University of Illinois
Notre Dame
Illini Take on No. 16 Notre Dame in Washington, D.C., for Citi Shamrock Classic
November 17, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Preview
| Illinois vs. No. 16/14 Notre Dame // Citi Shamrock Classic | |
|---|---|
| Date | Time | Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023 | 12 p.m. CT |
| Location | Washington, D.C. | Entertainment & Sports Arena |
| TV & Livestream | NBC | Peacock |
| Radio | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Listen | Varsity Network App |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Game Notes | Illinois | Notre Dame |
| 2023-24 Stats | Illinois | Notre Dame |
| Record Books | Illinois | Big Ten WBB | NCAA WBB |
| Availability/Interviews | Saint Peter's Post-Game | YouTube Playlist |
| Shop | Online Store | Auctions |
| Social Media | @IlliniWBB  | @IlliniWBB  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
| Illinois Starters Last Game (2023-24 Stats) | ||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Season Note |
| G | 1 | Genesis Bryant | 5-6 | Sr. | 16.3 | 3.7 | 4.7 | Career-high 32 points vs. Morehead St. |
| G | 11 | Jada Peebles | 5-10 | 5th | 10.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 112 career games played at Illinois |
| G | 24 | Adalia McKenzie | 5-10 | Jr. | 5.7 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 50 career games started at Illinois |
| F | 23 | Brynn Shoup-Hill | 6-3 | Jr. | 5.7 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 4 blocks in 2023-24 |
| F | 44 | Kendall Bostic | 6-2 | Sr. | 14.3 | 9.7 | 2.3 | 20 career double-doubles |
Head Coach Shauna Green
Career Record: 180-86 (.677), 10th season
Division I Record: 151-61 (.712), Eighth season
At Illinois: 24-11, Second season
Big Ten: 11-7
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
- Notre Dame is 2-1 on the young season, with wins over NJIT and Northwestern.
- The Irish went 27-6 overall and 15-3 in ACC play last season, winning the league's regular-season title.
- ND advanced to the Sweet 16 of last year's NCAA Tournament.
All-Time Series Info
Illinois is 4-1 all-time against the Irish, winning the most recent meeting 77-67 on Nov. 27, 1999, in Champaign. Saturday's game will be the first neutral site meeting.
Citi Shamrock Classic in Washington, D.C.
The Fighting Illini will face off against Notre Dame from the nation's capital on Saturday, Nov. 18, in the second-annual Citi Shamrock Classic. Action on the court is slated for 12 p.m. CT, from Entertainment & Sports Arena – home of the Washington Mystics. The game will be televised live on NBC and streamed on Peacock. The nationally televised game marks Illinois women's basketball's first-ever game aired on NBC or Peacock.
In addition to the highly anticipated top-25 matchup on the court, Friday will feature a women's leadership luncheon, offering both teams an opportunity to hear from a select group of the most powerful women in business and sports. Additionally, both teams will participate in a community service initiative presented by Gatorade.
Field Trip Day 2023
- Illinois hosted its annual Field Trip Day on Nov. 15, 2023, when the Illini took on Saint Peter's.
- Attendance was called at 11,563 - the 4th largest crowd in program history and top mark since 2/20/00.
- The first of the "we want 100" chant from the students started in the third quarter. With 56 seconds left in the game, Shay Bollin hit a jumper to push the Illini into triple digits for the 103-33 victory.
- The 70-point margin of victory is the third-largest in program history.
- The Illini moved 6-1 in Field Trip Day games.
All-Time Field Trip Day Games
Illinois has hosted the promotional event every season besides the COVID year since 2016-17.
| DATE | OPPONENT | ATTENDANCE | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11-17-2016 | Memphis | 2,358 | L, 54-64 |
| 11-10-2017 | IPFW | 1,148 | W, 64-50 |
| 11-07-2018 | Alabama A&M | 2,364 | W, 88-60 |
| 11-05-2019 | Chicago State | 4,189 | W, 96-66 |
| 2020-21 | Not Held | ||
| 11-09-2021 | NC Central | 1,983 | W, 73-56 |
| 11-16-2022 | McNeese State | 8,141 | W, 100-38 |
| 11-15-2023 | Saint Peter's | 11,563 | W, 103-33 |
Returning Scoring
Illinois women's basketball returned 93.4% of its scoring from the 2022-23 season, which is believed to be the second-highest percentage across NCAA WBB. That breaks down to 2,251 of 2,410 points returning for the Illini. In those returners are all five starters from last season and 10 total players.
Season Openers
- The Illini have posted an all-time record of 32-18 (.640) in season openers & have won 7 straight.
- The Illini are 24-6 all-time (.800) when starting the season at State Farm Center (includes 2016 opener played at Parkland during SFC renovations).
HOME ATTENDANCE NUMBERS
Across its 15 home games during the 2022-23 season, Illinois Women's Basketball saw 52,295 fans fill the State Farm Center en route to a 12-3 record. That total attendance ranked 5th in program history and made Shauna Green the only head coach to bring in 50,000 or more fans in her first season with the Illini.
In Illinois' season - and home - opener, the attendance of 2,680 marked the largest ticketed season-opening crowd at State Farm Center since 2000 (3,954). Through two home games, Illinois has a combined attendance of 14,243 for an average of 7,122 a game.
EXHIBITION EXPOSITION
No. 23 Illinois began the second year of the Shauna Green era in Champaign with a resounding 121-60 victory over Truman State in the team's lone exhibition game of the 2023-24 campaign. Green used the preseason game to give playing time to all 14 players, while 12 different scorers registered at least one point in the blowout victory, including eight Illini in double figures.
The Illini converted 14 of their 26 3-point attempts, and they knocked down eight 3-pointers within the first 10 minutes of play. The Orange and Blue outrebounded the Bulldogs, 53-16, while scoring 26 second-chance points on 25 offensive rebounds. Illinois notched 11 steals and scored 31 points off turnovers, and the hosts registered 20 assists while shooting 55.8% from the field and 53.8% on 3-point attempts.
Illinois is 2-0 in exhibitions since Green's arrival.
COOK LANDS ON LIEBERMAN AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST
For the first time in Illinois women's basketball program history, a Fighting Illini player was named to the Nancy Lieberman Top-20 Preseason Watch List as Makira Cook was announced as an honoree on Oct. 16. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) have given the award annually since 2000 to the top point guard in the country.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the floor leadership, play-making, and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman.
NCAA COACHING LIMIT INCREASE
With the NCAA's coaching limit increase going into effect on July 1, Emily Durr and Jenna Giacone have been elevated to assistant coaches on Shauna Green's Illinois women's basketball staff. Durr adds on-court coaching duties in addition to her director of recruiting operations responsibilities, while Giacone adds on-court coaching duties on top of her director of scouting and player development role in year two on Green's Illini staff.
Both Durr and Giacone followed Green from her previous stop at Dayton. Durr served one season as an administrative associate with the Flyers, while Giacone played six seasons under Green at UD.
FIRST SEASONS AT A NEW SCHOOL
Shauna Green quickly took Illinois women's basketball out to a refreshing start and has sustained that success better than anyone. Green was one of 38 head coaches in their first season at a new school last season. The Illinois squad was one of just 10 programs under a new coach last season to have secured 20 or more wins and one of seven to make the NCAA Tournament.
| TEAM | RECORD | COACH | PREVIOUS JOB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | 23-10 | Brooke Wyckoff | Florida St. (Assc. HC) |
| Illinois | 22-10 | Shauna Green | Dayton |
| Mississippi State | 22-11 | Sam Purcell | Louisville (Assc. HC) |
| Georgia | 22-12 | Katie Abrahamson-Henderson | UCF |
| Oklahoma State | 21-12 | Jacie Hoyt | Kansas City |
| Towson | 21-12 | Laura Harper | Coppin State |
| Harvard | 20-12 | Carrie Moore | Michigan (Ast. Coach) |
| Missouri State | 20-12 | Beth Cunningham | Duke (Ast. Coach) |
| Chattanooga | 20-13 | Shawn Poppie | Virginia Tech (Assc. HC) |
| Syracuse | 20-13 | Felisha Legette-Jack | Buffalo |
Cook Named to Naismith Women's Player of the Year Watch List
Preseason accolades continue to roll in for Illinois women's basketball senior Makira Cook, as the point guard has been named to the 50-player 2023-24 Jersey Mike's Naismith Women's Player of the Year Watch List. Cook is the third Fighting Illini player in program history to land on the Naismith preseason list. She joins Tauja Catchings and Susan Blauser, who were both selected to the list ahead of the 1999-2000 season.
Wooden Award Preseason Watch List
Fighting Illini women's basketball senior Makira Cook was been named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List, the organization announced Tuesday. Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team™ and Most Outstanding Player Award.
Cook is one of nine Big Ten representatives to earn a spot on the preseason list this season. She's also the second athlete in Illinois program history named to the prestigious watch list, joining Jenna Smith from the 2009-10 season.
The Illini Turnaround
Illinois secured the biggest one-year Big Ten win improvement in program history last season, finishing with 10 more conference wins (11) during the 2022-23 campaign than the Illini had during the 2021-22 season (1). This ties the best one-year Big Ten win improvement in Big Ten Conference history. Illinois won 15 more games (22) than the 2021-22 total of seven. The one-year overall improvement set a new program record, and was the third-largest improvement in Big Ten history.
