| 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) |
Career Record: 210-96Â (.686), 10th year
At Illinois: 101-69 (.594), 6th year
Big Ten: 55-44Â (.556)
Series Notes vs. Alabama A&M
All-Time Record: First meeting
Underwood vs. Alabama A&M:Â 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.Â
• Illinois is a dramatically different team this season, welcoming three power-five transfers and a top-10 recruiting class to account for eight newcomers.Â
• 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.
Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
