| Illinois Probable Starters |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
3 |
Jayden Epps |
6-2 |
190 |
Fr. |
9.7 |
2.1 |
1.6 |
14 points vs Ohio State |
| G |
0 |
Terrence Shannon Jr. |
6-6 |
225 |
Sr. |
17.4 |
5.4 |
3.0 |
20.0 ppg over last 6 games |
| G/F |
24 |
Matthew Mayer |
6-9 |
225 |
Gr. |
11.3 |
4.9 |
1.1 |
13.8 ppg over last 12 games |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
225 |
Jr. |
9.5 |
6.3 |
3.3 |
11 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk vs Ohio State |
| F |
42 |
Dain Dainja |
6-9 |
270 |
r-So. |
10.0 |
5.9 |
0.5 |
11.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg over last 4 games |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Sencire Harris |
6-4 |
160 |
Fr. |
3.8 |
2.0 |
1.0 |
7.5 ppg in Minnesota & Indiana games |
| F |
2 |
Connor Serven |
6-9 |
235 |
Jr. |
0.2 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
Academic All-Big Ten |
| 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) |
| G |
11 |
Niccolo Moretti |
6-1 |
160 |
Fr. |
– |
– |
– |
Joined team Jan. 26; will redshirt |
| C |
12 |
Brandon Lieb |
7-0 |
220 |
Jr. |
1.3 |
1.2 |
0.2 |
4 pts in 12 min at Minnesota |
| G |
15 |
RJ Melendez |
6-7 |
205 |
So. |
6.2 |
3.3 |
0.8 |
10 pts, 4 reb vs Indiana |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
200 |
Fr. |
2.0 |
3.2 |
0.9 |
6.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg over last 2 games |
| G |
22 |
Paxton Warden |
6-4 |
180 |
Fr. |
0.2 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
First career FG at Minnesota |
| F |
25 |
Zacharie Perrin |
6-10 |
220 |
Fr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Made first UI appearance vs Indiana |
| G |
55 |
Skyy Clark |
6-3 |
200 |
Fr. |
7.0 |
3.7 |
2.1 |
Announced leave from team Jan. 6 |
Career Record: 218-99 (.688), 10th year
At Illinois: 109-72 (.602), 6th year
Big Ten: 61-47 (.565)
Series Notes vs. Nebraska
All-Time Record: Illinois leads 20-8
Streak: Illinois W-6
Last Meeting: Illinois 76, Nebraska 50 (Jan. 10, 2023 at Lincoln)
Record at Champaign: Illinois leads 13-2
Streak at Champaign: Illinois W-4
Last Meeting at Champaign: #5 Illinois 86, Nebraska 70 (Feb. 25, 2021)
Underwood vs. Nebraska: 7-2
Opening Tips
• Winners of six of its last seven games, Illinois next hosts Nebraska on Tuesday night (6 p.m. CT, BTN).
• Illinois plays three of its next four games at home.
• Illinois is 6-2 this January entering its final game of the month. Over the last four years, the Illini are 23-7 in January.
• Illinois has won six straight over Nebraska, its longest streak in the series since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten, and one shy of the Illini's series record seven-game win streak from Jan. 3, 1921 through Dec. 11, 1976.
• Illinois ranks 18th in kenpom adjusted defensive efficiency. The Illini excel nationally in a number of defensive categories, including a 14.8 block rate (10th), 44.6% effective field goal defense (13th), 31.7% two-point defense (9th), and 30.5 three-point attempt rate (17th).
• Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the country in blocked shots, averaging 6.0 bpg. The current Illini single-season blocks record is 5.4 bpg, set in 1979.
• Illinois is averaging 73.0 points (438) while allowing just 59.3 points (356) in its six Big Ten wins, holding all six opponents below the 70-point mark.
• Illinois' has won all six Big Ten game by at least nine points.
• Illinois has not topped 66 points in any of its Big Ten losses, averaging just 62.5 points while allowing opponents to score 74.5 points in those four games.
Illini Items
• Illinois is the winningest team in the Big Ten over the last four seasons, registering a 50-20 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:
1. Illinois – 50
2. Purdue – 46
3. Wisconsin – 43
4. Iowa – 42
T5. Michigan – 40
T5. Michigan State – 40
• Illinois also owns the most road wins during league play over the last four years with 23, five ahead of the next closest Big Ten team:
1. Illinois – 23
T2. Purdue – 18
T2. Wisconsin – 18
4. Michigan – 16
5. Ohio State – 15
• Illinois has outrebounded 17 of 21 opponents. The Illini rank second in the Big Ten and No. 28 in the NCAA with a 5.8 average rebound margin.
• Illinois reserves are combining to score 21.2 points per game, ranking third in the B1G.
• Illinois is making 8.3 three-pointers per game, ranking third in the Big Ten. Last season the Illini set a school single-season record, averaging 8.9 made threes.
• Illinois is one of seven teams in the country with multiple kenpom top-10 wins this season, defeating No. 3 UCLA on Nov. 18 in Las Vegas and No. 10 Texas on Dec. 6 at Madison Square Garden:
1. Xavier, 3 – #6 UConn, #8 Marquette, at #6 UConn
T2. Arizona, 2 – #1 Tennessee, #3 UCLA
T2. Baylor, 2 – vs. #3 UCLA, #9 Kansas
T2. Illinois, 2 – vs. #3 UCLA, vs. #10 Texas
T2. Kansas State, 2 – at #9 Kansas, #10 Texas
T2. Providence, 2 – #5 UConn, #8 Marquette
T2. Tennessee, 2 – #9 Kansas, #10 Texas
• Illinois has three AP top-15 wins this season (No. 2 Texas, No. 8 UCLA and No. 14 Wisconsin), tied for fourth-most nationally:
T1. Alabama, 4 – vs. #12 Michigan State, vs. #1 North Carolina, at #1 Houston, at #15 Arkansas
T1. Arizona, 4 – vs. #10 Creighton, vs. #14 Indiana, #6 Tennessee, #5 UCLA
T1. Iowa State, 4 – vs. #1 North Carolina, #12 Baylor, #7 Texas, #5 Kansas State
T4. Baylor, 3 – vs. #8 UCLA, vs. #14 Gonzaga, #9 Kansas
T4. Illinois, 3 – vs. #8 UCLA, vs. #2 Texas, #14 Wisconsin
T4. Kansas, 3 – vs. #7 Duke, #14 Indiana, #14 Iowa State
T4. Tennessee, 3 – vs. #3 Kansas, vs. #13 Maryland, #10 Texas
• Terrence Shannon Jr. is one of two power conference players (Jalen Pickett, Penn State) – and one of just 15 players nationally – averaging at least 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal on the season.
• Shannon ranks seventh in the Big Ten in scoring (17.4 ppg), first in free throws made (109) and second in attempts (139).
• At his current pace, Shannon is on track to enter the top five in school history for both free throws made and attempted in a season.
• Shannon averaged 20.0 points over a six-game stretch from Jan. 7-24, topping 20 points three times. He ranks sixth in the Big Ten with seven 20-point games this season.
• Shannon's recent six-game double figure scoring streak was the longest of his career.
• Matthew Mayer has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 13 games, averaging 14.8 points (192).
• Mayer is coming off a career-high 26 points in Saturday's win at Wisconsin. It was his third 20-point game this season and most points scored against the Badgers in league play.
• Mayer's scoring spree included five straight games in double digits from Jan. 4-16, the longest streak of his career.
• Mayer is averaging 2.2 blocks over the last nine games (20), highlighted by a career-high six rejections in the Jan. 13 win over Michigan State.
• Dain Dainja is one of two players nationally (Rashaun Agee, Bowling Green) averaging at least 10 points, five rebounds and one block in 20 minutes per game.
• Dainja ranks 22nd nationally in 2-point field goal percentage at 69.8% (90-129).
• Dainja has made at least 60% from the field in 17 of 21 games.
• Dainja ranks fifth in the Big Ten in blocked shots (1.4 bpg) and is averaging 2.1 blocks over the last nine games (19).
• Freshman Jayden Epps has scored in double figures in eight of the last 10 games, averaging 10.6 points (106).
• Epps is averaging 13.5 points during his last two games in the starting lineup (27).
• Epps has 12 assists with just five turnovers in 167 minutes over the last six games (2.4 a/to ratio).
• Over the last two games, Coleman Hawkins has combined for 18 rebounds, eight assists, five blocks, and just one turnover in 71 minutes.
• Illinois is 11-0 when shooting at least 45% from the field, and 12-1 when scoring at least 70 points.
• Illinois is a balanced offensive team, with seven players averaging at least 6.2 points.
• Illinois' top three leading scorers this season are transfers.
• A transfer has been Illinois' leading scorer in each of the last 15 games, and 19 of 21 games this season.
• 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.
• Illinois has six newcomers among its current 8-man playing rotation. The Illinois rotation features five underclassmen: three true freshmen and two sophomores.
• 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.
• Illinois' revamped roster ranks No. 296 in experience and No. 345 in minutes continuity according to kenpom, ahead of only three power conference teams.
• Illinois has replaced 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.
