| Illinois Probable Starters (stats listed are from 2021-22 season) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Skyy Clark |
6-3 |
200 |
Fr. |
– |
– |
– |
Top-40 recruit |
| G |
0 |
Terrence Shannon Jr. |
6-6 |
215 |
Sr. |
10.4 |
2.6 |
2.0 |
Preseason All-Big Ten |
| G |
15 |
RJ Melendez |
6-7 |
205 |
So. |
3.8 |
1.7 |
0.7 |
57% FG & 60% 3FG last year |
| G/F |
24 |
Matthew Mayer |
6-9 |
225 |
Gr. |
9.8 |
5.0 |
1.0 |
Won 2021 NCAA title at Baylor |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
225 |
Jr. |
5.9 |
4.3 |
1.5 |
UI's top returning scorer & rebounder |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Sencire Harris |
6-4 |
160 |
Fr. |
– |
– |
– |
Two-time Ohio state champion |
| F |
2 |
Connor Serven |
6-9 |
235 |
Jr. |
0.0 |
0.2 |
0.0 |
Academic All-Big Ten |
| G |
3 |
Jayden Epps |
6-2 |
190 |
Fr. |
– |
– |
– |
Played in Iverson Roundball Classic |
| G |
10 |
Luke Goode |
6-7 |
200 |
So. |
2.0 |
1.8 |
0.5 |
Currently out following foot surgery |
| C |
12 |
Brandon Lieb |
7-0 |
220 |
Jr. |
0.8 |
0.7 |
0.1 |
Academic All-Big Ten |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
200 |
Fr. |
– |
– |
– |
Gold with USA at FIBA U18 Americas |
| G |
22 |
Paxton Warden |
6-4 |
180 |
Fr. |
– |
– |
– |
Illinois state champion |
| F |
42 |
Dain Dainja |
6-9 |
270 |
r-So. |
2.0 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
Joined UI at semester break |
Career Record: 203-93 (.686), 10th year
At Illinois: 94-66 (.588), 6th year
Big Ten: 55-43 (.561)
Series Notes vs. Eastern Illinois
All-Time Record: Illinois leads 6-0
Record at Champaign: Same
Streak: Illinois W-6
Last Meeting: #15 Illinois 80, Eastern Illinois 68 (12/10/2002 at Champaign)
Underwood vs. Eastern Illinois: First meeting
Opening Tips
• Illinois opens its 118th season of men's basketball on Monday, hosting Eastern Illinois (8 p.m. CT, ESPNU).
• The Illini have posted an all-time record of 103-14 (.880) in season openers and have won six straight openers.
• The Illini are 38-2 all-time (.950) when starting the season at State Farm Center. This includes a current streak of 25 straight wins when opening the year at SFC, a run that began on Dec. 1, 1993.
• Illinois is No. 23 in the Associated Press poll, marking the third straight year the Illini appear in the preseason rankings (No. 8 entering 2020-21 and No. 11 entering 2021-22).
• Head Coach Brad Underwood has Illinois ranked in three straight preseason polls, the first time for the program 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.
EIU Story Lines
Despite having campuses located 50 miles apart, Illinois will face Eastern Illinois on Monday night for the first time in 20 years, marking just the seventh all-time meeting. Illinois has won the previous six games, all in Champaign.
And while that's the official series history, there has been a more recent contest between the programs. Prior to the start of Coach Brad Underwood's first season, the Illini played a hurricane relief game in Charleston on Nov. 3, 2017. The sellout crowd at Lantz Arena saw the Panthers roll in the second half to an 80-67 victory.
• Eastern Illinois Athletic Director Tom Michael was a four-year letterwinner for the Fighting Illini from 1991 through 1994. One of the best shooters in program history, Michael still holds Illini records for season (.493) and career (.449) 3-point percentage. Following his playing career, Michael spent 18 years in the U of I's Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, rising to senior associate athletic director, before taking over at EIU in 2014.
• EIU senior forward Jermaine Hamlin began his career in Champaign, playing two seasons with the Illini in 2020 and 2021. Hamlin had the task of going up against All-America center Kofi Cockburn in daily practices.
• Illinois assistant coach Geoff Alexander served on EIU head coach Marty Simmons' staff at Evansville for five seasons from 2013 through 2017.
Return of the King
The greatest center in Fighting Illini history will be courtside Monday night to watch the Orange and Blue. Kofi Cockburn, a two-time consensus All-American, is back on campus before departing for Japan to begin his professional career. Cockburn was the only player in the country to average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds last season, garnering first-team All-America honors by 11 organizations. Cockburn is the leading scorer (1,546) and rebounder (861) in Illini history among three-year players, and he also is the school-record holder with 45 career double-doubles.
Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
