| Illinois Probable Starters (from the last game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
11 |
Ayo Dosunmu |
6-5 |
200 |
Jr. |
23.8 |
7.3 |
6.3 |
47.1% 3FG (8-17) |
| G |
1 |
Trent Frazier |
6-2 |
175 |
Sr. |
9.0 |
4.0 |
2.8 |
1,155 career pts (#37 UI) |
| G |
44 |
Adam Miller |
6-3 |
180 |
Fr. |
14.5 |
2.3 |
1.0 |
65% 2FG (13-20) |
| G |
20 |
Da'Monte Williams |
6-3 |
215 |
Sr. |
7.0 |
7.8 |
2.5 |
63.6% 3FG (7-11) |
| C |
21 |
Kofi Cockburn |
7-0 |
285 |
So. |
13.0 |
9.8 |
0.3 |
3 double-doubles |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| F |
2 |
Connor Serven |
6-9 |
215 |
Fr. |
1.0 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
First year walkon |
| G/F |
3 |
Jacob Grandison |
6-6 |
205 |
r-Jr. |
3.0 |
3.8 |
1.5 |
10 pts, 8 reb in UI debut |
| F |
4 |
Zach Griffith |
6-6 |
220 |
Sr. |
0.7 |
0.7 |
0.0 |
2x Academic All-B1G |
| G |
5 |
Andre Curbelo |
6-1 |
175 |
Fr. |
10.0 |
3.3 |
2.8 |
11 pts, 4 ast vs Baylor |
| G |
10 |
Edgar Padilla Jr. |
6-1 |
165 |
Fr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
First year walkon |
| C |
12 |
Brandon Lieb |
7-0 |
210 |
Fr. |
2.0 |
2.5 |
0.5 |
4 pts, 3 reb in debut |
| F |
13 |
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk |
6-8 |
235 |
r-Fr. |
– |
– |
– |
Played in 9 G last year |
| F |
15 |
Giorgi Bezhanishvili |
6-9 |
245 |
Jr. |
7.5 |
3.8 |
1.3 |
15 pts, 7-10 FG vs Baylor |
| G |
22 |
Austin Hutcherson |
6-6 |
175 |
r-Jr. |
20.0* |
5.6* |
3.2* |
'18-19 stats from Wesleyan |
| G |
32 |
Tyler Underwood |
6-2 |
180 |
Gr. |
– |
– |
– |
Working on 2nd grad. degree |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
215 |
Fr. |
1.3 |
2.0 |
0.8 |
7.5 mpg |
| C |
34 |
Jermaine Hamlin |
6-10 |
235 |
So. |
0.5 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
2 pts, 1 reb vs Chicago St. |
Career Record: 159-77 (.674), 8th year
At Illinois: 50-50 (.500), 4th year
Series Notes vs. Duke
Record: Duke leads 5-2
Record at Durham: Illinois leads 1-0
Record in ACC/Big Ten Challenge: Duke leads 2-0
Last Meeting: #13 DUKE 79, ILL 66 (11/20/2007 @Maui)
Underwood vs. Duke: First meeting
Opening Tips
• No. 6 Illinois returns to the court for the first time in six days, traveling to Durham, N.C. to face No. 10 Duke Tuesday night in the 22nd annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge (8:30 p.m. CT, ESPN).
• Leading the Illini is preseason All-American Ayo Dosunmu. Owning early-season numbers of 23.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, Dosunmu is one of only two players in the NCAA currently averaging at least 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The other is Oklahoma's Austin Reaves, who through two games is averaging 20.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 6.5 apg. Davion Warren of Hampton, meanwhile, totaled 20 points, 10 boards and 6 assists in the Pirates' lone game to date.
• Dosunmu currently ranks fifth nationally with a 134.6 offensive rating (kenpom). He opened the season by scoring 20+ in three straight games, the longest streak of his career, and most recently had a game-high 18 points vs. No. 2 Baylor.
• Illinois is 8-13 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and 3-6 on the road. The Illini are aiming for its first Challenge victory since beating N.C. State at home in 2016.
• Illinois is in a top-10 match-up for the second straight game after falling to No. 2 Baylor last week in the Jimmy V Classic when the Illini stood at No. 5.
• Illinois is 27-27 all-time in top-10 match-ups, with its last win a 60-50 home victory while ranked sixth over No. 7 Michigan State on Jan. 5, 2006. The Illini are just 2-11 in top-10 match-ups on the road, with both wins posted in the span of one week by the 1989 Flyin' Illini:
No. 8 Illinois 70, No. 3 Indiana 67 – 3/5/89, Bloomington, Ind.
No. 4 Illinois 89, No. 8 Michigan 73 – 3/11/89, Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Illinois' last victory over a top-10 team came last season, a 62-56 win at No. 9 Penn State (2/18/20).
• The Illini have recorded a total of three top-10 wins during Coach Underwood's tenure, also defeating No. 5 Michigan last season (12/11/19), with the initial marquee win over No. 9 Michigan State (2/5/19).
• Illinois is 60-153 all-time against top-10 foes, including 11-73 on the road.
• Illinois, meanwhile, is 309-98 all-time when ranked in the top 10, including 76-66 on the road.
Illini-Duke Series History
Duke leads the all-time series 5-2 over Illinois, which includes a four-game winning streak. The programs are meeting for the first time since the semifinals of the 2007 Maui Invitational, a 79-66 Duke victory.
Brad Underwood is the fifth head coach to lead Illinois in a game against Duke, while the Blue Devils have been coached by Mike Krzyzewski during all eight games of the series that dates back to Nov. 29, 1986.
The teams met in the first two ACC/Big Ten Challenge match-ups, a 3-point Duke win in 1999 at Chicago's United Center and a 1-point Duke victory in 2000 at Greensboro Coliseum. The programs played once during the NCAA Tournament, a 72-62 Duke win in the 2004 Sweet Sixteen.
Illinois' biggest win in the series was a 75-65 victory on Dec. 2, 1995 in its only previous trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium, as Lou Henson's Illini snapped the Blue Devils' 95-game non-conference homecourt winning streak. It remains one of only 10 non-ACC home losses in Coach K's 41-year career.
Previous Illini Games vs. Duke
• Nov. 27, 2007 – #13 Duke 79, Illinois 66 (Lahaina, Hawaii; Maui Invitational Semifinal)
Brian Randle led Illini with 16 points … Calvin Brock added 14 points off the bench … Duke advanced to Maui Invite title game where it defeated Marquette, while Illini defeated Oklahoma State in third place game.
• March 26, 2004 – #6 Duke 72, #13 Illinois 62 (Atlanta; NCAA Regional Semifinal)
Roger Powell and James Augustine had 15 points and 8 rebounds apiece … Deron Williams and Augustine battled foul trouble throughout the game … Duke advanced to the Elite Eight where it defeated Xavier for a trip to the Final Four.
• Nov. 28, 2000 – #1 Duke 78, #9 Illinois 77 (Greensboro, N.C.; ACC/Big Ten Challenge)
Peoria trio led Illini: Frank Williams 19 points … Marcus Griffin 16 points, 9 boards … Sergio McClain double-double with 11 points and game-high 11 rebounds.
• Nov. 30, 1999 – #17 Duke 72, #16 Illinois 69 (Chicago; ACC/Big Ten Challenge)
Frank Williams and Cory Bradford had 14 points each, but combined to shoot just 9-of-36 from the field.
• Dec. 2, 1995 – Illinois 75, #12 Duke 65 (Durham, N.C.)
Illini ended Duke's 95-game non-conference home winning streak … Kiwane Garris had 18 points … Illini won despite going 10-25 at the foul line.
• Dec. 3, 1994 – #6 Duke 70, Illinois 65 (Chicago)
First college basketball game ever played at the United Center … Kiwane Garris game-high 19 points .
• Nov. 29, 1986 – #14 Illinois 69, Duke 62 (Laie, Hawaii; BYU-Hawaii Thanksgiving Classic Championship)
Ken Norman double-double with game highs of 22 points and 13 rebounds … First season of the 3-point line saw Illinois make 1-of-4 in the game while Duke went 2-for-5.
Illini ACC/Big Ten Challenge Notes
• Illinois is 8-13 all-time in the Challenge. The Illini's eight victories are tied for the sixth-most wins by any Big Ten team in the event (excludes Maryland).
• Illinois faces Duke, the winningest team in Challenge history. The Blue Devils are 19-2 in the Challenge – including a perfect 9-0 at home – and own an eight-game winning streak in the event.
• Illinois has dropped three straight in the Challenge, looking for its first victory since defeating N.C. State at home in 2016.
• Illinois is 3-6 on the road in the Challenge, looking for its first road victory since 2011 at Maryland.
• Illinois and Duke met in the first two Challenge contests, both Blue Devil victories: 1999 in Chicago and 2000 in Greensboro.
• Illinois is ranked for the 11th time in the Challenge, and first since 2014 (No. 24).
• Illinois is in a ranked match-up for the eighth time in the Challenge, and first since 2014 (loss at No. 15 Miami when ranked 24th) after six straight ranked match-ups to start the event.
Illini By the Numbers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Record: 8-13
Current streak: L-3
At home: 5-4
On the road: 3-6
At neutral sites: 0-3
When ranked: 5-5
When unranked: 3-8
When playing a ranked opponent: 3-6
When playing an unranked opponent: 5-7
When both teams are ranked: 2-5
When neither team is ranked: 2-7
Longest winning streak: 4 (2009-12)
Longest losing streak: 3, four times (1999-2001, 2006-08, 2013-15, 2017-19)
Largest winning margin: 27 points (2002)
Smallest winning margin: 2 points (2009)
Largest losing margin: 13 points (2001)
Smallest losing margin: 1 point (2000)
» Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
