No. 11 Illini Back In Action Friday vs. FDU

#11 ILLINOIS (9-2) vs. FDU (6-7)
Date | Time	Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 | 8 p.m. CT
Location	Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
Buy Tickets	SOLD OUT | Buy on SeatGeek
TV	BTN (Mike Hall & Mike LaTulip)
Live Stream	foxsports.com/live/btn | FOX Sports App
Radio	Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 83, SXM App 83
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Digital Game Program	Game 12 vs. FDU
Printable Notes	Illinois | FDU
2023-24 Stats	Illinois | FDU
Record Book	Illinois
Shop	Online Store | Auctions
Social Media	@IlliniMBB | #Illini | @IlliniMBB | Facebook | YouTube

Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 232-108 (.682), 11th year
At Illinois: 123-81 (.603), 7th year
Big Ten: 67-52 (.563)

Series History

All-Time Record vs. FDU: Illinois leads 1-0
Record in Champaign: First meeting
Last Meeting: #1 Illinois 67, FDU 55 (3/17/2005 in Indianapolis, NCAA Tournament Rd. 1)
Underwood vs. FDU: First meeting

Opening Tips

• Illinois returns to action Friday night after a week off for Christmas, hosting FDU to close out non-conference play at a sold out State Farm Center (8 p.m. CT, BTN).
• Illinois is No. 11 in the AP poll, its highest since Nov. 15, 2021 (#10) and the highest in the final week of December for the Orange and Blue since Dec. 26, 2005 (#6).
• The Illini are 6-1 on the season at State Farm Center and have won four straight since a singe-digit setback to then No. 4-ranked Marquette in mid-November.
• The Illini's matchup vs. FDU closes a stretch of five consecutive non-conference games against programs that qualified for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Illini are 3-1 against that group entering Friday's contest.
• The Illini are coming off of a resounding 97-73 Braggin' Rights victory over rival Missouri on Dec. 22 at Enterprise Center.
• Braggin' Rights capped a December run with four of five games away from State Farm Center. The month began with a 76-58 win at Rutgers in the Illini's Big Ten opener, followed by a 98-89 victory over No. 11 Florida Atlantic in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, before a hard-fought 86-79 road loss at No. 17 Tennessee.
• The contest vs. FDU opens a stretch in which the Illini play four of their next five games at State Farm Center.
• Illinois is the Big Ten's winningest team in conference play since the start of 2019-20. Following the team's win at Rutgers on Dec. 2, the Illini are now 56-25 in league games over the last four-plus seasons.
• Illinois has 18 wins over Top 25 teams the last three-plus seasons, fourth-most nationally. Both of the team's losses this season have been by single-digit margins against other top-25 foes.
• Defensively, Illinois ranks eighth nationally in field goal percentage defense (.374), 24th in scoring margin (+16.0), 33rd in 3-point percentage defense (.283), and 50th in scoring defense (65.0 ppg).
• Illinois is among the top 25 nationally in three defensive categories via KenPom, ranking third in the nation in effective field goal percentage defense (.416), fourth in 2-point defense (.404), and 23rd in 3-point defense (.283).
• KenPom also rates the Illini among the top-25 programs nationally in adjusted efficiency on both offense (21st, 116.0) and defense (13th, 92.9). Illinois is one of only eight programs to rank inside the top 25 in both metrics.
• The Illini lead the NCAA in total rebounds per game (45.36) and are second in defensive rebounds per game (32.5), while ranking 12th in rebound margin (+11.4). All three figures lead the Big Ten.
• The Illini have outrebounded their opponents in nine of 11 games this season, opening with seven straight contests with the rebounding edge before battles vs. No. 11 FAU (-2) and at No. 17 Tennessee (-9).
• Illinois has pulled down 50+ rebounds in six games on the season, including a stretch four straight – vs. Valpo, vs. Southern, vs. Western Illinois, and at Rutgers – that marked the longest streak of consecutive games with 50+ rebounds since the 1963-64 season.
• Quincy Guerrier leads one of the nation's most tenacious rebounding teams, ranking 13th in the Big Ten at 6.8 rebounds per game, overall, and ninth in the league in defensive rebounding (5.4 per game).
• Luke Goode rank as one of the top 3-point shooters in the Big Ten, coming in at No. 6 in 3-pointers made per game (2.2).
• Since returning from a three-game absence due to a knee injury, Coleman Hawkins is averaging 11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists with a combined nine 3-pointers in 29.4 minutes per game over the Illini's last five contests.
• Head Coach Brad Underwood had 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.

Every Day Guys Exclusive:

Read the latest feature stories on the Fighting Illini men's basketball team.  

• Dec. 7: Harmon Takes Long Road to Illinois in Final Year of Eligibility
• Nov. 30: 'I Owed That Sacrifice to Everybody': Goode Finds, Establishes Role in Third Season at Illinois
• Oct. 26: 'Now or Never': Hawkins, Shannon Gear Up for 'Last Dance' at Illinois
• Oct. 19: Every Day Guys: How Three Words Became Engrained in Illinois' Team Culture, Identity

Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)