ten games at the Assembly Hall ... Below is a look at Illinois' home record the past six-and-a-half seasons:
Year Overall Big Ten
2005-06 12-0 4-0
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 90-3 (.968) 48-3 (.941)
Following is a list of the current longest homecourt winning streaks in Div. I:
School Wins Next Home Game
T1. ILLINOIS 33 Feb. 4
T1. Gonzaga 33 Feb. 4
Last Time Out: Wisconsin
Illinois became the first team in the nation to reach 20 wins with a 66-51 victory at Wisconsin on Tuesday. Illinois' defense was again dominant, holding the Badgers to their lowest point total at the Kohl Center in Bo Ryan's five-year tenure as head coach. Wisconsin shot just 35.6 percent and had only 16 field goals, the fewest by an Illini opponent this season.
Illinois closed out both halves on dominating runs. Trailing 13-24, the Illini outscored Wisconsin 21-4 to finish the half, which included a 19-0 run. The Illini then led by two midway through the second half at 44-42 before closing out the game on a 22-9 run.
Rich McBride and Dee Brown each scored 16 points and Jamar Smith and Brian Randle added 12 points apiece. The Illini outrebounded Wisconsin 43-28, led by a career-high 13 rebounds from Randle.
The win marked Illinois' second straight at the Kohl Center. The Illini are the only Big Ten team to win there in Ryan's tenure at Wisconsin.
Augustine and Brown Approaching School Record for Career Wins
Tuesday's win over Wisconsin marked the 108th career victory that seniors James Augustine and Dee Brown have played in during their UI tenure, which ranks second on the Illini career wins chart. The school record for career wins (played in) is 110 by Nick Smith (2002-05).
Augustine Top Rebounder in Illini History; Aiming to Become 11th Player in Big Ten History With 1,000 Points and 1,000 Rebounds
Senior James Augustine broke the Illinois school record for career rebounds with his final rebound with 10:51 left in the game vs. Tennessee-Martin on Dec. 30 to give him 854 rebounds in his career, breaking the previous Illini career record of 853 rebounds set by Efrem Winters from 1983-86.
Augustine now has 922 career boards, which is also the most rebounds of any current Big Ten player. He is on pace to become the first 1,000-point scorer and 1,000-rebounder in Illinois history and just the 11th in Big Ten history. Following is the list of the all-time Big Ten players to score 1,000-points and grab 1,000 rebounds in their career:
1. John Green, Michigan State, 1957-59
1,062 pts, 1,036 reb
2. Walt Bellamy, Indiana, 1959-61
1,441 pts, 1,088 reb
3. Jerry Lucas, Ohio State, 1960-62
1,990 pts, 1,411 reb
4. Bill Buntin, Michigan, 1963-65
1,725 pts, 1,037 reb
5. Rudy Tomjanovich, Michigan, 1968-70
1,808 pts, 1,039 reb
6. Kent Benson, Indiana, 1974-77
1,750 pts, 1,031 reb
7. Greg Kesler, Michigan State, 1976-79
2,014 pts, 1,092 reb
8. Joe Barry Carroll, Purdue, 1977-80
2,175 pts, 1,148 reb
9. Herb Williams, Ohio State, 1978-81
2,011 pts, 1,111 reb
10. Alan Henderson, Indiana, 1992-95
1,979 pts, 1,091 reb
-- James Augustine, Illinois, 2003-06
1,228 pts, 922 reb
Doing it with Defense
At the beginning of the season, Bruce Weber challenged his team to build its identity and reputation on defense. Illinois has responded, using defense to spur its 20-2 record. Opponents are averaging just 56.2 points (first in Big Ten, sixth in NCAA as of Jan. 23) on 38.5 percent shooting (second in Big Ten, 13th in NCAA as of Jan. 23) and 27.6 percent 3-point shooting (first in Big Ten) for the season.
The Illini have only given up more than 65 points once this season (Michigan, 74), with 14 opponents scoring under 60. Illinois has not had an opponent shoot 50 percent in a game this year, and only four teams have shot better than 45 percent.
Illinois held back-to-back opponents to less than 50 points in wins over Arkansas-Little Rock (75-49) and Georgetown (58-48) for the first time since Nov. 30 and Dec. 5, 1998 under Lon Kruger when the Illini defeated Valparaiso (53-49) and Bradley (53-48).
On Dec. 18, the Illini held Coppin State to just 42 points, the second-fewest points by an opponent in the Weber era at Illinois and the fewest by a UI opponent since Penn State scored 37 in an 80-37 loss at the Assembly Hall on Jan. 21, 2004.
Perhaps Illinois' best defensive effort of the season came in the win over Michigan State on Jan. 5. The Spartans entered the game ranked 14th in the nation in scoring, averaging 82.8 ppg. But the Illini held MSU to a season-low 50 points, nearly 33 points below its average. MSU was 10th in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 50.4 percent but shot just 36.2 percent against the Illini defense.
The Illini "D" did its best work on Michigan State's top two scorers, Maurice Ager and Paul Davis. Ager entered the game ranked 12th in the nation in scoring at 22 points per game, but he was held 13 below his average, scoring a season-low nine points on 3-8 shooting, his only game of the season not reaching double figures. Davis, meanwhile, came into the game third in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 20 points, but scored just 12.
In the win over Northwestern on Jan. 21, Illinois held the Wildcats to 35.4 percent shooting and 17 field goals on its home floor, which included just four first-half baskets. NU's Vedran Vukusic, the Big Ten's leading scorer entering the game at 20.9 ppg, was held to a season-low five points and just one field goal by the Illini, his first game of the year in single digits.
In the win at Wisconsin on Tuesday, Illinois held the Badgers to just 51 points, the lowest point total for Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in Bo Ryan's five-year tenure as head coach. Wisconsin made just 16 field goals, the fewest by an Illini opponent this season, and shot just 35.6 percent from the field and 15 percent from 3-point range on the night.
Crashing the Boards
One major area where Illinois has improved its performance compared to last season is in rebounding. The Illini are averaging 38.5 rpg (second in Big Ten) and have totaled 40+ boards 11 times. Illinois is outrebounding its opponents by an average of 7.7 boards to lead the Big Ten and rank 12th in the NCAA (as of Jan. 30) in rebounding margin. Illinois has outrebounded its opponent in 19 of 22 games on the season. The Illini also lead the Big Ten in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.5 offensive boards per game.
Last season, Illinois averaged 34.3 rpg and outrebounded its opponent by an average of only 3.0 boards.
*For complete set of Illinois men's basketball game notes, click on .pdf link at top of this page.
