| Illinois Probable Starters (from last game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Trent Frazier |
6-1 |
170 |
So. |
14.3 |
2.4 |
2.8 |
1.8 spg (2nd in B1G) |
| G |
11 |
Ayo Dosunmu |
6-5 |
185 |
Fr. |
13.9 |
4.4 |
3.0 |
15.3 ppg in B1G play |
| G |
20 |
Da'Monte Williams |
6-3 |
200 |
So. |
4.4 |
3.4 |
1.2 |
16 steals |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
210 |
Sr. |
9.2 |
4.8 |
1.7 |
.438 3FG (39-89) |
| F |
15 |
Giorgi Bezhanishvili |
6-9 |
235 |
Fr. |
11.5 |
5.2 |
0.9 |
13.9 ppg in B!G play |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
Alan Griffin |
6-5 |
180 |
Fr. |
2.9 |
1.7 |
0.4 |
8 pts, 2-3 3FG at Iowa |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
220 |
r-Jr. |
7.2 |
3.4 |
1.3 |
31 pts at MSG last year |
| 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 |
0.7 |
0.3 |
Walkon is former manager |
| G |
5 |
Tevian Jones |
6-7 |
205 |
Fr. |
2.5 |
1.3 |
0.3 |
8 pts, 4 reb vs UE |
| G |
10 |
Andres Feliz |
6-2 |
185 |
Jr. |
6.5 |
1.9 |
2.2 |
19 pts, 7-11 FG vs. UNLV |
| C |
12 |
Adonis De La Rosa |
7-0 |
260 |
Gr. |
3.1 |
2.1 |
0.2 |
Grad transfer from Kent St. |
| F |
22 |
Anthony Higgs |
6-8 |
235 |
Fr. |
- |
- |
- |
Won 2 HS state titles in MD |
| 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. |
2.3 |
0.8 |
0.2 |
9 blocked shots |
| G |
35 |
Samson Oladimeji |
6-4 |
200 |
Jr. |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.0 |
Third-year walkon |
Career Record: 128-59/.684 (6th year)
At Illinois: 19-32/.373 (2nd year)
Series Notes vs. Maryland
Record: Maryland leads 9-5
Streak: Maryland W-4
Record at Neutral Sites: Illinois leads 3-2
Record at Madison Square Garden: Illinois leads 1-0
Last Year's Meeting: Maryland 92, Illinois 91 (OT) // 12/3/17 at Champaign // Box Score
Underwood vs. Maryland at Illinois: 0-1
Underwood vs. Maryland All-Time: 0-2
Opening Tips
• Illinois plays consecutive games away from home beginning Saturday afternoon, taking on No. 13 Maryland at Madison Square Garden (11 a.m. CT, BTN).
• Illinois' trip to New York City is part of the fourth annual Big Ten Super Saturday – College Hoops and Hockey doubleheader. The event features the Illini vs. Terrapins basketball game followed by a Michigan-Penn State hockey game, both taking place on the same day at The Garden.
• Saturday's game also is part of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers Week.
• Illinois is looking to snap a 15-game skid against Top 25 teams, aiming for its first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 20 Iowa, 68-66, in the 2016 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis (March 10, 2016).
• Freshman Ayo Dosunmu has been the Illini's leading scorer in six of the last seven games, averaging 18.3 points (128) with four 20-point outings.
• Fellow freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili is averaging 15.3 points (92) and 6.2 rebounds (37) on 60 percent shooting (39-65) over the last six games, scoring at least 15 points four times.
• This is the first time in school history that Illinois has a pair of freshmen (Dosunmu-1, Bezhanishvili-2) serving as its top two leading scorers during conference play.
• Illinois has played the No. 5-ranked schedule in the nation (kenpom).
• Illinois currently ranks 86th in defensive adjusted efficiency (kenpom), an improvement of 43 spots over last season's final defensive rating.
• The Illini's offensive rebound rate of 31.4 percent in conference play (kenpom) ranks fourth in the league.
• Illinois has either led (eight times), been tied (twice), or trailed by two with the ball (once) during the second half in 11 of its 14 losses.
• Illinois is 351st in luck (kenpom), ranked third-to-last among all Div. I teams.
Illinois at The Garden
Illinois has played 11 games all-time at Madison Square Garden, compiling a 3-8 record:
Dec. 27, 1973 ^ St. John's 76, Illinois 60
Dec. 29, 1973 ^ Duquesne 85, Illinois 83
March 17, 1980 # Minnesota 65, Illinois 63
March 19, 1980 # Illinois 84, UNLV 77
Nov. 10, 1998 * Wake Forest 75, Illinois 73 (OT)
Nov. 11, 1998 * Illinois 65, Georgetown 50
Dec. 9, 2003 % Providence 70, Illinois 51
Nov. 18, 2010 & Texas 90, Illinois 84 (OT)
Nov. 19, 2010 & Illinois 80, Maryland 76
Dec. 9, 2014 % Villanova 73, Illinois 59
Feb. 28, 2018 $ Iowa 96, Illinois 87
^ = Holiday Festival
# = National Invitation Tournament
*= Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
% = Jimmy V Classic
& = 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer
$ = Big Ten Tournament
Illinois has four players on its current roster with playing experience at The Garden, all in last year's Big Ten Tournament first-round defeat to Iowa (Feb. 28, 2018). In that game, Kipper Nichols scored a career-high 31 points, Trent Frazier had 13 points, six assists and three steals, Aaron Jordan added six points, and Da'Monte Williams recorded two blocked shots.
Illinois is taking on Maryland for the second time at The Garden. The teams played in the consolation game of the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer on Nov. 19, 2010, an 80-76 Illini victory.
Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers Week (Jan. 21-27)
Head Coach Brad Underwood and his staff will be wearing Nikes on the sidelines at The Garden during Saturday'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.
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.
Illini Player Trends
• This is the first time in school history that Illinois has two freshmen (Ayo Dosunmu-2 and Giorgi Bezhanishvili-3) among its top three season-leading scorers.
• Illinois has three underclassmen (So. Trent Frazier-1, Fr. Ayo Dosunmu-2, Fr. Giorgi Bezhanishvili-3) ranking as its top three leading scorers for the first time since the 2008-09 season (So. Demetri McCamey-1, So. Mike Davis-2, So. Mike Tisdale-3).
• Illinois is the only Big Ten team whose top three leading scorers on the season are all underclassmen.
• Freshman Ayo Dosunmu recorded at least 20 points four times in five games from Dec. 29-Jan. 16, becoming the first Illini freshman ever to record four 20-point performances over a five-game stretch.
• Dosunmu's 105 points during that five-game stretch was the highest total by an Illini freshman in 20 years, since Cory Bradford also scored 105 over five consecutive games as a redshirt freshman from Jan. 30-Feb. 13, 1999.
• Dosunmu was the first Illini freshman, meanwhile, to score in double figures in six straight games since Bradford in 1999.
• Dosunmu has a 2.5 assist/turnover ratio the last two games (10 a-4 to) after posting a 0.5 ratio the previous three games (6 a-11 to).
• Fellow freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili is averaging 16.5 points (66) and 6.8 rebounds (27) over the last four games, with two 20-point performances.
• Bezhanishvili has grabbed six offensive rebounds in each of the last three games, now leading the Big Ten with an average of 3.6 offensive boards in league play.
• Over the last nine games, meanwhile, Bezhanishvili is averaging 13.8 points (124) on 56.5 percent from the field (52-92), reaching double figures seven times.
» Complete Illinois-Maryland Game Notes (PDF)
