University of Illinois
Alabama A&M
No. 18 Illini Back in Action Saturday vs. Alabama A&M
December 16, 2022 | Men's Basketball
Preview
| #18 ILLINOIS (7-3) vs. Alabama A&M (4-6) | |
|---|---|
| Date | Time | Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 | 3 p.m. CT |
| Location | Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center |
| Tickets | FightingIllini.com |
| Television | BTN (Jason Ross Jr. & Trent Meacham) |
| Live Stream | foxsports.com/live/btn | FOX Sports App |
| Radio | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 135/196, SXM App 958 |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Printable Notes | Illinois | Alabama A&M |
| Pregame Press Conference | Coach Underwood (Dec. 16) |
| Stats | Illinois | Alabama A&M |
| 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. | 8.1 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 11 pts, career-high 7 reb vs Penn St. |
| G | 0 | Terrence Shannon Jr. | 6-6 | 225 | Sr. | 17.8 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 2nd in B1G in FT (44) & FTA (57) |
| G | 15 | RJ Melendez | 6-7 | 205 | So. | 8.8 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 60.6% FG (20-33) last 5 games |
| G/F | 24 | Matthew Mayer | 6-9 | 225 | Gr. | 8.0 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 17.5 ppg last 2 games (35) |
| F | 33 | Coleman Hawkins | 6-10 | 225 | Jr. | 9.6 | 6.2 | 4.2 | 11.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.3 apg last 4 games |
| Off the Bench | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G | 1 | Sencire Harris | 6-4 | 160 | Fr. | 4.4 | 1.2 | 0.7 | +13 in 18 minutes vs #2 Texas |
| F | 2 | Connor Serven | 6-9 | 235 | Jr. | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | Academic All-Big Ten |
| G | 3 | Jayden Epps | 6-2 | 190 | Fr. | 9.3 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 11+ points in 5 of last 7 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. | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | Academic All-Big Ten |
| G/F | 20 | Ty Rodgers | 6-6 | 200 | Fr. | 2.1 | 3.0 | 1.3 | Career-high 6 points vs Penn St. |
| 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. | 10.4 | 5.7 | 0.4 | 72.6% FG (45-62) |
Head Coach Brad Underwood
Career Record: 210-96 (.686), 10th year
At Illinois: 101-69 (.594), 6th year
Big Ten: 55-44 (.556)
Series Notes vs. Alabama A&M
All-Time Record: First meeting
Underwood vs. Alabama A&M: First meeting
Opening Tips
• No. 18 Illinois returns to action Saturday after a week off for final exams, hosting Alabama A&M (3 p.m. CT, BTN).
• Illinois has won six straight non-conference home games.
• Illinois has a 7-1 non-conference record with three games remaining. Illinois is aiming to finish the non-conference with just one loss for the first time in 10 years, since going 13-1 prior to Big Ten play in 2012-13.
• This is reunion weekend for the Illinois Men's Basketball program, with approximately 60 former players, managers and staff attending Saturday's game. They will be recognized on-court at halftime.
• Illinois is the only team in the country with two kenpom top-10 wins (No. 4 UCLA and No. 7 Texas).
• Illinois has seven newcomers among its current 9-man playing rotation. The Illinois rotation features six underclassmen: four true freshmen and two sophomores.
• Illinois ranks No. 302 in experience according to kenpom, ahead of only three power-5 teams (Washington State, Oregon State, Louisville).
• Illinois is a balanced offensive team, with seven players averaging at least eight points.
• Illinois is eighth in the country in blocked shots, averaging 6.0 bpg. The Illini tallied 12 rejections in the win over No. 2 Texas, its most blocks in a game in 11 years.
• Illinois reserves are combining to score 26.8 points per game. The Illini bench has outscored its opponent in nine of 10 games, and by an average of 11.4 points.
• The Illini defense is forcing 16.6 turnovers per game, ranking second in the B1G and 43rd in the NCAA. Illinois is scoring an average of 18.7 points off opponent turnovers.
• Illinois is 2-2 versus ranked opponents this season, and has won 13 of its last 21 games against Top 25 teams.
• Illinois is 12-5 in its last 17 games versus top-10 teams.
• Illinois has 11 wins over top-10 teams since 2019-20, second-most in the NCAA behind Baylor (12).
• Illinois is No. 18 in the latest AP poll. 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 is replacing all five regular starters, its top five leading scorers, and a total of 10 players from last year's Big Ten champions. The Illini 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-plus seasons, registering a 44-18 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.
