| 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. |
22.3 |
6.8 |
5.1 |
7 games of 22+ points (2nd in NCAA) |
| G |
1 |
Trent Frazier |
6-2 |
175 |
Sr. |
9.1 |
3.3 |
2.8 |
1,228 career pts (#30 at ILL) |
| G |
44 |
Adam Miller |
6-3 |
180 |
Fr. |
9.3 |
2.0 |
0.8 |
34.4% 3FG (22-64) |
| G |
20 |
Da'Monte Williams |
6-3 |
215 |
Sr. |
7.0 |
5.7 |
1.8 |
65.6% 3FG (21-32) |
| C |
21 |
Kofi Cockburn |
7-0 |
285 |
So. |
17.0 |
10.1 |
0.2 |
8 double-doubles (1st in NCAA) |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| F |
2 |
Connor Serven |
6-9 |
215 |
Fr. |
0.7 |
0.3 |
0.0 |
First year walkon |
| G/F |
3 |
Jacob Grandison |
6-6 |
205 |
r-Jr. |
2.6 |
2.6 |
0.8 |
50% FG (11-22) |
| 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. |
9.4 |
3.4 |
4.8 |
1st in assists in B1G play (6.7) |
| 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. |
1.3 |
1.7 |
0.3 |
4 pts, 3 reb in debut |
| F |
13 |
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk |
6-8 |
235 |
r-Fr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Made season debut Jan. 7 |
| F |
15 |
Giorgi Bezhanishvili |
6-9 |
245 |
Jr. |
6.2 |
3.3 |
0.9 |
62.3% FG (33-53) |
| G |
22 |
Austin Hutcherson |
6-6 |
175 |
r-Jr. |
– |
– |
– |
Out for season |
| G |
32 |
Tyler Underwood |
6-2 |
180 |
Gr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Working on 2nd grad. degree |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
215 |
Fr. |
1.2 |
1.0 |
0.6 |
6.2 mpg |
| C |
34 |
Jermaine Hamlin |
6-10 |
235 |
So. |
1.2 |
0.6 |
0.0 |
4 pts vs. MINN (12/15) |
Career Record: 165-79 (.676), 8th year
At Illinois: 56-52 (.519), 4th year
Series Notes vs. Maryland
Record: Maryland leads 11-6
Streak: Maryland W-2
Record at Champaign: Maryland leads 4-1
Streak at Champaign: Maryland W-3
Last Year's Meetings: #3 MD 59, ILL 58 (12/7/19 @MD) & #9 MD 75, #20 ILL 66 (2/7/20 @ILL)
Underwood vs. Maryland at Illinois / All-Time: 1-3 / 1-4
Opening Tips
• Entering a stretch with three of its next four at home, No. 12 Illinois carries a four-game winning streak into Sunday night's match-up vs. Maryland (7 p.m. CT, BTN).
• Illinois is 5-1 in Big Ten play, the program's best start since 2005 when the Illini won its first 15 league games.
• Illinois has won nine straight at State Farm Center. As part of that run, the Illini have won six in a row over Big Ten foes, its longest streak since also winning six consecutive B1G home games from Feb. 7, 2013-Jan. 4, 2014.
• Illinois ranks sixth in kenpom team rankings as well as No. 6 in offensive efficiency. Those are the program's highest ratings since the 2005 NCAA Runner-Up squad rated second overall with the nation's No. 3 offense.
• Illinois has improved to 17th in defensive efficiency, the program's highest rating since finishing 14th in 2014.
• Leading the Illini is first-team All-America candidate Ayo Dosunmu. Owning numbers of 22.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, Dosunmu is the only player in the nation averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists this season.
• Kofi Cockburn leads the NCAA with eight double-doubles on the year. He has registered double-doubles in five of six Big Ten contests and is averaging 20 points and 11.3 boards during league play on 70.8% shooting.
• Da'Monte Williams leads the nation in 3-point shooting (min. 20 attempts), connecting on 21-of-32 for 65.6%.
• Freshman Andre Curbelo leads the Big Ten in assists during league play at 6.7 apg.
Notes from the Last Time Out
• Illinois had a turnaround for the ages to notch its fifth straight victory over Northwestern, 81-56 on Thursday night, and win at Welsh-Ryan Arena for the second year in a row.
• Illinois improved to 5-1 in Big Ten play, its best start since 2005.
• Illinois trailed 43-28 at halftime, then won the second half 53-13.
• Illinois is the only team in the last 25 seasons to trail by 15+ points at halftime yet win by 20 or more (according to Stats Perform).
• Illinois became the first team to outscore a major conference opponent by 40+ points in a single half since March 5, 2003, when Kentucky outscored Vanderbilt by 43 in the second half of a 106-44 win (according to Stats Perform).
• Illinois held Northwestern to 8.3% (2-24) shooting in the second half.
• Every Illinois starter made as many or more shots than Northwestern's team in the second half.
• Illinois second-half runs included: 17-0, 8-0, 8-0, 7-0, 6-0, and 5-0.
• Kofi Cockburn had a double-double in the second half alone (13 pts, 10 reb) and equaled Northwestern's points total in the second half (13-13).
• Illinois' 25-point victory was its largest margin in Evanston since a 63-30 win on Feb. 19, 2000 when the Illini led 30-6 at halftime.
• Illinois had its second straight road win after trailing by 15+ (down 19-4 at Penn State on Dec. 23).
• Kofi Cockburn had 18 points and 12 rebounds, his 20th career double-double and eighth of the season. Cockburn is tied for the NCAA lead in double-doubles this season with Chattanooga's Malachi Smith.
Illini Dynamic Duo on Wooden Award Midseason List
Fighting Illini junior point guard Ayo Dosunmu and sophomore center Kofi Cockburn have been named to the Midseason Top 25 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Jan. 6.
Illinois is one of just three schools – and the lone Big Ten program – to have multiple student-athletes on the midseason list for the Wooden Award, which has been awarded annually since 1976 to the nation's most outstanding college basketball player. The Big Ten leads all conferences with six players on the Midseason Top 25, as chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on performances thus far during the 2020-21 season.
The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament, while the winner of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Aparil following the conclusion of the season.
On the Offensive
Illinois currently ranks sixth nationally in offensive adjusted efficiency (kenpom) at 116.8. 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 18th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 85.0 points.
Illinois ranks eighth 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 fifth in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (41.7%). Illinois is also one of the nation's best teams from 2-point range, shooting 57.3% to rank 22nd.
Illinois is at 52.4% overall, ranking ninth in the NCAA in field goal percentage. The Illini have made at least 50% in seven of the first 12 games.
» Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
