| Illinois Probable Starters |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Skyy Clark |
6-3 |
200 |
Fr. |
9.5 |
3.8 |
2.5 |
64.3% FG (18-28); 50% 3FG (9-18) |
| G |
0 |
Terrence Shannon Jr. |
6-6 |
215 |
Sr. |
20.3 |
6.2 |
3.8 |
2nd in B1G/23rd in NCAA in scoring |
| G |
15 |
RJ Melendez |
6-7 |
205 |
So. |
7.7 |
2.5 |
0.8 |
Career-high 17 pts vs Lindenwood |
| G/F |
24 |
Matthew Mayer |
6-9 |
225 |
Gr. |
6.3 |
4.3 |
1.5 |
Season-high 9 reb vs Lindenwood |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
225 |
Jr. |
8.3 |
5.2 |
3.5 |
Leads UI in steals; 2nd in blocks & assists |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Sencire Harris |
6-4 |
160 |
Fr. |
5.8 |
1.2 |
0.8 |
+23 in 16 minutes in Las Vegas |
| F |
2 |
Connor Serven |
6-9 |
235 |
Jr. |
0.0 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
Academic All-Big Ten |
| G |
3 |
Jayden Epps |
6-2 |
190 |
Fr. |
11.0 |
2.0 |
1.7 |
12+ points in 4 of last 5 games |
| 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. |
1.3 |
1.3 |
0.0 |
Academic All-Big Ten |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
200 |
Fr. |
1.8 |
3.5 |
1.7 |
50% FG (5-10) |
| 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. |
13.0 |
7.0 |
0.2 |
3rd in NCAA in FG% at 79.5% (35-44) |
Career Record: 208-94 (.689), 10th year
At Illinois: 99-67 (.596), 6th year
Big Ten: 55-43 (.561)
Series Notes vs. Syracuse
All-Time Record: Illinois leads 2-1
Streak: Syracuse W-1
Record in Champaign: First meeting
Last Meeting: #13 Syracuse 75, #12 Illinois 64 (Dec. 27, 1995 in Honolulu)
Underwood vs. Syracuse: First meeting
Stripe State Farm Center
Tuesday night's home game vs. Syracuse marks the return of Stripe State Farm Center. Fighting Illini Athletics is asking all fans to participate by helping stripe the arena orange and blue:
» Fans holding tickets in ODD-numbered sections should wear ORANGE
» Fans with tickets in EVEN-numbered sections should wear BLUE
» All University of Illinois students should wear ORANGE
The color map is the same as previous Stripe State Farm Center games, vs. Indiana 3/1/20 and vs. #11 Arizona 12/11/21.
Opening Tips
• No. 16 Illinois will face Syracuse in Champaign for the first time in school history on Tuesday night, as part of the 24th and final ACC/Big Ten Challenge (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN).
• Brad Underwood is one win away from his 100th victory at Illinois, looking to become just the sixth coach in program history to reach 100 wins (Lou Henson, Harry Combes, Bruce Weber, Doug Mills & J. Craig Ruby).
• Terrence Shannon Jr. leads the Fighting Illini, boasting averages of 20.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Shannon ranks 23rd in the NCAA in scoring, and second among Big Ten players (Zach Edey, Purdue).
• Shannon is one of only four players in the country averaging at least 20 points, six rebounds and three assists on the season (Jalen Wilson-Kansas, Drew Timme-Gonzaga & Freddy Hicks-Tarleton State).
• Dain Dainja is one of the nation's most productive players off the bench, averaging 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in an average of just 18.4 minutes. He ranks third in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 79.5%.
• Dainja is the nation's only player averaging at least 13 points and six rebounds in less than 20 minutes per game.
• Illinois reserves are combining to score 32.5 ppg. The Illini bench has outscored its opponent in all six games, and by an average of 14.2 points per game.
• Illinois is making 10.5 threes per game, ranking 18th nationally. Seven different players on the roster are averaging at least one 3-pointer per outing.
• The Illini defense is forcing 19.2 turnovers per game, ranking 20th in the NCAA. Illinois is scoring an average of 21.0 points off opponent turnovers.
• Illinois has seven newcomers among its current 9-man playing rotation, including four true freshmen.
• Illinois remains at No. 16 in this week's AP poll. The Illini debuted at No. 23 in the preseason rankings, moved to No. 19 in week two, and up to No. 16 last week.
• Brad Underwood has Illinois in the Top 25 for a fourth straight season after leading the program to a final AP ranking of No. 21 in 2020, No. 2 in 2021, and No. 19 in 2022.
• 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.
Illinois-Syracuse Series History
Tuesday marks just the fourth all-time game between the Fighting Illini and Orange, and first in 27 years. It also is the first meeting between the programs played on campus, with the previous three contests all held at neutral sites.
Syracuse won the most recent match-up in 1995, in the opening round of the Honolulu Rainbow Classic.
The programs met in Minneapolis in the Elite Eight of the 1989 NCAA Tournament, with the No. 1-seeded Illini defeating the No. 2-seeded Orange, securing a trip to the Final Four for the Flyin' Illini.
The first series meeting was an Illinois victory in the semifinals of the 1978 Kentucky Invitational Tournament in Lexington.
Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
