| Illinois Probable Starters |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Sencire Harris |
6-4 |
160 |
Fr. |
4.9 |
2.2 |
0.8 |
12 pts in 1st start vs Bethune-Cookman |
| G |
0 |
Terrence Shannon Jr. |
6-6 |
225 |
Sr. |
17.8 |
5.4 |
2.9 |
Leads B1G with 11 games of 13+ points |
| G/F |
24 |
Matthew Mayer |
6-9 |
225 |
Gr. |
9.5 |
4.3 |
1.2 |
15.8Â ppg over last 5 games (79) |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
225 |
Jr. |
9.2 |
6.5 |
3.8 |
11 pts & 11 reb vs Bethune-Cookman |
| F |
42 |
Dain Dainja |
6-9 |
270 |
r-So. |
10.7 |
5.5 |
0.5 |
Career-high 22 pts vs Bethune-Cookman |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| 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. |
9.2 |
1.9 |
1.4 |
Double figures in 8 of last 12 games |
| G |
5 |
AJ Redd |
6-3 |
160 |
Fr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Former manager now on roster |
| G |
10 |
Luke Goode |
6-7 |
200 |
So. |
2.0 |
1.8 |
0.5 |
2021-22 stats; sidelined (foot injury) |
| C |
12 |
Brandon Lieb |
7-0 |
220 |
Jr. |
1.3 |
1.7 |
0.1 |
Academic All-Big Ten |
| G |
15 |
RJ Melendez |
6-7 |
205 |
So. |
7.2 |
3.2 |
0.5 |
89.5% FT (17-19) |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
200 |
Fr. |
1.9 |
2.9 |
1.2 |
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 |
25 |
Zacharie Perrin |
6-10 |
220 |
Fr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Joined Illini on Dec. 21 |
| G |
55 |
Skyy Clark |
6-3 |
200 |
Fr. |
7.4 |
3.8 |
2.1 |
11 pts, career-high 7 reb vs Penn St. |
Career Record: 212-97Â (.686), 10th year
At Illinois: 103-70 (.595), 6th year
Big Ten: 55-45Â (.550)
Series Notes vs. Northwestern
All-Time Record: Illinois leads 142-42
Streak: Illinois W-8
Last Meeting: #13 Illinois 73, Northwestern 66 (Feb. 13, 2022 at Champaign)
Record at Evanston:Â Illinois leads 65-28
Streak at Evanston: Illinois W-3
Last Meeting at Evanston: #13 Illinois 73, Northwestern 66 (Jan. 29, 2022)
Underwood vs. Northwestern: 8-2
Opening Tips
• Illinois starts off 2023 on the road, resuming Big Ten play Wednesday night at Northwestern (8 p.m. CT, BTN).
• This begins a stretch of six games in 15 days for the Illini, with two-day preps for each of the next six games.
• Illinois has won eight straight against Northwestern in a series that has featured many close games as of late, with nine of the last 10 decided by single digits, including six by five points or less.
• Illinois' current eight-game winning streak is its longest over the Wildcats since winning 11 straight from Feb. 28, 2004-Dec. 30, 2009.
• Illinois' three-game winning streak in Evanston, meanwhile, is its longest since winning four in a row at Welsh-Ryan Arena from Jan. 15, 2005-Feb. 12, 2009.
• Illinois is the only team in the country with two kenpom top-10 wins (No. 4 UCLA and No. 6 Texas).
• Matthew Mayer enters the Northwestern game just 11 points away from scoring 1,000 for his career (989).Â
• Mayer has scored at least 14 points in four of the last five games, with two 21-point outings. He is averaging 15.8 ppg over this stretch, shooting 53.7% from the field (29-54) and 45.5% from three (15-33).
• Terrence Shannon Jr. ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 17.8 ppg.Â
• Shannon is one of four power conference players averaging at least 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal per game (Jalen Wilson-Kansas, Keyontae Johnson-Kansas State & Jaime Jaquez-UCLA).
• Shannon is second in the B1G in both free throws made (66) and attempted (85).
• Shannon leads the Big Ten with 11 games of 13+ points, and is fourth in the B1G with four 20+ point games.
• After scoring a season-low four points vs. Penn State on Dec. 10, Shannon is averaging 17.7 points over the last three games (53).
• Shannon did not shoot a free throw against the Nittany Lions, but has since averaged 7.3 points at the foul line over the last three games (22-28).
• Dain Dainja is coming off a career-high 22-point performance vs. Bethune Cookman last Thursday, his first time scoring in double figures in nine games.
• Dainja ranks 13th nationally in 2-point field goal percentage at 74.7% (59-79).
• Dainja has made at least 60% from the field in 11 of 13 games.
• Coleman Hawkins is one of three players nationally averaging at least nine points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal (Drew Timme-Gonzaga & Jalen Slawson-Furman).
• Freshman Jayden Epps has 22 points the last two games (11.0 ppg) after totaling 21 points the previous four games (5.3 ppg).
• Fellow freshman Sencire Harris has 20 points over the last two games (10.0 ppg) after combining for just nine points the previous five games (1.8 ppg).
• Illinois is a balanced offensive team, with seven players averaging at least seven points.
• Illinois has had five players record a 20-point game this season, and eight players reach double figures scoring.
• Five different players have been Illinois' leading scorer in a game, while seven different players have been the UI's top rebounder in a game.
• Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the country in blocked shots, averaging 5.9 bpg. The Illini tallied 12 rejections in the Dec. 6 win over No. 2 Texas (its most blocks in a game in 11 years), and most recently had 10 blocks vs. Bethune-Cookman.
• Illinois has outrebounded 11 of 13 opponents and is No. 27 in the NCAA with a 7.0 average rebound margin.
• Illinois reserves are combining to score 24.9 points per game, ranking second in the Big Ten. The Illini bench has outscored its opponent in 10 of 13 games, and by an average of 8.4 points.
• The Illini defense is forcing 16.5 turnovers per game, ranking second in the B1G and 37th in the NCAA. Illinois is scoring an average of 18.4 points off opponent turnovers.
• Illinois is making 9.1 three-pointers per game, ranking second in the Big Ten and 42nd nationally. Last season the Illini set a school single-season record, averaging 8.9 made threes.
• Illinois has seven newcomers among its current 9-man playing rotation. The Illinois rotation features six underclassmen: four true freshmen and two sophomores.
• 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 a dramatically different team this season, welcoming three power-five transfers and five freshmen in a top-10 ranked recruiting class to account for eight scholarship newcomers.Â
• Illinois' revamped roster ranks No. 301 in experience and No. 346 in minutes continuity according to kenpom, ahead of only three power conference teams.
• 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.
