THE BASICS

THE COACHES

Illinois:    Matt Bollant  //  50-52 at Illinois (4th year)  //  332-107 overall (14th year)

Memphis:    Melissa McFerrin //  113-91 at UM (7th year) // 164-161 overall (11th year)

SERIES NOTES vs. MEMPHIS

Series Record:    Illinois leads, 4-1

Last Meeting:    Nov. 20, 2014 // Illinois 60, Memphis 58 // Champaign, Ill. 

Series Streak:    Won 4

Series in Champaign:    Illinois leads, 3-0

Series Streak at Memphis:    Tied, 1-1

Bollant vs. Memphis:    2-0

Illinois is...

...off to the best start under head coach Matt Bollant

...7-0 at home this season

...holding opponents to 35-percent shooting this season

...the only B1G school to make 8 or more threes in six games

...currently ranked at No. 8 in the RPI 

QUICK HITS

• SATURDAY'S GAME: The Illini will head to Memphis for the first time since 2010, holding a 4-1 advantage in the all-time reccord. The game will mark Illinois' second true road game of the season, and Illinois will look to go 8-1 to start the year for the first time since the 1981-82 season when the Orange and Blue were 10-1 to kick off the season. 

• LAST TIME OUT:  Fighting Illini women's basketball handed head coach Matt Bollant his 50th victory at Illinois on Saturday, using an unselfish style of play to overcome Central Michigan, 74-69. Illinois improves to 7-1 on the year, continuing the best start for an Illinois team since the 2009-10 season. The underclassmen were the story on Saturday as freshman Alex Wittinger and sophomore Chatrice White both recorded double-doubles in the contest. Illinois' freshmen accounted for 32 of UI's total points. 

• SCOUTING MEMPHIS: The Tigers are .500 on the season with a 5-5 record to kick things off. Memphis will see Illinois after a 64-61 victory over Central Michigan. Prior to that victory, the Tigers were on a three-game losing streak that included a loss to Minnesota in Minneapolis. The Tigers are led by Ariel Hearn who averages 14 points and four rebounds per game. Two other Tigers average about nine points per game, Asianna Fugua-Bey and Brianna Wright, who each grab more than six rebounds per contest. 

• COMING UP: The Illini are back in the State Farm Center on Dec. 22, hosting South Dakota in a 7 p.m. matchup. The game will be the team's Ugly Sweater Party, and fans who wear an "ugly" sweater to the game will receive a free Fighting Illini scarf. 

GO THE DISTANCE

The Illini have found success from beyond the arc to start the season, as they currently rank 30th in the country and second in the Big Ten in three-point field goals per game (8.0). Illinois has netted at least eight triples in six games this season, and is the only Big Ten team to do so. Illinois has knocked down 10 triples in three games this season, one of only three teams to do so. Only Minnesota has made 10 threes in more games than Illinois, accomplishing the feat in four games. 

RPI WATCH

Illinois is on its way to one of the highest RPI rankings in program history this season. The Illini currently sit at No. 8 in the latest NCAA RPI, after climbing the rankings from the No. 21  and No. 18 spots. The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), is used to rank teams based upon wins and losses and strength of schedule. There are several factors that determine the number, including winning percentage, opponents' winning percentages and opponents' opponents' winning percentage. 

TOP OF THE LINE

Illinois' hot start has paid off as the Illini are ranked among the nation's best in several categories this season. 

Category    National Rank    B1G rank

    Fewest Turnovers - 111    22nd    1st

    Fewest Fouls - 117    17th    2nd

3FG Made per game - 8.0    30th    2nd

    Scoring Margin - 16.8    40th    6th

FIGHTING FRESHMEN

The Illini freshman class is proving to be a major tool this season, as the three newcomers combine to average more than 26 points per game, just about a third of UI's total scoring. Cierra Rice leads all freshmen averaging more than 13 points per game, while Alex Wittinger is crucial on the boards for the Illini, grabbing 6.5 per game. 

GOING STREAKING

Speaking of double-digits, several Illini have been on a scoring streak with back-to-back double-figure scoring games. Chatrice White started the season with four consecutive double-digit scoring games, including three 20-point performances. 

Name    Current Double-digit scoring streak

Cierra Rice    6 games

Kyley Simmons    5 games

Chatrice White    3 games

Alex Wittinger    2 games

BOLLANT'S 50TH

Head coach Matt Bollant earned his 50th victory at Illinois in a 74-69 defeat of Central Michigan. Bollant is currently 332-107 in his career. He has taken his teams to 12 postseason appearances in his head coaching career, including four NCAA Tournament appearances and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011. The Illini are off to a 7-1 start to the season, the best during Bollant's tenure at the helm of Illinois Women's Basketball. 

TOP 10 WINNINGEST

Now in his 14th season of head coaching, Matt Bollant came into the year with a .754 winning percentage. That number puts him 10th among all active head coaches in the country. 

RECORDS FALL

Redshirt senior Kyley Simmons knocked down seven three-pointers, helping to lead Illinois over Lehigh on Dec. 6. She shot 70-percent from distance in the game, and her seven treys matched the State Farm Center single-game record set by Amber Moore in 2011. Simmons is currently shooting 48.8-percent from distance, good for second in the Big Ten and 22nd in the nation. 

FIRST-HALF PRODUCTION

The Illini are keeping with the hot start trend this season as the team is proving to be most productive in the first half of games so far. Illinois averages more than 20 points per game in just the first quarter of play, allowing opponents just over 14 points. The Orange and Blue pick up defensively in the second quarter, holding opponents to just 12 points in the period this season. Illinois has held opponents to just 97 points in the second quarter this season. 

DEFENSE IS KEY

Illinois' defense has largely contributed to its hot start to the year. The Illini have held opponents to a 34.8 field-goal percentage, which ranks 40th in the nation and third in the Big Ten. UI has held three opponents to less than 32-percent shooting from the field, including holding Tennessee State to just 21.7-percent. Four Illini opponents have shot 25-percent or worse from distance as well this season as the Orange and Blue rank 4th in the Big Ten for their three-point field goal percentage defense.  Illinois has also kept opponents away from the free-throw line as their 116 total fouls ranks 17th in the nation and second-best in conference.    

DOUBLING UP

Six Illini reached double-figure scoring numbers in two games this season.. The Illini first spread the production out against Tennessee State, seeing career-bests from Kennedy Cattenhead and Brooke Kissinger as well. The Illini again spread out the scoring against SIU on Dec. 8, seeing six players hit double-digits once again. Prior to Tennessee State, Illinois last saw six or more players reach double-figure scoring numbers was on Nov. 17, 2013 against Alcorn State. Seven players put up double-digits in that 112-28 victory.

IN GOOD COMPANY

Sophomore Chatrice White has started the season on high note, recording back-to-back double-doubles in UI's first two games and following that with consecutive 20-point games. White put up 13 pts. and 13 rbs. against Chicago State and followed up with 22 pts and 13 rbs against Ohio. Last season she started the year with double-doubles in three of the first four games. White has 10 career double-doubles and has scored in double-digits in all but one game this season. 

    • The last Illini to start the season with consecutive double-doubles was Karisma Penn in the 2012-13 season         (11 pts., 12 rbs. vs. Evansville; 29 pts., 16 rbs. vs. Bradley). Penn also recorded a double-double in three of the first four games of the year. 

    • Prior to Penn, Jenna Smith started the 2009-10 season out with four-straight double-doubles, and continued on to record a double-double in six of the first seven games. 

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK TIMES THREE

Cierra Rice has earned Big Ten weekly honors twice this season, the most for an Illini freshman since Karisma Penn received the honor four times in the 2009-10 season. She first garnered the award on Monday, Nov. 23, coming off of a 20-point performance against UT Martin and helping the Illini to a 94-74 win. Rice went 6-for-6 from the field against UT Martin, banking three triples on the day. She had a 6-for-7 performance from the charity stripe as well. The Grosse Pointe, Mich., native scored 21 points, dished five assists and grabbed five rebounds in the game, only tallying one turnover. She then earned her second nod on Dec. 7, after putting up 22 points against Miami and following up with a 12-point performance in Illinois' win over Lehigh. 

Alex Wittinger joins Rice in earing the weekly honor as she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Dec. 13 after bacl-to-back double-digit scoring games against SIU and Central Michigan and her second-career double-double against CMU. 

It is the first time since the award was developed in 2009-10 that Illinois has had two players receive Freshman of the Week honors

STARTING STRONG

The Illini have seen some early success this season, starting off with a 4-0 record for the second consecutive year under head coach Matt Bollant. Not only that, but Illinois recorded its second 30-point season-opening victory during Bollant's tenure with a 67-36 win over Chicago State. The win marks the largest margin of victory for the Illini since earning an 86-42 win over Southern Illinois on Dec. 6, 2014. The Illini have now earned three 20-point victories this season and are 7-1 to start the year, which is the best during head coach Matt Bollant's tenure at Illinois. Should the Illini improve to 8-1 on Saturday, it will be the best start for Illinois since the 1981-82 campaign. 

THE ROARING TWENTIES

Illinois saw three players score at least 20 points against UT Martin as freshmen Cierra Rice and Alex Wittinger each put up double-figure scoring numbers for the first time in their careers. Wittinger (20), Rice (21) and Chatrice White (26) combined for 67 of Illinois' 94 points in the game. The last time three Illini scored 20 or more points was UI's 95-69 win over Minnesota on Feb. 5, 2015. Wittinger also grabbed 11 rebounds in the contest, marking her first-ever double-double.

Cierra Rice continued to rack up the points, dropping 22 at Miami on Dec. 2. Rice is one of just three freshmen in Illinois history, dating back to 1980, to put up 20 or more points twice within the first five games of her career. Also on that list is sophomore Chatrice White, who scored 20 or more points in six games last season. Krista Reinking (1994-95) rounds out the total list. Reinking has four 20+ points games in her freshman season. 

With two 20+ point games under her belt already, Rice is averaging almost 14 points per game. If she keeps up this type of production, Rice will etch her name among the all-time freshman records at Illinois. 

20+ point games    Name            Freshman season

9    Mandy Cunningham        1990-91

8    Allison Curtin         1998-99

6    Chatrice White         2014-15 

4    Jacqui Grant             2013-14 

4    Lori Bjork             2005-06

4    Iveta Marcauskaite         2000-01

4    Krista Reinking         1994-95

4    Lisa Bradley             1984-85

3    Tauja Catchings         1996-97

3    Robbyn Preacely         1992-93

2    Cierra Rice             2015-16

2    Karisma Penn         2009-10

2    Katie Coleman         1996-97

2    Ashley Berggren         1994-95

2    Kris Dupps             1991-92

2    Janelle Polk             1983-84

The fountain of youth

With only two starters returning this season, the Illini have a few new faces in the starting lineup. Redshirt senior Kyley Simmons and sophomore Chatrice White are returning for a second year, but they are joined by first-time starters Sarah Hartwell, Kennedy Cattenhead and Cierra Rice. Three of the five starting Illini are underclassmen, while three of the five are also first-time starters. 

A PROMISING FUTURE

The Illini are headed into the 2015-16 season with a positive outlook on things to come. The team returns starters Chatrice White and Kyley Simmons, and also brings back experienced returners in Kennedy Cattenhead, Sarah Hartwell, Brooke Kissinger and Ashley McConnell. Several Illini newcomers bring major promise, as Simone Law and Eriel Davis each have Division I playing experience under their belts. Illini freshmen Cierra Rice, Jaelyne Kirkpatrick and Alex Wittinger are a decorated incoming class as they are each ranked among the top-5 recruits in their home state. 

ILLINI CRUISE PAST GREYHOUNDS IN EXHIBITION

Fighting Illini Women's Basketball started its season on a high note Saturday afternoon, tallying a 95-36 exhibition win over the University of Indianapolis at Parkland College. The Orange and Blue saw all nine players on the floor put up at least three points in the game, and the Illini assisted on 20 of 35 field goals in the contest. Illinois out rebounded the Greyhounds 38-26 and held UIndy to just under 23-percent shooting in the game. The Illini dropped 13 three-pointers in the contest, while shooting over 54-percent from the floor. 

WHITE RETURNS FOR SUPER SOPHOMORE SEASON

Returning for her sophomore season, Chatrice White, expects no sophomore slump. She closed out the 2014-15 season averaging 14.5 points per game and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per contest.  She owns the Illinois freshman records for scoring and blocked shots as she led the team with 60 rejections. 

ILLINI LOOKING FOR NEW CONTRIBUTORS

The Illini will have a few holes to fill in the absence of recent graduates Ivory Crawford and Brittany Carter. The two combined for an average of 23.6 points per game, and Carter led the team in steals, closing the season with 80. Crawford grabbed 64 steals herself last season, helping the Illini to a league-leading 11.2 steals per game. 

NEWCOMERS 

The Illini welcome a decorated class of freshman this year, including Parade All-American Cierra Rice, who was ranked as the No. 1 player out of Michigan. Ranked at No. 5 in the state of Minnesota, Alex Wittinger also joins the Illini this year. She grabbed 21 rebounds in her first outing with the Illini, an exhibition matchup against the AMW All Stars in Paris, France. Coming off of a stint with the Canadian National team, Jaelyne Kirkpatrick joins the Illini this season. She was ranked as the No. 1 guard in Canada. 

The Illini also welcome some experience to the program this year in seniors Eriel Davis and Simone Law. Law comes to Illinois from Loyola-Chicago, where she earned First Team All-Horizon League honors and was twice named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team. Davis, a native of Danville, returns to the Illini squad after two seasons. She was a member of the 2012-13 squad and assisted the team as a practice player prior to that. 

ILLINI WELCOME JODY MARTINEZ

Head coach Matt Bollant announced the addition of Jody Martinez to the Illini staff over the summer. Martinez brings 17 years of head coaching experience with him, and he has led his teams to more than 400 wins in his head-coaching career. Martinez comes to Illinois from Southeastern University, where he led the Fire to a 25-7 record in the 2014-15 season and guided the program to its first-ever NAIA Division II Women's Basketball NIT. Prior to his stint at Southeastern, Martinez served as the head coach for the Bethel Pilots, where he led the Lady Pilots to 20 or more wins in 15 of his 16 seasons at the helm of the program, and prior to his arrival in 1998, the program had never seen a winning season. Martinez guided the Lady Pilots to six NCCAA National Championship titles and made seven trips to the NAIA National Tournament including five elite eight appearances. His teams won three MCC regular season titles and an MCC tournament championship as well.

ILLINI MAKE WAVES ON A NATIONAL STAGE

Illini sophomore Chatrice White and freshman Jaelyne Kirkpatrick were busy over the summer, competing at the FIBA U19 World Championships. Kirkpatrick competed for Canada, while White helped to bring home the gold on team USA. White averaged five points per game while in Russia, playing in seven games throughout the tournament. 

TOUR DE FRANCE

The Illini packed in some extra practice over the summer, heading overseas to play a few games in France. The Illini faced off against Paris' professional team, the AMW All Stars, and also played two games against Bretigny Select. Freshmen Alex Wittinger, Jaelyne Kirkpatrick and Cierra Rice got a taste of competition, as they competed with their new teammates for the first time. 

While across the pond, the Illini got to take some time to see the sights. Tour stops included the Eiffel Tower, Monaco, Lyon, and Nice. 

A NEW HOME

After the 2013-14 season, the Fighting Illini had to vacate their home arena, State Farm Center, as the three-year, $169.5 million Illinois Renaissance renovation project began. The renovation includes the installation of premium seating, upgrades to team locker rooms, all concourses, concession and restroom facilities, and wider aisles and increased access for patrons with disabilities. In addition, air conditioning will be installed and grand entrances will be constructed on the arena's east and west sides. While most of the first year of construction's work was mechanical and infrastructure-related, fans will notice new, blue seats in the 200 level, which was formerly known as "C" section.

ILLINI INK FOUR FOR 2016

The Fighting Illini Women's Basketball program and head coach Matt Bollant announce the signing of four standout players to national letters of intent on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Ali Andrews (Lake in the Hills, Ill.), Brandi Beasley (Memphis, Tenn.), Courtney Joens (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) and Sarah Overcash (Chevy Chase, Md.) will join the Illini for the 2016-17 season. 

Ali Andrews // 6-2 // F // Lake in the Hills, Ill. // Huntley  HS 

Ranked the No. 14 forward in the country and No. 1 in Illinois by ESPN HoopGurlz…Ranked as the No. 79 recruit in the nation…Class 4A All-State Team…Helped Huntley to two-straight Fox Valley Conference Valley Division titles…Has scored more than 1,800 points in her high school career so far…Daily Herald Fox Valley All-Area Team Co-Captain…Associated Press First Team All-State selection…Has earned Huntley three consecutive regional titles and two straight sectional titles.

Brandi Beasley // 5-6 // G // Memphis, Tenn. // Ridgeway HS

Stands as the No. 2-ranked recruit from the state of Tennessee and the No. 27-ranked point guard in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz…AAA Miss Basketball Finalist…Chose Illinois over Florida, MTSU, UT Martin, Vanderbilt and Memphis…Plans to study engineering at Illinois.

Courtney Joens // 5-10 // G // Iowa City, Iowa // City High 

Achievements: Ranked the No. 27 point guard in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz, and the top out of the state of Iowa…Ranked among the top-5 guards in Iowa by IowaPreps.com…Holds City High's single-game records for points (42) and three-pointers (8)…Chose Illinois over Creighton, Drake, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota and DePaul…Made 41 three-pointers in her sophomore season while averaging 14.6 points per game…Took City High to the 2013 state semifinals…Volunteers at her local elementary school and at her church…Consistently appears on the Iowa City High School Honor Roll.

Sarah Overcash // 6-1 // F // Chevy Chase, Md. // St. John's College 

The top-ranked recruit out of the District of Columbia…Named DCSAA First Team All-State in 2015…Played with Penn State's Amari Carter and Michigan signee Kayla Robbins...Chose Illinois over Penn and Princeton…First-Team All-WCAC selection.