ILLINOIS (6-3, 0-1) vs. #5/7 Michigan (8-1, 1-0)
Date	Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019 | 8 p.m. CT
Location	Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center (15,544) | Fan Guide
Tickets	Buy Online | Promotions | Virtual Seating Map
Promotions	Illini 4 Pack (4 Tickets for $69) | Epilepsy Awareness Night
Television	BTN  (Kevin Kugler, Robbie Hummel & Olivia Dekker)
Live Stream	FoxSports.com & Fox Sports App
Radio	Fighting Illini Sports Network | Audio | TuneIn  | XM 372 (streaming 372)
Live Stats	FightingIllini.com
Printable Notes	Illinois | Michigan | Big Ten
2019-20 Stats	Illinois | Michigan | Big Ten
Underwood Press Conf.	Dec. 10
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Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 141-69 (.671), 7th year
At Illinois: 32-42 (.432), 3rd year
Big Ten: 11-28 (.282)

Series Notes vs. Michigan

Record: Illinois leads 87-85
Streak: Michigan W-4
Record at Champaign: Illinois leads 56-28
Streak at Champaign: Michigan W-1
Last Year's Meeting: #2 MICH 79, ILL 69 // Jan. 10, 2019 at Champaign
Underwood vs. Michigan at Illinois/All-Time: 0-2 / 0-3

Opening Tips

• Following Saturday's 59-58 heartbreaker at No. 3 Maryland, the Fighting Illini return home on Wednesday night, hosting No. 5 Michigan (8 p.m. CT, BTN).

• It will be Epilepsy Awareness Night at State Farm Center.

• Illinois plays three of its next four games at home to close out 2019. 

• Kofi Cockburn is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week, setting a program record with his third weekly freshman award from the league office. 

• This is the first time Illinois plays consecutive games against Top-5 teams since the 2005 NCAA Final Four, when it defeated No. 4 Louisville in the semifinal before falling to No. 2 North Carolina in the championship. 

• It is the first time the Illini play back-to-back Big Ten games against Top-5 foes, meanwhile, since the 1987 conference campaign, when Illinois lost a pair of one-possession games at No. 5 Purdue in overtime (Jan. 22, 1987) and at No. 4 Indiana (Jan. 28, 1987).  

• Illinois played outstanding defense on Saturday in College Park, holding No. 3 Maryland to just 33.3% shooting (21-63). It marked the lowest opponent field goal percentage in an Illini loss in more than 10 years, since Penn State shot 28.3% (13-46) on its way to a 38-33 victory in Champaign on Feb. 18, 2009.  

Epilepsy Awareness Night

The Illinois men's basketball program has teamed with the Epilepsy Foundation and Athletes vs. Epilepsy to promote awareness and raise funds in the fight against epilepsy during Wednesday's game vs. Michigan. Fighting Illini Assistant to the Head Coach Jamall Walker and his family have partnered with the Epilepsy Foundation to help spread the message after their son, Braylon, was diagnosed.

Fans entering State Farm Center at the West Main Entrance will receive purple wrist bands and an informational card about epilepsy. Purple pom-poms will be distributed throughout the 100-level of the arena. The Orange Krush student section will receive purple rally towels. The night will also include in-game educational elements about epilepsy, and a donation by Krush, who held a knockout tournament to raise money for Athletes vs. Epilepsy.

Cockburn B1G Freshman of the Week Again

Fighting Illini center Kofi Cockburn is the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week. He earned the honor after averaging 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 80% from the field (12-15) and nearly 89% from the line (8-9) in a pair of games last week.

This is already the third Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor for Cockburn, the most ever by an Illini dating back to 2010-11 when the league began honoring a weekly outstanding freshman performer.

Cockburn tied his career-high with 23 points in 23 minutes against Miami in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, marking his third 20-point game of the season. He shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the floor against the Hurricanes, the top mark by a Big Ten player this season, and the best by an Illini since 2016. He then tallied nine points and grabbed team-high eight rebounds in 22 minutes at No. 3 Maryland. 

Team Notables

• Illinois leads the nation in offensive rebound percentage (42.8%) and rebound margin (+15.7).

• Illinois lead the Big Ten and ranks 11th in the NCAA in scoring, averaging 83.9 points. 

• Illinois is 14th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (50%). That is fueled by 54.8% on 2-pointers, which is 38th nationally. 

• The Illini have one of the nation's highest scoring offenses despite ranking 310th nationally in 3-point attempts (152).

• Illinois is currently sixth in the nation in defensive free throw rate (18.7) and 50th in free throw rate (39.5). These are dramatic early-season improvements compared to last year, when the Illini ranked 338th in defensive free throw rate (42.4) and 272nd in free throw rate (29.5).

• Illinois has made 63 more free throws (163) than its opponents have attempted (100). The Illini are currently outscoring foes by an average of 10.6 points per game at the free throw line. 

• The Illini are 6-1 this season, and 26-3 in the Underwood era, when shooting better than the opponent.

• Illinois shot better than 60% from the field in five consecutive halves, beginning with the second half vs. The Citadel on Nov. 20 through the second half vs. Lindenwood on Nov. 26.

Player Headlines

• Kofi Cockburn's five double-doubles is tied for 11th in the NCAA, and ranks second among freshmen.

• Cockburn ranks 17th in the NCAA in rebounding – and No. 1 among freshmen – averaging 10.7 rpg. And he is ninth nationally in offensive rebounds with 4.1 offensive boards per game. 

• Cockburn is No. 2 in the nation in offensive rebound percentage (20.1%) and ranks 28th in defensive rebound percentage (28.2%).

• Cockburn leads the team in scoring (15.4 ppg), marking the second straight year that a freshman is the UI's leading scorer following Ayo Dosunmu last season. 

• Cockburn has scored in double figures in seven of nine games, with three 20-point outings. 

• Cockburn is 23rd nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.2).

• While Cockburn is shooting 64.7% at the foul line this season, he is 16-17 on FT over the last four games. 

• Sophomore Ayo Dosunmu is second on the Illini and ninth in the Big Ten in scoring at 15.0 ppg. He has reached double digits in six of nine games with three 20-point outings.

• Dosunmu is averaging 17.0 points, meanwhile, in six home games (102).

• Dosunmu is shooting 55.7% on twos (44-79).

• Dosunmu has eight steals over the last three games after totaling four steals through the first six games.

• Senior Andres Feliz has netted double figures in seven of nine games and is third on the team in scoring (12th in Big Ten), averaging 14.3 points.

• Feliz is third in Big Ten in free throws made with 41 and fourth in the league in attempts (52). He ranks fifth in the conference in free throw shooting at 78.8%.

• The 6-foot, 2-inch Feliz is 10th in the Big Ten – and first among B1G guards – in defensive rebounding (5.7 rpg).

• Feliz has tallied 27 assists with only 11 turnovers the last six games (2.5 ratio), a vast improvement over the 9 assists with 12 turnovers through his first three games.

• Junior Trent Frazier is averaging 14.7 points (44) while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range (11-22) with an average of 3.7 made treys over the last three games.

• After starting the year 0-7 on 3-pointers, Frazier is shooting 51.4% from 3-point range (18-35) over the last seven games. 

• Frazier now ranks sixth in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting at 42.9% on the season (18-42).

• Sophomore Giorgi Bezhanishvili averaged 11.5 points (46), 6.5 rebounds (26) and 3.3 assists (13) while shooting 70.8% from the field (17-24) over a four-game stretch prior to Maryland.

• Bezhanishvili is 5-8 from 3-point range through nine games (62.5%) after going 5-30 from behind the arc as a freshman (16.7%).

• Junior Da'Monte Williams is averaging 6.6 points (33) and 6.6 rebounds (33) over the last five games, compared to 1.5 ppg and 3.0 rpg through the first four contests.

Last Time Out

Illinois suffered a heartbreaker in College Park, leading nearly the entire way in pursuit for its first road win over a top-3 team in 30 years before falling on a free throw with 2.1 seconds remaining.

Maryland made a 3-pointer on its second possession of the game to take a 3-2 lead, but that would be the last time the Terps held the lead until the final seconds as the Illini controlled the majority of the contest. 

Illinois held Maryland without a basket for nearly five minutes, going on a 10-0 spurt to open up an 18-5 lead. Illinois closed the half ahead by 14 after shooting 47.1 percent for its 39 points while holding the hosts to just 25 points on 30.3 percent overall and 21.4 percent from behind the arc.

Maryland tightened up its defense after halftime and awoke the Xfinity Center crowd, but the Illini remained in control, leading 57-50 with three minutes remaining.

The Terps made the plays in crunch time, however. A 3-pointer by Jalen Smith and layup by Donta Scott surrounded missed three attempts by the Illini, making it a 2-point game. Trent Frazier then made the first of two free throws to push it to 58-55 with 1:42 remaining.

Both teams came up empty on their next possession, setting up the end. The Illini defended the Terps well, forcing a broken play. But Anthony Cowan rose up from 30+ feet and swished a 3-pointer to tie it at 58-all.

Andres Feliz tried to drive for the win but was stripped and then called for a late foul as the ball came loose. Cowan made the first free throw and purposely missed the second to force an Illini heave beyond halfcourt at the buzzer.

Trent Frazier led the Illini in scoring for the first time this season, netting 13 points. Andres Feliz also finished in double digits with 11, while Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn added nine apiece. 

» Complete Illinois-Michigan Notes (PDF)