Jan. 31, 2015
Illinois is...
...ranked 26th nationally & leads B1G in TO margin (+5.43 pg)
...ranked 29th nationally & leads B1G in 3-pt defense (27.3%)
...ranked 33rd nationally & 2nd in Big Ten in steals (10.9 spg)
...ranked 71st nationally in blocked shots (4.3 bpg)
...T-3rd in the Big Ten in 3-pt FG made (6.7) in B1G games
...11-4 when scoring 60+ points
...9-3 when holding opponents under 40% FG shooting
...8-3 when out-scoring opponents in the paint
...6-1 when Chatrice White has 3+ blocks
...6-2 when White leads or shares team lead in scoring
...in its third season under head coach Matt Bollant
Quick Hits
•Illini Come Home to Face Wisconsin: Illinois (11-10, 2-7 B1G) looks to snap its six-game skid Sunday in a 2 p.m. start against Wisconsin (7-13, 3-7). The losing streak is UI's longest of the season. After facing five-game stretch with four on the road, the Fighting Illini return home for just their second game at State Farm Center in 22 days.
•Illini on Super Bowl Sunday: This marks the sixth-straight year that Illinois has played on Super Bowl Sunday. The Illini lost against Indiana last year but won at Wisconsin on Super Bowl Sunday in 2013, snapping a six-game losing streak on the day of the big game. Illinois is 10-14 all-time on Super Bowl Sunday and 1-0 against the Badgers.
•Big Ten Race Halfway Through: With all 14 Big Ten teams now at least halfway through the conference season, the Illini are tied for 12th but only two games behind eighth-place Northwestern. And there is only a four-game differential between the third-place team and 12th-place team, meaning the last half of the Big Ten season will be very interesting to follow.
•Crawford is Illini's Missing Piece: While Illinois knocked off No. 17 Iowa on Jan. 8 despite Ivory Crawford only playing five minutes before suffering a knee injury, the Fighting Illini have clearly missed their leading scorer in the last six games. UI has averaged just 57.3 points per game in its last six contests after posting 71.9 ppg in the season's first 14 games.
•Defense Does It For Illinois: The Orange and Blue lead the Big Ten and rank 26th nationally in turnover margin (+5.43 per game), and also lead the Big Ten and rank 29th nationally in three-point field-goal defense (27.3 percent). UI ranks 33rd nationally and second in the Big Ten in steals per game (10.9), and 71st nationally in blocked shots per game (4.3). The Illini also lead the Big Ten in turnovers forced (22.1 pg), 1.6 turnovers per game more than second-place Northwestern.
•Illinois Turns Defense Into Offense: With that turnover margin of +5.43 per game, the Illini also have out-scored their opponents 437-328 off turnovers for an average edge of 5.2 points per game (20.8-15.6).
•Foes Can't Find Stroke From Long Range: Illinois ranks 29th nationally and leads the Big Ten in three-point field-goal defense (27.0 percent), a marked improvement over last season's 33.7 percent allowed that ranked last in the Big Ten and 278th nationally. The Illini held No. 9 Kentucky without a three-pointer on Nov. 27, breaking UK's streak of 367 games with a trey. They also held Purdue, Penn State, Nebraska (twice), Michigan State, Maryland and Northwestern to a combined 27-of-105 (25.7 percent) shooting from beyond the arc. Illinois has limited 11 of its 21 opponents to four or fewer trifectas after 15 of its 30 foes hit six or more triples in 2013-14.
•Teams Face Tough Sledding Versus Illini: Illinois has held 13 of its 21 opponents under 65 points, including in nine of its 11 wins, with a 77-71 triumph over No. 9 Kentucky and a 91-76 win at Penn State the only outliers. The Illini also have held five teams under 20 points in a half this season: Robert Morris (15, 1st half), Southern (15, 2nd), Southern Illinois (15, 1st), Valparaiso (19, 1st) and Murray State (11, 1st).
•White Announces Her Presence with Authority: Chatrice White, who earned her third Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 12 (also on Dec. 8 & Nov. 24), is one of eight Big Ten players to rank in the top 15 in the conference in scoring (15th, 15.2 ppg) and rebounding (15th, 7.0 rpg). She has scored in double figures in 19 of Illinois' 21 games and has recorded four double-doubles. White also is fifth in the Big Ten in blocks (2.2 bpg) - ranking 43rd nationally - and eighth in offensive rebounds (2.9 pg). White tied the UI single-game blocked shots record with seven at No. 8 Maryland (Jan. 18) and currently ranks second among freshmen in Illinois history with 47 blocks. She needs 11 to break Karisma Penn's record from 2009-10. The overall school record is 78 (Penn, 2010-11).
•Simmons Steps Up: Junior guard Kyley Simmons missed her first 10 three-pointers and only scored 12 points in Illinois' first three games before sitting out the Southern game with a shoulder injury. But she returned with a vengeance at Paradise Jam, hitting 11-of-26 three-pointers and scoring 50 points in three games (16.7 ppg). She hit 11-of-12 free throws - including 9-of-10 in the game's final 2:15 - to seal the win over Kentucky, then drained four treys against USF and a career-high five against Oklahoma. She stands eighth in the Big Ten with 2.1 three-pointers made per game and is 10th in three-point shooting percentage at 37.5 percent. She also is fourth in the league in minutes played (36.3 per game). In Big Ten play, she ranks second in minutes (39.0 mpg), eighth in treys made (2.3 pg) and 11th in 3-point percentage (38.3).
•Grant Gets Going: Sophomore forward Jacqui Grant has been a beast on the boards in Big Ten play, ranking 11th in the conference with 8.8 boards per game and raising her season average 1.4 rpg to 7.0 in the last eight games after it dipped to a season-low 5.6 following the Purdue game on Dec. 28. She has averaged 9.6 boards in the last seven games and notched consecutive double-doubles - the fourth and fifth of her career - with 13 points and 12 rebounds against Northwestern on Jan. 22, and 17 points and 10 boards at Michigan on Jan. 26. Grant has grabbed double-digit rebounds in four of the last seven games, her only double-digit rebounding games this season. She also has scored in double figures in the last three games, averaging 13.7 ppg over that stretch.
•Carter Makes It All Stick: Senior guard Brittany Carter has proved to be a stat-sheet stuffer after transferring from Ball State during the summer. She is averaging 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a team-best 2.8 steals this season, ranking 30th nationally and third in the Big Ten in steals. She also ranks second in the Big Ten in conference games with 3.2 spg. Carter upped the scoring ante of late, averaging 12.3 ppg over the last seven games, including four double-digit outings. She also has 5+ rebounds in 15 games, 2+ assists in 18 games and 2+ steals in 15 games.
•Crawford Comes on Strong: Senior guard Ivory Crawford - who was tied for 11th in the Big Ten in scoring (15.9 ppg) before missing the last six games - has scored in double-figures in 11 of her last 12 games, including five 20-point performances. She suffered a knee injury after only five minutes against Iowa on Jan. 8 and is expected to miss 2-6 weeks. She averaged 24.3 points per game at Paradise Jam, earning all-tournament honors, and was named to the Big Ten weekly honor roll on Dec. 8 after averaging 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals in two wins the previous week.
•Illinois Drops Heartbreaker to #15 Huskers: The Fighting Illini led for over 36 minutes but Nebraska hit a three-pointer late in the shot clock with 1:11 remaining in the game and held on for a 59-57 win on Jan. 29. Chatrice White starred in her first collegiate game in her home state, posting a career high-tying 23 points, including a career-high 4-of-8 three-pointers, and grabbing seven boards.
Scouting the Badgers
•Wisconsin is 7-13 overall and 3-7 in the Big Ten but has lost four straight and seven of its last nine after winning its conference opener. The Badgers are No. 146 in the latest official NCAA RPI and are 1-8 against RPI top 50 teams with a win over Michigan on Dec. 28.
•The Badgers rank 20th nationally in fewest fouls per game (14.8) and are 23rd in blocked shots per game (5.5). They also stand 53rd in three-point percentage (35.1) but make only 5.4 per game, which is 155th nationally and ninth in the Big Ten.
•Nicole Bauman is Wisconsin's leading scorer, averaging 13.9 points per game, and has made 48 of UW's 107 three-pointers (44.9 percent) on the season. The junior guard posted a career-high 31 points against Ohio State on Thursday, breaking a Badger record with eight treys. Bauman ranks 12th nationally in three-point percentage (44.9) and 37th with 2.67 treys per game.
•Wisconsin is one of the taller teams in the Big Ten, with 10 of its 15 players standing 6-feet or taller. Fifth-year senior Cassie Rochel is the Badgers' leading rim protector, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 44th nationally with 2.2 blocks per game.
Series History Against Wisconsin
Illinois holds a 34-33 advantage in the all-time series against Wisconsin but has lost four of the last six meetings. Wisconsin took a 76-64 win in overtime in Champaign last season, the teams' only meeting. The Illini hold a 20-10 all-time edge in games played in Champaign but the teams have alternated wins at State Farm Center since 2000-01 with the Badgers holding a 6-5 edge in the last 11 games on the UI campus.
Last Meeting With Wisconsin
Illinois led 58-53 with 3:22 left in the second half but missed its last four shots in regulation and committed two turnovers, allowing Wisconsin to send the game to overtime and grab a 76-64 win in both teams' Big Ten opener at State Farm Center on Friday. Ivory Crawford led the Illini with 20 points and seven rebounds, Alexis Smith scored 15 points and Sarah Hartwell had 12 but Illinois shot 33.8 percent from the field.
Illinois forced Wisconsin into a season-high 30 turnovers compared to 13 by the Illini, but converted only 29 points off those Badger miscues. Wisconsin shot 50 percent from the field, including 18-of-31 (58 percent) from inside the arc, and was 5-of-5 in the overtime period. Wurtz led the Badgers with 27 points and 19 rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting. A strength for much of the season, Illinois got to the free-throw line only four times in the game, making all four attempts.
