| Illinois Probable Starters |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Skyy Clark |
6-3 |
200 |
Fr. |
7.5 |
4.0 |
2.5 |
53.3% FG (8-15); 40% 3FG (4-10) |
| G |
0 |
Terrence Shannon Jr. |
6-6 |
215 |
Sr. |
24.3 |
7.5 |
3.5 |
5th in NCAA in scoring; 8 threes vs UCLA |
| G |
15 |
RJ Melendez |
6-7 |
205 |
So. |
5.3 |
2.8 |
1.0 |
2nd on team in steals (6) & blocks (4) |
| G/F |
24 |
Matthew Mayer |
6-9 |
225 |
Gr. |
6.5 |
3.3 |
2.0 |
11 pts, 5 ast & 4 reb vs UCLA |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
225 |
Jr. |
10.0 |
6.3 |
3.8 |
Career-high 7 assists vs UCLA |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Sencire Harris |
6-4 |
160 |
Fr. |
6.3 |
1.0 |
0.5 |
+16 in 9 minutes vs UCLA |
| F |
2 |
Connor Serven |
6-9 |
235 |
Jr. |
0.0 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
Academic All-Big Ten |
| G |
3 |
Jayden Epps |
6-2 |
190 |
Fr. |
10.0 |
2.0 |
2.3 |
4.5 assist/turnover ratio (9:2) |
| 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. |
0.7 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
Academic All-Big Ten |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
200 |
Fr. |
2.3 |
3.8 |
2.0 |
50% FG (4-8) |
| 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. |
16.3 |
8.0 |
0.3 |
1st in NCAA in FG% at 85.7% (30-35) |
Career Record: 207-93 (.690), 10th year
At Illinois: 98-66 (.598), 6th year
Big Ten: 55-43 (.561)
Series Notes vs. Virginia
All-Time Record: First meeting
Underwood vs. Virginia: First meeting
Notes from the 79-70 Win Over #8 UCLA
• No. 19 Illinois moves on to face #16 Virginia on Sunday in the Championship of the Continental Tire Main Event (2 p.m. CT, ESPN).
• Illinois' win over #8 UCLA improved the program to 11-5 in their last 16 games versus top-10 teams during the Underwood era.
• It was Illinois' first win over a Top 10 opponent since defeating No. 5 Iowa on March 13, 2021, in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
• Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting, just one point shy of his career high he set the previous game vs. Monmouth. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and had three assists.
• Shannon made eight 3-pointers in nine attempts, matching the school single-game record. He is the sixth player in program history to make eight threes in a game.
• According to @ESPNStatsInfo, Shannon is one of only two players in the last 25 seasons to have 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight threes in a top-25 matchup (Trae Young vs. TCU in 2018).
• Shannon recorded a first-half double-double (10 pts, 10 reb). It's was his first double-double as an Illini, and third of his career.
• Shannon eclipsed the 1,000-point career mark during the second half.
• Shannon now has three 20-point games in four contests to start his Illini career.
• Shannon is third Illini player since the 2010-11 season to score at least 29 points and grab at least 10 rebounds in a game. Kofi Cockburn and Malcolm Hill each had four such games in their career.
• Shannon is now averaging 24.2 ppg, ranking fifth in the nation in scoring.
• Illinois trailed by as many as 15 points (29-44) with less than 18 minutes remaining before going on a 29-8 tear to take control with a 58-52 lead at the 8-minute mark.
• Illinois outscored UCLA 51-33 in the second half
• The Illini outscored the Bruins 18-8 in the paint and shot 56.7 percent (17-30) in the final frame.
• Dain Dainja scored 13 points on perfrect 6-of-6 shooting.
• Dainja has tallied double-digits in points in all four games this season.
• Dainja is now shooting 85.7% from the field on the season (30-35) to lead the NCAA.
• Matthew Mayer scored a season-high 11 points to go with five assists.
• Coleman Hawkins posted a career-high seven assists.
• Skyy Clark matched his career-high with 10 points scored. It's the second time this season he has reached double figures.
• Illinois has started a season 4-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign, Brad Underwood's first season at the helm of the program.
• Illinois made 12 three-pointers, the second time this season that have hit at least 12 shots from deep.
Illini in Vegas
Illinois is making its seventh trip to Las Vegas, and fifth for a multi-team event. Illinois won its first three MTE's in Vegas, claiming titles at the 2001 Las Vegas Invitational and 2004 Las Vegas Holiday Classic held at Valley High School, and the 2014 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invite at The Orleans.
Illinois is 9-3 all-time in games played in Las Vegas and looks for its fourth MTE title in Las Vegas on Sunday vs. Virginia in the championship game of the Continental Tire Main Event.
