| Illinois Probable Starters (from last game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Trent Frazier |
6-1 |
170 |
So. |
14.6 |
2.5 |
2.9 |
32 pts. vs. WIS 2/8/18 |
| G |
11 |
Ayo Dosunmu |
6-5 |
185 |
Fr. |
14.2 |
4.6 |
2.9 |
20.0 ppg in last 6 |
| G |
20 |
Da'Monte Williams |
6-3 |
200 |
So. |
4.4 |
3.2 |
1.3 |
15 steals |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
220 |
r-Jr. |
7.6 |
3.5 |
1.3 |
18 pts vs. OSU 12/5/18 |
| F |
15 |
Giorgi Bezhanishvili |
6-9 |
235 |
Fr. |
11.0 |
5.1 |
0.9 |
15.3 ppg, .594 FG% last 3 |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
Alan Griffin |
6-5 |
180 |
Fr. |
3.1 |
1.8 |
0.4 |
8 pts, 2-3 FG at Iowa |
| G |
3 |
Drew Cayce |
6-1 |
175 |
r-Jr. |
0.4 |
0.6 |
0.2 |
Walkon in third year |
| F |
4 |
Zach Griffith |
6-6 |
210 |
So. |
0.0 |
0.8 |
0.3 |
Walkon former manager |
| G |
5 |
Tevian Jones |
6-7 |
205 |
Fr. |
2.7 |
1.3 |
0.3 |
Made three in last 2 games |
| G |
10 |
Andres Feliz |
6-2 |
185 |
Jr. |
6.6 |
1.9 |
2.2 |
10 pts in win over MINN |
| C |
12 |
Adonis De La Rosa |
7-0 |
260 |
Gr. |
3.2 |
2.3 |
0.3 |
12 pts, 4-6 FG at NW |
| F |
22 |
Anthony Higgs |
6-8 |
235 |
Fr. |
- |
- |
- |
Won 2 HS state titles in MD |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
210 |
Sr. |
9.2 |
4.7 |
1.7 |
.446 3FG (37-83) |
| G |
32 |
Tyler Underwood |
6-2 |
180 |
r-Jr. |
0.3 |
0.6 |
0.4 |
Son of Coach Underwood |
| C |
34 |
Samba Kane |
7-0 |
220 |
Fr. |
2.5 |
0.8 |
0.2 |
9 blocks in 75 mins. |
| G |
35 |
Samson Oladimeji |
6-4 |
200 |
Jr. |
0.3 |
0.8 |
0.3 |
Walkon in third year |
Career Record: 128-58/.688 (6th year)
At Illinois: 19-31/.380 (2nd year)
Series Notes vs. Wisconsin
Record: Illinois leads 110-87
Streak: Wisconsin W-13
Record in Champaign: Illinois leads 68-27
Streak in Champaign: Wisconsin W-6
Last Year's Meetings: WIS 75, ILL 50 (1/19/18 @WIS) // WIS 78, ILL 69 (2/8/18 @ILL)
Underwood vs. Wisconsin: 0-2
Opening Tips
• Illinois returns to Champaign for its lone home appearance over a four-game stretch that began Sunday at Iowa, facing Wisconsin on Wednesday night at State Farm Center (8 p.m. CT, BTN).
• Illinois is looking to halt the longest Wisconsin win streaks in series history (13) and in Champaign (6). The Illini last defeated the Badgers on Jan. 2, 2011, a 69-61 victory at State Farm Center. Wisconsin's current 13-game run equals the longest win streak ever by an Illini opponent (Purdue, Feb. 25, 1967-Feb. 15, 1975).
• Wednesday's game is a match-up of contrasting styles in league play, with Illinois leading the Big Ten in tempo (71.6 possessions), compared to Wisconsin at 14th (64.2 possessions). The Illini defense ranks second in the conference forcing a 21.7 turnover rate, but the Badgers offense excels at taking care of the ball, ranked second with a turnover rate of just 15.1 (kenpom).
• Freshman Ayo Dosunmu has been the Illini's leading scorer in each of the last six games, averaging 20 points (120) on 54.5 percent shooting (55-101) and 43.6 percent on 3-pointers (17-39), with four 20-point outings.
• Fellow freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili is averaging 14.4 points (72) and 5.8 rebounds (29) on 60.8 percent shooting (31-51) over the last five games, scoring at least 15 points three times.
• Illinois has played the No. 4-ranked schedule in the nation (kenpom).
• Illinois currently ranks 87th in defensive adjusted efficiency (kenpom), an improvement of 42 spots over last season's final defensive rating.
• The Illini's offensive rebound rate of 31.3 percent in conference play (kenpom) ranks fourth in the league.
• Illinois has either led (eight times), been tied (once), or trailed by two with the ball (once) during the second half in 10 of its 13 losses.
• Illinois is 350th in luck (kenpom), ranked fourth-to-last among all Div. I teams.
Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers
Head Coach Brad Underwood and his staff will be wearing Nikes on the State Farm Center sidelines during Wednesday's game, joining coaches from across the country who are trading in their dress shoes as part of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers Week (Jan. 21-27).
Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball Coaches. The program empowers coaches, their teams and communities to join the fight against cancer by participating in awareness efforts, advocacy programs and fundraising activities. Since the Coaches vs. Cancer program began in 1993, college and high school coaches have raised more than $115 million for the fight against cancer.
Mark your calendars for April 16. Coach Underwood, who is a member of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council, will once again host a fundraising dinner and auction at Gordyville in nearby Gifford, Illinois, with proceeds going toward the American Cancer Society. Ticket sales information and details coming soon.
Flyin' Illini Bobblehead Series Continues with Lowell Hamilton
To recognize the 30th anniversary of the 1988-89 Flyin' Illini squad that advanced to the Final Four, Fighting Illini Athletics has created a series of five former Flyin' Illini bobbleheads that will be featured at select home games this season: Kendall Gill (Jan. 10), Marcus Liberty (Jan. 16), Lowell Hamilton (Jan. 23), Kenny Battle (Feb. 2) and Nick Anderson (Feb. 5).
Wednesday's game vs. Wisconsin is Lowell Hamilton bobblehead night. Hamilton served as team co-captain during his senior season, ranking fourth on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.7 rpg). He scored in double figures in 27 games, led by career-high 24-point efforts in wins at LSU (Dec. 22, 1988), vs. No. 17 Georgia Tech (Dec. 29, 1988) and vs. No. 15 Iowa (March 8, 1989). Hamilton still ranks 29th on the Illinois all-time scoring list with 1,241 career points.
The entire five-player set is available for $39. Those who purchase the set will receive vouchers for each bobblehead, delivered via email approximately 48 hours prior to each game. The bobbleheads will be available for pick-up at State Farm Center at each respective player's game. For example, ticket holders who purchased a bobblehead for the Michigan game will show their voucher at State Farm Center on Jan. 10 to redeem their bobblehead. If you purchased multiple bobbleheads, the ticket holder will need to come to each game to redeem their vouchers.
Individual bobbleheads can be purchased in advance for $10 each, or on-site inside State Farm Center on game days for $15 each. In addition, each bobblehead will go on sale at GameDay Spirit for $25 the day after each bobble head game.
Bobbleheads must be claimed at the Marketing Table inside the State Farm Center West Lobby gate, or on the upper concourse on the North and South ends of State Farm Center on the designated pickup dates. A game ticket is required for entry to State Farm Center on game days and a voucher is required to get the bobblehead for that day. Bobbleheads will not be shipped.
» Complete Illinois-Wisconsin Notes
