| Illinois Probable Starters (Based on Previous Game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
210 |
So. |
7.2 |
4.0 |
1.4 |
Season highs of 10 pts & 7 reb vs Valpo |
| G |
0 |
Terrence Shannon Jr. |
6-6 |
225 |
5th |
19.6 |
3.8 |
3.2 |
3 straight 20+ point games (22.3 ppg) |
| G/F |
3 |
Marcus Domask |
6-6 |
215 |
Gr. |
8.2 |
5.0 |
1.6 |
Season-high 9 rebounds vs. Southern |
| G/F |
13 |
Quincy Guerrier |
6-8 |
230 |
Gr. |
5.8 |
5.4 |
0.6 |
13-pt, 10-reb double-double vs Oakland |
| F/C |
42 |
Dain Dainja |
6-9 |
255 |
r-Jr. |
9.2 |
4.8 |
0.2 |
14 ppg last 2 (16 vs Valpo, 12 vs Southern) |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
2 |
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn |
6-1 |
185 |
Fr. |
5.0 |
1.8 |
1.2 |
Game-high 18 pts in college debut vs EIU |
| G |
4 |
Justin Harmon |
6-4 |
200 |
Gr. |
4.0 |
3.6 |
1.0 |
Season-high 9 points vs. Southern |
| G |
5 |
AJ Redd |
6-3 |
170 |
So. |
0.5 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Scored first-career point vs. EIU |
| G/F |
10 |
Luke Goode |
6-7 |
205 |
Jr. |
8.8 |
5.2 |
0.2 |
11 made threes over last 3 G (11-23 3FG) |
| G |
11 |
Niccolo Moretti |
6-1 |
170 |
r-Fr. |
4.0 |
2.3 |
2.7 |
Career-high 6 points vs Valpo |
| G |
22 |
Keaton Kutcher |
6-2 |
200 |
Jr. |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Transfer from South Dakota |
| G |
25 |
Max Williams |
6-2 |
200 |
Sr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Transfer from DePaul |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
230 |
Sr. |
4.7 |
6.3 |
3.3 |
Karl Malone Award Watch List |
| F |
35 |
Amani Hansberry |
6-8 |
240 |
Fr. |
4.3 |
5.3 |
1.3 |
8 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl vs. Southern |
| Redshirt |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Sencire Harris |
6-4 |
170 |
So. |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Plans to redshirt 2023-24 season |
Career Record: 227-107 (.679), 11th year
At Illinois: 118-80 (.595), 7th year
Big Ten: 66-52 (.559)
Series History
All-Time Record vs. Western: Illinois leads 5-0
Record in Champaign: Same
Last Meeting: Illinois 94, Western Illinois 66 (11/22/2003 in Champaign)
Underwood vs. Western Illinois: First meeting
Opening Tips
-
Illinois hosts its final game of a six-game, season-opening homestand on Friday night, welcoming Western Illinois into State Farm Center (8 p.m. CT, BTN).
-
Following Friday's contest vs. WIU, the Illini will have a full week to prep for the team's Big Ten opener at Rutgers on Saturday, Dec. 2.
-
Illinois dominated the paint in their most-recent win vs. Southern on Sunday evening, posting a 62-28 advantage in points in the paint, and a +33 rebounding margin (50-17) in the 88-60 win over the Jaguars.
-
Despite a 4-1 start with a narrow loss to No. 4-ranked Marquette, the Illini slid just outside of the AP top-25 rankings, but moved up from 23 to 22 in the latest Coaches Poll released Nov. 20.
-
Illinois is third nationally in 2-point defense (.384) and fourth in effective field goal percentage defense (.387).
-
Illinois ranks 16th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense (.351) and is 24th in scoring defense, holding opponents to 60.0 points per game.
-
Illinois ranks inside the top 10 nationally in both rebounds per game (8th; 47.2 rpg) and offensive rebounds per game (2nd; 35.0 avg.)
-
The Illini have outrebounded their opponents in each of their first five games this season, including a +33 margin in their last outing vs. Southern (50-17).
-
Terrence Shannon Jr. is averaging 22.3 points over the last three games. He scored 21 vs. No. 4 Marquette on Nov. 14, 22 last Friday vs. Valparaiso, and a season-high 24 on Sunday vs. Southern.
-
Shannon is game averaging 19.6 points per game, the No. 5-mark in the Big Ten.
-
Shannon has scored in double figures in each of his last 15 games, a streak that began Jan. 31, 2023.
-
Luke Goode is averaging 11.7 points over the last three games, setting his career scoring high with 13 points apiece vs. Marquette and Valpo.
-
Goode is shooting 46.7% from 3-point range on the year, and has made 11-of-23 from three over last three games.
-
Head Coach Brad Underwood has Illinois ranked by the AP in four straight preseason polls for the first time since the preseason poll began in 1961-62.
-
Illinois' 15-man roster features an experienced blend of returning talent and impact transfers, combined with a top-25 freshman class. Eight players, including three starters, are back from the 2022-23 team, with five new players joining the Illini as Division I transfers, and two incoming freshmen.
-
Entering the season, Illinois' eight returning players had combined to play 347 games at the NCAA Division I level with 159 combined starts by the group. Likewise, the team's five transfer players opened the year with 304 career games with 198 starts under their belts.
-
Illinois is the winningest team in the Big Ten over the last four seasons, registering a 55-25 mark in league play. The Illini finished fifth in 2023, 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.
'Now or Never': Shannon, Hawkins Gear up for Last Dance at Illinois
Now or never. Now or never. Now or never.
Those three words would not leave Coleman Hawkins' mind. Locked in on pursuing his dreams and taking his game to the next level, Hawkins submitted his name into the 2023 NBA Draft with the intention of hearing his name called on draft night and becoming a professional basketball player...continue reading
Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
