Career Record: 164-79 (.675), 8th year
At Illinois: 55-52 (.514), 4th year
Series Notes vs. Northwestern
Record: Illinois leads 138-42
Streak: Illinois W-4
Record at Evanston: Illinois leads 63-28
Streak at Evanston: Illinois W-1
Last Year's Meetings: #24 ILL 75, NU 71 (1/18/20 @ILL) & ILL 74, NU 66 (2/27/20 @NU)
Underwood vs. Northwestern: 4-2
Opening Tips
• No. 12 Illinois carries a three-game winning streak into Thursday night's contest at Northwestern (8 p.m. CT, BTN).
• Illinois is off to a 4-1 start in Big Ten play for the first time since 2012.
• Illinois ranks sixth in kenpom offensive efficiency. That is the program's highest rating since the 2005 NCAA Runner-Up squad had the nation's No. 3 offense.
• Illinois' three losses came away from home to teams currently ranked in the top 15 with a combined record of 23-5.
• Leading the Illini is first-team All-America candidate Ayo Dosunmu. Owning numbers of 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, Dosunmu is the only player in the nation averaging at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists this season.
• Kofi Cockburn ranks second in the NCAA with seven double-doubles on the year. He has registered double-doubles in four of five Big Ten contests and is averaging 20.4 points and 11.2 boards in league play.
• Dosunmu and Cockburn are the fourth-highest scoring duo in the nation, combining for 39.9 points per game.
• Da'Monte Williams leads the nation in 3-point shooting (min. 20 attempts), connecting on 19-of-28 for 67.9%.
• Freshman Andre Curbelo leads the Big Ten in assists during league play at 6.6 apg.
On The Offensive
Illinois currently ranks sixth nationally in offensive adjusted efficiency (kenpom) at 116.1. That is the second-highest ranking ever for the program (since metric began tracking in 1997), behind only the 2005 NCAA runner-up squad that finished No. 3 in offensive efficiency.
The Illini are 20th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 87.3 points.
Illinois ranks seventh nationally in effective field goal percentage (59%). That is fueled by strong improvement from behind the arc to start the year, where the Illini currently rank seventh in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (41.8%). Illinois is also one of the nation's best teams from 2-point range, shooting 57.3% to rank 20th.
Illinois is at 52.7% overall, ranking eighth in the NCAA in field goal percentage. The Illini have made at least 50% in seven of the first 11 games.
Crashing the Glass
Illinois' emphasis on rebounding in the Underwood era continues to pay dividends. Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks 18th in the nation in defensive rebound rate, allowing opponents to claim just 20.5% of its misses. The Illini are third in the B1G and 45th nationally in offensive rebound rate, meanwhile, getting back 34.1% of missed shots.
Illinois ranks third in the NCAA while leading the B1G in rebound margin at +13.5 per game. Illinois has outrebounded four of its first five conference foes, including three by a double digits.
Dynamic Duo
Point guard Ayo Dosunmu and center Kofi Cockburn are one of the most prolific tandems in college basketball, combining to average 39.9 points per game. Dosunmu is the NCAA's seventh-leading scorer at 23.0 ppg, while Cockburn is 133th at 16.9 ppg. Here are the nation's top scoring duos to date this season:
1. 42.0 – Cameron Thomas (24.6) & Trendon Watford (17.4), LSU
T2. 40.0 – Cory Kispert (21.6) & Drew Timme (18.4), Gonzaga
T2. 40.0 – DeVante Jones (23.3) & Deanthony Tipler (16.7), Coastal Carolina
4. 39.9 – Ayo Dosunmu (23.0) & Kofi Cockburn (16.9), Illinois
T5. 39.8 – Hayden Brown (21.2) & Kaiden Rice (18.6), The Citadel
T5. 39.8 – Isiaih Mosley (22.1) & Gaige Prim (17.7), Missouri State
Notes from the Last Time Out
• Illinois defeated Purdue at home on Saturday by the score of 66-58, improving to 4-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2012.
• Illinois has now won six-straight Big Ten games at State Farm Center, its longest streak since also winning six consecutive league home games from Feb. 7, 2013-Jan. 4, 2014.
• Illinois has now won three straight over Purdue with an average margin of victory of 17 points. It is Illinois' largest margin vs. Purdue in a three-game winning streak since Jan. 8, 2005-Jan. 28, 2006 (+20.3).
• Illinois went on a game-changing 20-5 run over a 4:55 stretch of the second half (15:35-10:40) to flip a 6-point deficit (33-39) into a 9-point lead (53-44).
• Kofi Cockburn had 14 points on 7-of-9 from the field with 10 rebounds, his 19th career double-double and seventh this season (second in NCAA).
• Da'Monte Williams had 12 points and tied his career high with 10 rebounds, recording his second career double-double and second of the season.
• Williams was 3-of-5 shooting from three today. He leads the nation in 3-point shooting at 67.9% (min. 20 attempts). Williams is 9-of-12 from three in Big Ten play.
• Andre Curbelo had six highlight-reel assists to go along with 8 points. Curbelo leads the Big Ten in assists during league play at 6.6 apg.
» Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
