| Illinois Probable Starters (from last game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
11 |
Ayo Dosunmu |
6-5 |
185 |
So. |
15.8 |
4.0 |
3.4 |
17.1 ppg last 7 games |
| G |
1 |
Trent Frazier |
6-2 |
175 |
Jr. |
10.0 |
2.0 |
2.0 |
16-33 3FG last 5 games |
| G |
20 |
Da'Monte Williams |
6-3 |
210 |
Jr. |
2.1 |
3.9 |
1.2 |
Started last 14 games |
| F |
15 |
Giorgi Bezhanishvili |
6-9 |
235 |
So. |
8.2 |
5.0 |
2.0 |
1.8 off. rebs. per game |
| C |
21 |
Kofi Cockburn |
7-0 |
290 |
Fr. |
14.0 |
9.2 |
0.6 |
7x B1G Frosh of Week |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
Alan Griffin |
6-5 |
195 |
So. |
8.3 |
4.3 |
0.4 |
38.4 3FG% (28-73) |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
220 |
r-Sr. |
3.7 |
2.2 |
0.7 |
11 pts vs. MD 12/3/17 |
| F |
4 |
Zach Griffith |
6-6 |
210 |
Jr. |
0.8 |
0.5 |
0.1 |
Academic All-B1G |
| G |
5 |
Tevian Jones |
6-7 |
205 |
So. |
0.3 |
0.6 |
0.1 |
18 pts vs. MD 1/26/19 |
| G |
10 |
Andres Feliz |
6-2 |
195 |
Sr. |
11.1 |
4.8 |
3.0 |
16.3 ppg last 3 games |
| F |
13 |
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk |
6-8 |
235 |
Fr. |
1.2 |
1.1 |
0.7 |
6.4 min. per game |
| G |
32 |
Tyler Underwood |
6-2 |
180 |
Gr. |
0.8 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
2-5 from three |
| C |
34 |
Jermaine Hamlin |
6-10 |
235 |
Fr. |
1.2 |
1.0 |
0.1 |
6-8 FG |
| F |
35 |
Samson Oladimeji |
6-4 |
210 |
Sr. |
0.3 |
0.4 |
0.0 |
2-time Academic All-B1G |
| Sitting Out 2019-20 Season (NCAA Transfers) |
| G/F |
3 |
Jacob Grandison |
6-6 |
200 |
Jr. |
13.9* |
5.0* |
2.9* |
'18-19 stats from Holy Cross |
| G |
22 |
Austin Hutcherson |
6-6 |
175 |
Jr. |
20.0* |
5.6* |
3.2* |
'18-19 stats from Wesleyan |
Career Record: 151-72 (.677), 7th year
At Illinois: 42-45 (.483), 3rd year
Big Ten: 19-30 (.388)
Series Notes vs. Maryland
Record: Maryland leads 10-6
Streak: Maryland W-1
Record at Champaign: Maryland leads 3-1
Streak at Champaign: Maryland W-2
Last Meeting: #3 MD 59, ILL 58 (12/7/19 at College Park)
Underwood vs. Maryland at Illinois/All-Times: 1-2 / 1-3
Opening Tips
• No. 20 Illinois is set for a marquee two-game homestand, beginning with No. 9 Maryland in the first-ever Friday night Big Ten game held at State Farm Center (7 p.m. CT, FS1).
• Friday's meeting is a first-place showdown, with the Illini and Terrapins entering the game tied atop the conference standings at 8-3. This is the latest in a season that Illinois has been in first since Feb. 13, 2010.
• The matchup between No. 20 Illinois and No. 9 Maryland marks the first game in Champaign where both teams are ranked since Jan. 9, 2013, when No. 8 Minnesota defeated the No. 12 Illini, 84-67.
• This is Illinois' first game against a top-10 opponent since Dec. 11, when the Illini defeated No. 5 Michigan in Champaign, 71-62. Illinois has won its last two home games against top-10 teams, beginning with a 79-74 victory over No. 9 Michigan State last season (Feb. 5, 2019).
• Illinois will play in front of a sellout crowd for the second straight home game. Four of the five remaining games at State Farm Center are sold out, with the Feb. 24 Nebraska contest the only date left with tickets still available.
• Illinois has just one loss at State Farm Center this year and is 12-1 at home for the first time since 2014-15.
• Illinois has opened Big Ten play with five home wins for the first time since 2009, when it won its first six.
• Illinois trails only West Virginia for the largest turnaround so far this season among schools from the six major conferences (+9.5), and is tied for sixth across all of Div. I for most improved teams.
• Illinois has surpassed last year's win total by four games and last seasons's B1G win total by one game.
• Illinois is off to its best Big Ten start since 2010, when it also stood at 8-3 through 11 games. Illinois is aiming for its first 9-3 league record since 2010.
• Illinois leads the Big Ten in scoring defense during league play, allowing 61.2 ppg. The Illini rank second in both field goal percentage defense (.388) and 3-point percentage defense (.288) in conference games.
• Illinois is in a current stretch of five-straight Quad 1 games that began last Sunday at Iowa.
• Seven of Illinois' remaining nine regular season games are either Quad 1 (6) or Quad 2 (1).
• Illinois currently has five Quad 1 wins – with three of those coming on the road. The Illini's home win over Michigan, meanwhile, recently slipped from Quad 1 to Quad 2.
• Illinois is ranked for the fourth straight week in the Associated Press poll, checking in at No. 20. This is Illinois' longest streak since appearing in eight straight AP polls from Nov. 26, 2012-Jan. 14, 2013.
• Illinois' defense has allowed an average of just 61.1 points on 39.4% shooting and 31.6% from 3-point range over the last 14 games, helping the Illini to a 10-4 record during that stretch.
• Illinois is averaging just 9.6 turnovers over the last 10 games, tallying single digits in seven of those contests while going 8-2.
• Illinois ranks fourth in the NCAA in rebound margin (+9.4). Illinois has outrebounded its opponent in 16 of 22 games, and 10 times by double digits.
• Illinois ranks seventh nationally in offensive rebound rate (36.7%) and is averaging 12.0 second-chance ppg.
• The Illini are 15-1 this season, and 35-3 in the Underwood era, when shooting better than the opponent.
• Illinois has made 35 more free throws than its opponents have attempted on the season, and are currently outscoring foes by an average of 5.7 points per game at the foul line.
• Illinois is No. 18 in the nation in defensive free throw rate at 23.0% (FTA/FGA), a complete contrast from last season when the Illini defense ranked 338th out of 353 teams in that same category (42.4%).
Player Items
• Sophomore Ayo Dosunmu leads the team and is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring at 15.8 ppg. He has reached double digits in 18 of 22 games, with five 20-point performances.
• Dosunmu has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 13 games, including a career-long active streak of seven straight games.
• Dosunmu is averaging 17.1 points (120) and 4.6 assists (32) over the last seven games.
• Dosunmu is shooting 57.1% from 3-point range over the last three games (4-7), his top percentage over a three-game stretch this season.
• Kofi Cockburn has nine double-doubles, ranking third among all freshmen nationally behind Duke's Vernon Carey and Memphis' Precious Achiuwa (11 each).
• Cockburn has tallied double-doubles in three of the last six games.
• Cockburn ranks 51st in the NCAA in rebounding – and No. 3 among freshmen – averaging 9.2 rpg.
• Cockburn is 21st nationally in offensive rebound percentage (15.0).
• Cockburn is averaging 3.5 offensive rebounds over the last six games (21).
• Cockburn is 44th nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (6.3) and 89th in free throw rate (55.6).
• Cockburn has scored in double figures in 17 of 22 games, with five 20-point outings.
• Cockburn is shooting 84% from the foul line over the last six games, making 21-of-25. And he is 75.3% at the line over the last 17 games (64-85).
• Junior Trent Frazier is averaging 13.8 points (69) and shooting 47.1% from 3-point range (16-34) while averaging 3.2 made threes over the last five games, scoring in double figures all five times.
• Frazier's streak of five straight games in double figures is his longest of the season.
• Frazier has made at least two 3-pointers in each of the last five games.
• Senior Andres Feliz is averaging 16.3 points (49) and 6.3 rebounds (19) over the last three games while shooting 54.9% from the field (17-31) and 92.9% from the foul line (13-14).
• Feliz has scored in double figures in four of the last five contests.
Marked Improvement
Illinois equaled its win total from all of last season (12) on Jan. 11, and needed just nine conference games to match its win total from last year's campaign (7). The Illini are one of the most improved teams in the country, tied for sixth nationally through Feb. 5 with a +9.5 improvement. That ranks second among teams from the six major conferences, trailing only West Virginia
1. Western Carolina, +13.0
2. Tulane, +11.0
3. Little Rock, +10.5
T4. West Virginia, +10.0
T4. UNC Asheville, +10.0
T6. ILLINOIS, +9.5
T6. Stephen F. Austin, +9.5
T6. Northern Iowa, +9.5
9. New Hampshire, +9.0
» Complete Illinois-Maryland Game Notes (PDF)
