Illini Wrap Up Homestand Monday Against Monmouth
November 13, 2022 | Men's Basketball
Preview
| #23 ILLINOIS (2-0) vs. Monmouth (0-2) | |
|---|---|
| Date | Time | Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 | 8 p.m. CT |
| Location | Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center |
| Tickets | FightingIllini.com |
| Television | BTN (Kevin Kugler & Stephen Bardo) |
| Live Stream | foxsports.com/live/btn | FOX Sports App |
| Radio | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 135/195, SXM App 957 |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Printable Notes | Illinois | Monmouth |
| Pregame Press Conference | Coach Underwood (Nov. 13) |
| Stats | Illinois | Monmouth |
| Record Book | Illinois |
| Shop | Online Store | Auctions |
| Social Media | @IlliniMBB  | #Illini | @IlliniMBB  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
| Illinois Probable Starters | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G | 1 | Skyy Clark | 6-3 | 200 | Fr. | 6.5 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 10 pts, 5 reb vs Kansas City |
| G | 0 | Terrence Shannon Jr. | 6-6 | 215 | Sr. | 19.0 | 6.0 | 3.5 | 81.8% FT (18-22) |
| G | 15 | RJ Melendez | 6-7 | 205 | So. | 4.5 | 2.5 | 2.0 | Leads team with 4 steals |
| G/F | 24 | Matthew Mayer | 6-9 | 225 | Gr. | 6.0 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 7 pts, 4 reb in UI debut vs EIU |
| F | 33 | Coleman Hawkins | 6-10 | 225 | Jr. | 14.5 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 52.4% FG (11-21); 45.5% 3FG (5-11) |
| Off the Bench | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G | 1 | Sencire Harris | 6-4 | 160 | Fr. | 7.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 50% FG (3-6) |
| F | 2 | Connor Serven | 6-9 | 235 | Jr. | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | Academic All-Big Ten |
| G | 3 | Jayden Epps | 6-2 | 190 | Fr. | 7.5 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 13 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast vs Kansas City |
| G | 10 | Luke Goode | 6-7 | 200 | So. | 2.0 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 2021-22 stats; sidelined (foot surgery) |
| C | 12 | Brandon Lieb | 7-0 | 220 | Jr. | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | Academic All-Big Ten |
| G/F | 20 | Ty Rodgers | 6-6 | 200 | Fr. | 2.5 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 8 reb, 5 ast in college debut vs EIU |
| G | 22 | Paxton Warden | 6-4 | 180 | Fr. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Illinois state champion |
| F | 42 | Dain Dainja | 6-9 | 270 | r-So. | 18.5 | 12.5 | 0.0 | 2 double-doubles; 85% FG (17-20) |
Head Coach Brad Underwood
Career Record: 205-93 (.688), 10th year
At Illinois: 96-66 (.593), 6th year
Big Ten: 55-43 (.561)
Series Notes vs. Monmouth
All-Time Record: First meeting
Record at Champaign: Same
Streak: N/A
Last Meeting: N/A
Underwood vs. Monmouth: First meeting
Opening Tips
• Illinois concludes its three-game homestand on Monday night, facing Monmouth (8 p.m. CT, BTN).
• Dain Dainja is coming off a career performance on Friday night with 20 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots vs. Kansas City. It marked the first 20-15-5 performance by a Big Ten player in six years (Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff, 24-15-6 vs. Minnesota on 2/14/16), and the first by an Illini in at least the last 13 seasons.
• Dainja and Purdue's Zach Edey are the only two players in the country to average at least 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks through the first week of the season.
• Terrence Shannon Jr. is one of 12 NCAA players averaging at least 19 points, six rebounds and three assists.
• Illinois debuted at No. 23 in the Associated Press rankings. Head Coach Brad Underwood has Illinois ranked in three straight preseason polls for the first time since the 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.
• Illinois is a dramatically different team this season, welcoming three power-five transfers and a top-10 recruiting class to account for eight newcomers.
• Illinois must replace all five regular starters, its top five leading scorers, and a total of 10 players from last year's Big Ten champions. The Illini have lost 86% of its points, 80% of its rebounds, and 83% of its minutes played from a year ago.
• Illinois is the winningest team in the Big Ten over the last three seasons, registering a 44-16 mark in league play. The Illini won the regular season championship in 2022, led the conference in wins while adding a B1G Tournament crown in 2021, and finished one game back of the title in 2020.
Illini Through Two Games
• Illinois is fourth in the NCAA in blocked shots, averaging 8.5 bpg.
• Illinois has attempted 59 free throws, 20th among teams who have played two games.
• Illinois is allowing 52.5 points per game to rank 26th in scoring defense.
• Illinois is holding opponents to 33.1% shooting, ranking 33rd in field goal percentage defense.
• Illinois is eighth in 3-point defense, allowing just 16.7% shooting behind the arc.
• Dain Dainja is 10th in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 85%, making 17-of-20 shots.
• Dainja is one of three B1G players with two double-doubles (Edey-PUR, Key-OSU).
• Dainja is second in the Big Ten (Edey) and 10th in the NCAA in rebounds, averaging 12.5 rpg.
• Dainja's seven blocks are second in the Big Ten (Omoruyi-RUT).
• Terrence Shannon Jr. ranks sixth in the NCAA in both free throw makes (18) and attempts (22).
• Freshman Jayden Epps has six assists with just one turnover, standing fifth in the B1G in assist/turnover ratio.
Notes from Friday's 86-48 Win Over Kansas City
• Redshirt sophomore Dain Dainja recorded his second-straight double-double, scoring a career-high and game-high 20 points and grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds in 23 minutes of action.
• Dainja's 15 boards are the most by an Illini since Kofi Cockburn had 15 last year vs. Northwestern (2/13/22).
• Dainja also had a career-high 5 blocked shots, the most by an Illini since Cockburn had six rejections as a freshman vs. Indiana (3/1/20).
• Dainja shot 9-for-11 against the Roos, improving to 17-of-20 on the season from the field (85%)
• Senior Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 14 points and dished out a game-high five assists.
• Freshman Jayden Epps scored in double figures for the first time, totaling 13 points on 4-for-9 shooting, including two 3-pointers.
• Freshman Skyy Clark also notched double digits for the first time, scoring 10 to go along with five rebounds.
• Nine different Illini scored in the game, with four reaching 10+ points.
• Illinois allowed its fewest points since also holding Saint Francis PA to 48 last season (12/18/21).
• The Illinois bench outscored Kansas City 43-7. It was the most bench points by the Illini in a game in three years, since totaling 44 vs. Hampton on Nov. 23, 2019.
• The Illini defense forced 24 turnovers in the game, posting another number for the first time in three years. Lindenwood was the last UI opponent with 24 turnovers on Nov. 26, 2019.
• Illinois scored 28 points off the Kansas City turnovers, the most in a game since Nov. 12, 2021 vs. Arkansas State (also 28).
• The Illini held the Roos to just 31 percent (20-64) shooting from the field.
• Illinois grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, turning those boards into 18 second-chance points.
Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
