| Illinois Starters (from last game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Trent Frazier |
6-1 |
170 |
Fr. |
11.0 |
1.8 |
2.8 |
16.2 ppg over last 10 |
| G |
13 |
Mark Smith |
6-4 |
225 |
Fr. |
7.1 |
1.7 |
1.5 |
.821 FT% (32-39) |
| G |
24 |
Mark Alstork |
6-5 |
190 |
Gr. |
6.3 |
4.4 |
2.4 |
.783 FT% (36-46) |
| F |
12 |
Leron Black |
6-7 |
230 |
r-Jr. |
14.5 |
5.5 |
1.0 |
16 double-figure games |
| F |
43 |
Michael Finke |
6-10 |
235 |
r-Jr. |
10.3 |
5.4 |
1.1 |
Team-high 46 Off. Rebs. |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
225 |
r-So. |
8.3 |
4.4 |
0.5 |
17 pts at Michigan |
| G |
3 |
Te'Jon Lucas |
6-1 |
180 |
So. |
5.8 |
2.1 |
3.2 |
17 steals |
| F |
4 |
Matic Vesel |
6-10 |
215 |
Fr. |
0.3 |
1.0 |
0.3 |
Native of Slovenia |
| G |
10 |
Drew Cayce |
6-1 |
175 |
r-So. |
0.8 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
UI walkon |
| F |
11 |
Greg Eboigbodin |
6-9 |
225 |
Fr. |
2.6 |
2.6 |
0.2 |
18-23 FG last 5 gms (.783) |
| G |
20 |
Da'Monte Williams |
6-3 |
190 |
Fr. |
4.4 |
3.5 |
1.2 |
Late 3 sealed GC win |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
210 |
Jr. |
9.4 |
3.2 |
0.8 |
2nd in B1G in 3FG% (.522) |
| G |
35 |
Samson Oladimeji |
6-4 |
200 |
So. |
0.0 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
UI walkon |
| F |
45 |
Cameron Liss |
6-6 |
220 |
r-Jr. |
0.4 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
B1G Distinguished Scholar |
| Sitting Out (*2016-17 Stats listed) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
32 |
Tyler Underwood |
6-1 |
165 |
r-So. |
0.6* |
0.2* |
0.1* |
Sitting out season (transfer) |
| G |
41 |
Clayton Jones |
6-0 |
170 |
r-Sr. |
0.4* |
0.0* |
0.0* |
Recovering from torn ACL |
Career Record: 119-37/.763 (5th year)
At Illinois: 10-10 (1st year)
Big Ten: 0-7
Series Notes vs. Michigan State
Record: Tied, 59-59
Streak: Illinois W-1
Record in Champaign: Illinois leads 38-19
Streak in Champaign: Illinois W-1
Last Season's Meeting: ILL 73, MSU 70 // 3/1/17 at Champaign
Underwood vs. Michigan State: First meeting
Opening Tip
• Illinois starts a three-game homestand on Monday, facing No. 9 Michigan State at State Farm Center (8 p.m., FS1).
• Illinois plays five of its next six at home after having just completed a stretch with four out of five on the road.
• Illinois is aiming for its first win against a top-25 opponent since a 68-66 victory over No. 20 Iowa in the second round of the 2016 Big Ten Tournament. The Illini's last win over a top-10 team, meanwhile, was a 74-72 victory over No. 1 Indiana at State Farm Center on a Tyler Griffey layup at the buzzer on Feb. 7, 2013.
• Illinois has led during the second half in eight of its 10 losses, including five times in seven Big Ten games.
• Illinois is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range and averaging 11 makes through two Big Ten home games (22-55).
• Freshman Trent Frazier has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games, averaging 16.2 points (162) and 2.2 steals (22) while shooting 42.6 percent from 3-point range (23-54) over that stretch.
• After being slowed by an illness at Michigan on Jan. 6, junior Leron Black has bounced back to average 15.7 points (47) on 72.4 percent shooting (21-29) over the last three games.
Fantastic Frosh
Freshman Trent Frazier has emerged over the last 12 games for the Illini. With his increased production, Frazier now ranks among the top Big Ten freshmen in a number of categories:
Frazier Stat Rank among B1G Freshmen (All Games)
» Points – 5th 11.0 ppg
» Assists – 2nd 2.8 apg
» Steals – 2nd 1.7 spg
» 3-pointers – 3rd 1.4/gm
Frazier Stat Rank among B1G Freshmen (B1G Games)
» Points – 2nd 12.6 ppg
» Assists – 1st 4.1 apg
» Steals – 2nd 1.4 spg
» 3-pointers – T-1st 1.7/gm
Frontcourt Grads
Redshirt juniors Michael Finke and Leron Black have completed coursework in their undergraduate degree program of communication. The duo are now set to begin grad school with the start of the 2018 spring semester next week. Finke will pursue a master's degree in recreation, sport and tourism while Black will enroll in the master's program in education policy, organization and leadership.
Newcomers Playing Prominent Role
Illinois is undergoing a year of major transformation in its program. In addition to first-year head coach Brad Underwood implementing new offensive and defensive styles of play, the Illini have a number of new players taking on key roles. After losing two-thirds of its minutes from last year's NIT squad, Illinois has newcomers playing the most minutes of any Big Ten team this season with freshmen Trent Frazier, Mark Smith, Da'Monte Williams, Greg Eboigbodin and Matic Vesel, graduate transfer Mark Alstork and walk-on Drew Cayce accounting for nearly half the team's minutes played at a staggering 49.1 percent. Illinois stands as the only team in the conference above the 40 percent threshold. The Illini rank second in the Big Ten, meanwhile, in percentage of points scored by newcomers at 40.4 percent.
Illinois Team Headlines
• Illinois' bench has outscored the opposition in 16 of 20 games on the season. That included a 10-game streak that ended last Monday at Nebraska. Illini reserves are averaging 31.5 points, with the Illinois bench outscoring the opponent bench by an average of 13.5 points per game.
• Illinois ranks third in the country with an offensive rebounding rate of 38.1 percent.
• Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the NCAA in offensive rebounds (14.3 rpg). Illinois has grabbed 14 or more offensive rebounds in 12 games, including four of the last six outings. Last year the Illini tallied at least 14 offensive rebounds in just five of 35 games.
• Illinois also leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the NCAA in turnovers forced (17.9 per game). Illinois has forced 17 or more turnovers in 11 games. Last year the Illini defense forced at least 17 turnovers in only five games.
• The Illini rank 10th nationally in turnover rate, forcing turnovers on 23.5 percent of opponent possessions.
• Illinois ranks 35th nationally in turnover margin (+3.1), while scoring 19.6 points per game off turnovers.
• Illinois ranks 54th in the NCAA in steals (7.6 spg). Illinois has collected eight or more steals in nine games. Last year the Illini tallied at least eight steals in only six games.
• Illinois leads the Big Ten and is 67th nationally in adjusted tempo by kenpom, averaging 71.2 possessions.
• In the Illini's 10 wins this season, no opponent has reached 75 points.
• Illinois has scored at least 77 points in seven of its 10 wins.
• Illinois has shot at least 24 free throws in nine games. Last year the Illini attempted at least 24 free throws in only seven games.
• The Illini have had seven different players serve as leading scorer in a game this season.
• Five different Illini have recorded a 20-point performance.
• The Illini rotation has nine players averaging at least 16 minutes per game.
Oh So Close
Illinois has been on the wrong end of a number of close games this season. The Illini have led during the second half in eight of its 10 losses. In five of those games, Illinois either led or was tied in the final minute. And in two more, the Illini trailed by just one possession down the stretch. Three of Illinois' Big Ten games have gone to overtime, with a fourth decided at the buzzer:
• At Wake Forest – Trailed by three with 1:15 remaining … Led with 17 minutes left
• At Northwestern – Tied with 30 seconds left with ball … Also led in OT
• Maryland – Led by two with 4.6 seconds left with ball … Also led in OT
• At UNLV – Trailed by two with 3 minutes remaining … Led with eight minutes left
• Vs. New Mexico State – Tied with 33 seconds left with ball … Led with seven minutes left
• At Minnesota – Trailed by five with four minutes remaining … Trailed by four with 10 minutes left
• At Michigan – Trailed by five with 11 minutes remaining … Led with 19 minutes left
• Iowa – Made 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the game into OT … Led for first 17 minutes of second half
• At Nebraska – Led by two with eight seconds remaining … Also led for four minutes earlier in second half
Illini Player Trends
• Junior Leron Black has increased his scoring average by 6.4 points this season, currently leading the Illini at 14.5 ppg (14th in Big Ten) after averaging 8.1 ppg last year.
• Black has now averaged 15.6 points (125) over the last eight games, scoring in double figures seven times and leading the team in scoring four times.
• Black has scored in double figures in 16 of his 19 games on the season, which included a career-long streak of seven straight that ended at UNLV when he left the game late in the first half with an injury.
• Black has made at least 50 percent from the field in 14 games and is shooting 55.1 percent on the year (56th in NCAA), compared to 45.3 percent from the field last year.
• Black is shooting 61.3 percent in 11 home games this season (65-106).
• Black has made 81.7 percent of his free throws this season (10th in Big Ten) after entering the year as a 70 percent career shooter at the line.
• Freshman Trent Frazier has been the Illini's leading scorer over the last 10 games, averaging 16.2 points (162) with 2.2 steals (22) while shooting 42.6 percent from 3-point range (23-54).
• Frazier ranked eighth on the Illini in scoring through the season's first 10 games at 5.8 ppg. Following the 10-game scoring binge he now ranks second on the team with an average of 11.0 points on the season.
• Frazier has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 12 games overall.
• Frazier is the first Illini freshman with three 20-point games since Brandon Paul during the 2009-10 season. Paul is now in his rookie NBA season with the San Antonio Spurs.
• Frazier is averaging 4.3 assists (13) over the last three games.
• Junior Michael Finke is third on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game. He averaged 6.9 points last season.
• Finke ranks second on the Illini in rebounding at 5.4 rpg while leading the team with an average of 2.3 offensive boards (9th in B1G).
• Freshman Greg Eboigbodin leads the Big Ten in field goal shooting during conference play at 79.2 percent (19-24).
• After totaling nine points through the season's first 15 games, Eboigbodin is averaging 7.3 points (37) on 78.3 percent shooting (18-23) over the last five contests. He also is averaging 4.8 rebounds over this stretch (24).
• Junior Aaron Jordan has increased his scoring average by 8.4 points, currently ranking fourth on the team at 9.4 ppg after averaging just 1.0 points last year as a sophomore.
• Jordan ranks second in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting at 52.2 percent (36-69). He entered the year as a 30 percent career shooter from 3-point land.
• Jordan has scored in double figures in 10 games on the season after entering the year with two games in double digits through his first 55 career games.
• Jordan has totaled 36 three-pointers in 20 games after making 28 triples over his first two seasons.
• Senior Mark Alstork is averaging 8.0 rebounds over the last two games (16).
• With 17 points at Michigan followed by 13 points vs. Iowa, sophomore Kipper Nichols registered double figures in consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 24 and Nov. 28.
• Nichols ranks fourth in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 84.3 percent (43-51) and carries an active streak of 13 consecutive makes at the line.
