| Illinois Starters (from last game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Trent Frazier |
6-1 |
170 |
Fr. |
11.1 |
1.7 |
2.8 |
15.9 ppg over last 11 |
| G |
13 |
Mark Smith |
6-4 |
225 |
Fr. |
7.0 |
1.6 |
1.5 |
.805 FT% (33-41) |
| G |
24 |
Mark Alstork |
6-5 |
190 |
Gr. |
6.1 |
4.2 |
2.2 |
.783 FT% (36-46) |
| F |
12 |
Leron Black |
6-7 |
230 |
r-Jr. |
14.4 |
5.3 |
1.0 |
17 double-figure games |
| F |
43 |
Michael Finke |
6-10 |
235 |
r-Jr. |
10.2 |
5.2 |
1.1 |
Team-high 48 Off. Rebs. |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
225 |
r-So. |
9.2 |
4.5 |
0.5 |
CH 27 pts, 5 3FG vs. MSU |
| G |
3 |
Te'Jon Lucas |
6-1 |
180 |
So. |
5.5 |
2.0 |
3.1 |
18 steals |
| F |
4 |
Matic Vesel |
6-10 |
215 |
Fr. |
0.3 |
0.9 |
0.3 |
Native of Slovenia |
| G |
10 |
Drew Cayce |
6-1 |
175 |
r-So. |
0.7 |
0.7 |
0.0 |
UI walkon |
| F |
11 |
Greg Eboigbodin |
6-9 |
225 |
Fr. |
2.4 |
2.6 |
0.2 |
18-23 FG last 6 gms (.783) |
| G |
20 |
Da'Monte Williams |
6-3 |
190 |
Fr. |
4.3 |
3.3 |
1.3 |
Late 3 sealed GC win |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
210 |
Jr. |
8.9 |
3.0 |
0.8 |
2nd in B1G in 3FG% (.514) |
| 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: 119-38/.758 (5th year)
At Illinois: 10-11 (1st year)
Big Ten: 0-8
Series Notes vs. Indiana
Record: Indiana leads 90-86
Streak: Indiana W-4
Record in Champaign: Illinois leads 51-33
Streak in Champaign: Indiana W-2
Last Season's Meeting: #25 IND 96, ILL 80 // 1/7/17 at Bloomington
Underwood vs. Indiana: First meeting
Opening Tip
• Illinois continues its three-game homestand on Wednesday night, facing Indiana at State Farm Center (8 p.m., BTN).
• Illinois is in a stretch with five out of six at home after opening January with four out of five on the road.
• This is Illinois' fifth one-day prep of the season. The Illini have a total of seven on this year's schedule, with the last two one-day preps occurring back-to-back on Feb. 18-20 and Feb. 20-22.
• Illinois has led during the second half in eight of its 11 losses, including five times in eight Big Ten games.
• Sophomore Kipper Nichols scored a career-high 27 points on Monday against No. 6 Michigan State, becoming the sixth Illini player with a 20-point game this season.
• Freshman Trent Frazier has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games, averaging 15.9 points (175) and 2.1 steals (23) over that stretch.
• Junior Leron Black is averaging 14.8 points (59) on 69.2 percent shooting (27-39) over the last four games.
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 40.1 percent.
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 11 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
Fantastic Frosh
Freshman Trent Frazier has emerged over the last 13 games for the Illini. With his increased production, Frazier now ranks among the top Big Ten freshmen in a number of categories:
FRAZIER B1G STAT RANK – ALL GAMES
Points » 11.1 ppg (5th)
Assists » 2.8 apg (2nd)
Steals » 1.7 spg (2nd)
3-pointers » 1.3 avg. (4th)
FRAZIER B1G STAT RANK – B1G GAMES ONLY
Points » 12.6 ppg (2nd)
Assists » 4.0 apg (1st)
Steals » 1.4 spg (2nd)
3-pointers » 1.5 avg. (3rd)
Game 21 Notes from No. 6 Michigan State
• The Illini forced Michigan State into 25 turnovers, the most committed by the Spartans in the last 12 seasons (27 vs. Arizona, Nov. 23, 2005).
• Illinois scored 23 points off the 25 MSU turnovers.
• Sophomore Kipper Nichols scored a career-high 27 points on 9-14 shooting, which included a career-high five 3-pointers in eight attempts.
• Nichols became the sixth Illini player with a 20-point game this season.
• Freshman Trent Frazier tallied dougle digits for the fourth straight game and 10th time in the last 11 games, finishing with 13 points.
• Junior Leron Black made 6-of-10 from the field en route to 12 points, recording double figures for the fourth straight outing and eighth time in the last nine games.
Illinois Team Headlines
• Illinois' bench has outscored the opposition in 17 of 21 games on the season. In the most recent outing vs. Michigan State, the Illini bench outscored the Spartans, 31-14. Illini reserves are averaging 31.5 points, with the Illinois bench outscoring the opponent bench by an average of 13.7 points per game.
• Illinois ranks sixth in the country with an offensive rebounding rate of 37.5 percent.
• Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the NCAA in offensive rebounds (14.1 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 seventh in the NCAA in turnovers forced (18.2 per game). Illinois has forced 17 or more turnovers in 11 games, including four times in eight Big Ten games. Last year the Illini defense forced at least 17 turnovers in only five games.
• The Illini rank sixth nationally in turnover rate, forcing turnovers on 24 percent of opponent possessions.
• Illinois ranks 25th nationally in turnover margin (+3.6), while scoring 19.8 points per game off turnovers.
• Illinois ranks 53rd in the NCAA in steals (7.6 spg). Illinois has collected eight or more steals in 10 games. Last year the Illini tallied at least eight steals in only six games.
• Illinois leads the Big Ten and is 60th nationally in adjusted tempo by kenpom, averaging 71.1 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.
• Six different Illini have recorded a 20-point performance.
• The Illini rotation has nine players averaging at least 16 minutes per game.
Illini Player Trends
• Junior Leron Black has increased his scoring average by 6.3 points this season, currently leading the Illini at 14.4 ppg (15th in Big Ten) after averaging 8.1 ppg last year.
• Black has now averaged 15.2 points (137) over the last nine games, scoring in double figures eight times and leading the team in scoring four times.
• Black has scored in double figures in 17 of his 20 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 15 games and is shooting 55.3 percent on the year (54th in NCAA), compared to 45.3 percent from the field last year.
• Black is shooting 61.2 percent in 12 home games this season (71-116).
• 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 11 games, averaging 15.9 points (175) with 2.1 steals (23).
• Frazier ranked eighth on the Illini in scoring through the season's first 10 games at 5.8 ppg. Following the 11-game scoring binge he now ranks second on the team with an average of 11.1 points on the season.
• Frazier has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 13 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 4.0 assists (16) over the last four games.
• Junior Michael Finke is third on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game. He averaged 6.9 points last season.
• Finke ranks second on the Illini in rebounding at 5.2 rpg while leading the team with an average of 2.3 offensive boards (9th in B1G).
• Freshman Greg Eboigbodin is shooting 79.2 percent (19-24) during conference play.
• Jordan ranks second in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting at 51.4 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.
• Sophomore Kipper Nichols scored a career-high 27 points against Michigan State on Monday, registering double figures for the third time in the last five games.
• Nichols ranks fifth in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 83.9 percent (47-56).
Frontcourt Grads
Redshirt juniors Michael Finke and Leron Black have completed coursework in their undergraduate degree program of communication. They are now both enrolled in grad school for the 2018 spring semester, which began last week. Finke is pursuing a master's degree in recreation, sport and tourism while Black is in the master's program in education policy, organization and leadership.
