| Illinois Probable Starters (from last game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Trent Frazier |
6-1 |
170 |
So. |
14.7 |
2.5 |
2.7 |
18 pts vs. OSU 12/5/18 |
| G |
11 |
Ayo Dosunmu |
6-5 |
185 |
Fr. |
14.1 |
4.2 |
3.2 |
B1G FOW | 24 pts vs. MSU |
| G |
20 |
Da'Monte Williams |
6-3 |
200 |
So. |
3.8 |
3.4 |
1.1 |
19 steals |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
210 |
Sr. |
8.3 |
4.8 |
1.5 |
.391 3FG (43-110) |
| F |
15 |
Giorgi Bezhanishvili |
6-9 |
235 |
Fr. |
12.2 |
5.0 |
0.9 |
B1G POW | 35 pts vs. RUT |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
Alan Griffin |
6-5 |
180 |
Fr. |
2.8 |
1.5 |
0.3 |
8 pts, 2-3 3FG at Iowa |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
220 |
r-Jr. |
6.8 |
3.2 |
1.4 |
18 pts vs. OSU 12/5/18 |
| 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 is former manager |
| G |
5 |
Tevian Jones |
6-7 |
205 |
Fr. |
3.9 |
1.5 |
0.3 |
18 pts in win vs. Maryland |
| G |
10 |
Andres Feliz |
6-2 |
185 |
Jr. |
7.4 |
2.3 |
2.1 |
10.6 ppg in last five |
| C |
12 |
Adonis De La Rosa |
7-0 |
260 |
Gr. |
3.1 |
1.8 |
0.3 |
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 |
0.3 |
Son of Coach Underwood |
| C |
34 |
Samba Kane |
7-0 |
220 |
Fr. |
1.9 |
0.6 |
0.1 |
9 blocked shots |
| G |
35 |
Samson Oladimeji |
6-4 |
200 |
Jr. |
0.3 |
0.4 |
0.1 |
Third-year walkon |
Career Record: 132-60/.688 (6th year)
At Illinois: 23-33/.411 (2nd year)
Series Notes vs. Ohio State
Record: Illinois leads 105-78
Streak: Ohio State W-2
Record in Columbus: Ohio State leads 48-41
Streak in Columbus: Ohio State W-8
Last Meeting: #19 OSU 77, ILL 67 // Dec. 5, 2018 at Chicago
Underwood vs. Ohio State 0-2
Opening Tips
• After sweeping its three-game homestand, Illinois is on the road for three of its next four games, beginning Thursday at Ohio State (6 p.m. CT, ESPN2).
• For the first time in school history, Illinois has a pair of freshmen serving as its top-two leading scorers during conference play in Ayo Dosunmu and Giorgi Bezhanishvili. They are also the reigning recipients of the Big Ten's weekly awards.
• Thursday's meeting in Columbus features teams tied for the league's longest active winning streak, with both the Fighting Illini and Buckeyes winners of three straight (matched by Iowa).
• Illinois has a competitive record historically in trips to Columbus, with the Buckeyes owning just a 48-41 all-time edge on their home court. The Illini are only 2-14 at Value City Arena, however, posting a 1-point win in 2004 and a 2-point victory in 2009.
• Illinois enters Thursday's contest looking to win four straight Big Ten games for the first time since its four-game conference winning streak from Feb. 18-March 1, 2017.
• The Illini are 4-1 in their last five games and 5-3 over the last eight.
• After scoring a season-low 60 against Wisconsin on Jan. 23, Illinois is averaging 80.4 points over the last five games (402).
• Illinois has played the No. 7-ranked schedule in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy's ratings, while the Illini's average opponent NET rank is No. 3 nationally behind Kansas and Oklahoma.
• Illinois has climbed 42 spots in kenpom over the last month from 113th to its current ranking of 71st.
• There is only one team below .500 with a higher kenpom rank than the Illini (Penn State).
• Illinois checks in at 31st in T-Rank since Jan. 11, standing seventh among Big Ten teams.
• Illinois' transition game has produced an average of 18.8 points over the last five games (94).
• Illinois is 7-2 when allowing less than one point per possession (losses are Florida Atlantic and Northwestern).
• Illinois is shooting 37.3 percent from 3-point range over the last three games with an average of 8.3 makes (25-67), after shooting just 27.9 percent from behind the arc the previous three games with an average of 6.3 makes (19-68).
• Illinois games average 71.3 possessions, ranked 34th nationally (kenpom). Illinois and Iowa (66th) are the only Big Ten teams in the top 150 in tempo.
• Illinois has either led (nine times), been tied (twice), or trailed by two with the ball (once) during the second half in 12 of its 15 losses (exceptions are at Nebraska, vs. Michigan, at Iowa).
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.
• Illinois is the only Big Ten team with three players averaging at least 13 points during league play.
• After being held to single digits in back-to-back games Jan. 23-26, sophomore Trent Frazier is averaging 18.3 points over the last four games (73).
• Frazier is shooting 50 percent from 3-point range over the last five games (18-35), averaging 3.6 makes.
• Frazier recorded a season-high 30 points Jan. 30 at Minnesota. It marked his fourth 25+ point game of the season and came within two of his career high.
• Frazier made 10-of-14 from the field against the Gophers after combining to shoot just 28.6 percent the previous three games (10-35).
• Freshman Ayo Dosunmu has been the Illini's leading scorer in eight of the last 12 games, averaging 16.9 points (203) with six 20-point outings while shooting 55.3 percent on twos (57-103) during that stretch.
• 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 scored at least 15 points in six straight games from Dec. 29 through Jan. 20, the longest double-digits streak by an Illini freshman since Cory Bradford in 1999.
• Dosunmu is averaging 1.9 steals over the last nine games (17).
• Fellow freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili is averaging 15.6 points (140) on 59.2 percent shooting (58-98) over the last nine games, scoring in double figures six times with three 20-point performances.
• Bezhanishvili is shooting 65.1 percent over the last four games (28-43).
• Bezhanishvili is averaging 19.0 points through Illinois' six Big Ten home games (114) on 62.2 percent shooting (46-74).
• Senior Aaron Jordan is shooting 42.4 percent from 3-point range as an upperclassman (87-205) after shooting 33.3 percent from behind the arc his first two seasons (28-84).
• Jordan is averaging 5.3 rebounds over the last six games (32), and stands just three rebounds shy of the team lead for the season (4.8 rpg) after ranking fifth on the Illini in rebounding last year.
• Junior Andres Feliz is averaging 10.6 points over the last five games (53), reaching double figures three times.
• Illinois extended its league winning streak to three straight, its longest since winning four in a row from Feb. 18-March 1, 2017.
• Illinois equaled its season high in scoring, totaling 99 points on the afternoon.
• The Illini shot 49.3 percent, its best percentage in the last seven games.
• Illinois' offensive efficiency rating of 115.6 was its second-best mark in league play (kenpom).
• Illinois won its first overtime game of the Underwood era after dropping its first four OT contests.
• Giorgi Bezhanishvili set the Illinois freshman scoring record with 35 points on 14-of-18 shooting, breaking the previous record of 34 set by Deon Thomas on Dec. 3, 1990.
• Bezhanishvili scored 29 of his 35 after halftime on 12-of-13 shooting.
• Bezhanishvili's 35 points were the most by an Illini since Malcolm Hill had 40 vs. Northern Kentucky (Nov. 13, 2016).
• Bezhanishvili's 14 field goals were the most by an Illini in 27 seasons (Deon Thomas, 16, Dec. 30, 1991).
• Bezhanishvili became one of only two players in the nation this season and the only one from the six major conferences to score at least 35 points without attempting a 3-pointer.
• Sophomore Trent Frazier scored 17 points, his fourth straight game in double figures and highest point total at home since Dec. 15.
• Frazier made 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range, his fourth-straight game making at least three triples.
• Freshman Ayo Dosunmu had 12 points and a game-high six assists, equaling his most assists in league play.
• Senior Aaron Jordan scored in double figures for the first time in six games and second time in Big Ten play, tallying 10 points.
» Complete Illinois-Ohio State Game Notes (PDF)
