LINCOLN, Neb. - The third-ranked Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team hits the road for a big-time matchup in Lincoln, Nebraska, against both No. 6 Nebraska and No. 1 Oklahoma. All three teams finished in the top five of last year's NCAA Team Finals, with OU claiming its fourth-straight national title. 

Scouting Nebraska 

Nebraska opened the 2019 season with a strong showing at the Rocky Mountain Open, defeating Minnesota, Ohio State, Arizona State and Air Force. A week ago, the Cornhuskers came up short to Penn State, 409.700-395.000, in their first dual meet of the season.  

The Illini lead the all-time series 40-24 over Nebraska. 

» Floor Exercise - 66.400 (T-12th)
» Pommel Horse - 65.900 (4th)
» Still Rings - 63.225 (15th)
» Vault - 70.975 (5th)
» Parallel Bars - 67.150 (5th)
» High Bar - 66.025 (4th)
» Team - 399.675 (7th)

Scouting the Sooners

Top-ranked Oklahoma enters the weekend after an impressive showing a week ago, as the Sooners registered the nation's top team score on their way to a 423.950-395.400 victory over No. 8 Ohio State. The victory increased OU's win streak to 105. 

Illinois is 8-50 all time against the Sooners. 

» Floor Exercise - 70.967 (1st)
» Pommel Horse - 67.183 (2nd)
» Still Rings - 70.233 (1st)
» Vault - 72.700 (1st)
» Parallel Bars - 68.450 (3rd)
» High Bar - 68.117 (1st)
» Team - 417.650 (1st)

Big Ten Opener

The Illinois men's gymnastics team used season-high scores on all six events to blow past Iowa, 410.450-398.800, on Saturday night at Huff Hall. The Orange and Blue move to 1-0 in the conference as they aim for the first-ever Big Ten regular season crown.

B1G Freshman of the Week x3

Clay Mason Stephens earned his second-straight B1G Freshman of the Week honor this week, as the Australia native finished second overall on both floor (14.050) and parallel bars (13.700) and earned top-five finishes on vault (14.500) and all-around (78.600). Thr parallel bars score of 13.700 marked a new career high.

The distinction is the third straight for an Illinois freshman, as fellow-freshman Michael Fletcher earned the honor on January 15. 

The Ring King

Alex Diab enters the weekend with 23 career titles on rings, just one away from breaking the Illini program history. Diab is tied with both Dave Romero and Kevin McMurchie. The senior also holds the Illini program's top scores (under the current scoring system) on both floor (15.000) and still rings (15.050).

Illinois to Host 2019 NCAA Championships 

The 2019 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships will be April 19-20, 2019 at the State Farm Center. It will mark the first time Illinois has hosted the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships since 2004. To purchase tickets, click here.