Illini take on Hawkeyes Saturday in Iowa City
February 3, 2023 | Men's Basketball
Preview
| ILLINOIS (16-6, 7-4) at Iowa (14-8, 6-5) | |
|---|---|
| Date | Time | Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023 | 1:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Iowa City, Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena |
| Tickets | Sold Out | Stub Hub |
| Television | FOX (Jason Benetti & Stephen Bardo) |
| Live Stream | fox.com/live | FOX Sports App |
| Radio | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 381, SXM App 971 |
| Live Stats | Statbroadcast |
| Printable Notes | Illinois | Iowa |
| Pregame Press Conference | Coach Underwood (Feb. 3) |
| Stats | Illinois | Iowa |
| Record Book | Illinois |
| Shop | Online Store | Auctions |
| Social Media | @IlliniMBB  | #Illini | @IlliniMBB  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
| Illinois Probable Starters | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G | 3 | Jayden Epps | 6-2 | 190 | Fr. | 9.8 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 13.0 ppg over last 3 games |
| G | 0 | Terrence Shannon Jr. | 6-6 | 225 | Sr. | 17.2 | 5.2 | 3.1 | Leads B1G in FT (110), 2nd in FTA (141) |
| G/F | 24 | Matthew Mayer | 6-9 | 225 | Gr. | 11.5 | 4.9 | 1.0 | 18.0 ppg over last 3 games |
| F | 33 | Coleman Hawkins | 6-10 | 225 | Jr. | 9.5 | 6.4 | 3.3 | 8.7 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.0 bpg last 3 games |
| F | 42 | Dain Dainja | 6-9 | 270 | r-So. | 9.8 | 5.9 | 0.5 | 68.7% 2FG, 30th in NCAA |
| Off the Bench | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G | 1 | Sencire Harris | 6-4 | 160 | Fr. | 4.0 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 8 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl vs Nebraska |
| 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; returning from 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. | 6.0 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 10 pts, 4 reb vs Indiana |
| G/F | 20 | Ty Rodgers | 6-6 | 200 | Fr. | 2.3 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 7 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl vs Nebraska |
| 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 |
Head Coach Brad Underwood
Career Record: 219-99 (.689), 10th year
At Illinois: 110-72 (.604), 6th year
Big Ten: 62-47 (.569)
Series Notes vs. Iowa
All-Time Record: Illinois leads 90-76
Streak: Illinois W-5
Last Meeting: #20 Illinois 74, #24 Iowa 72 (March 6, 2022 at Champaign)
Record at Iowa City: Iowa leads 56-23
Streak at Iowa City: Illinois W-1
Last Meeting at Iowa City: Illinois 87, Iowa 83 (Dec. 6, 2021)
Underwood vs. Iowa: 5-5
Opening Tips
• Winners of three straight games and seven of its last eight, Illinois next plays Saturday afternoon at Iowa, who has won six of its last eight (1:30 p.m. CT, FOX).
• Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring defense during conference play (64.5 ppg), while Iowa leads the B1G in scoring during league games (78.4 ppg).
• Illinois has won its last three road games, winning by an average margin of 18.0 points (54).
• Illinois leads all Big Ten teams with 23 road wins in league play over the last four years.
• Illinois went 7-2 in the month of January. Over the last four seasons, the Illini are 23-7 in January games.
• Illinois ranks 15th in kenpom adjusted defensive efficiency. The Illini excel nationally in a number of defensive categories, including a 14.8 block rate (10th), 44.8% effective field goal defense (13th), 43.2% two-point defense (9th), and 30.8 three-point attempt rate (20th).
• Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the country in blocked shots, averaging 5.9 bpg. The current Illini single-season blocks record is 5.4 bpg, set in 1979.
• Illinois is averaging 72.9 points (510) while allowing just 58.9 points (412) in its Big Ten wins, holding all seven opponents below the 70-point mark.
• 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 51-20 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, finished one game back of the title in 2020, and are currently tied for second:
1. Illinois – 51
2. Purdue – 47
3. Wisconsin – 44
4. Iowa – 43
5. Michigan – 41
• Illinois also owns the most road wins during league play over the last four years with 23, four ahead of the next closest Big Ten team:
1. Illinois – 23
2. Wisconsin – 19
3. Purdue – 18
4. Michigan – 17
5. Ohio State – 15
• All seven of Illinois' Big Ten wins have been by at least nine points.
• Illinois has outrebounded 18 of 22 opponents. The Illini rank second in the Big Ten and No. 25 in the NCAA with a 5.9 average rebound margin.
• Illinois reserves are combining to score 21.1 points per game, ranking third in the B1G.
• Illinois is one of seven teams in the country with multiple kenpom top-10 wins this season, defeating No. 5 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 – #2 Tennessee, #5 UCLA
T2. Baylor, 2 – vs. #5 UCLA, #9 Kansas
T2. Illinois, 2 – vs. #5 UCLA, vs. #10 Texas
T2. Kansas State, 2 – at #9 Kansas, #10 Texas
T2. Providence, 2 – #6 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), which leads the Big Ten and is tied for fifth-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
T1. Kansas, 4 – vs. #7 Duke, #14 Indiana, #14 Iowa State, #7 Kansas State
T5. Baylor, 3 – vs. #8 UCLA, vs. #14 Gonzaga, #9 Kansas
T5. Illinois, 3 – vs. #8 UCLA, vs. #2 Texas, #14 Wisconsin
T5. 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 (17.2 ppg), first in free throws made (110) and second in attempts (141).
• 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 seventh 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 12 of the last 14 games, averaging 14.9 points (208).
• Mayer's spree included five straight games in double digits from Jan. 4-16, the longest streak of his career.
• After going scoreless against Indiana on Jan. 19, Mayer is averaging 18.0 points over the last three games (54).
• Mayer scored a career-high 26 points in last 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 is averaging 2.2 blocks over the last 10 games (21), highlighted by a career-high six rejections in the Jan. 13 win over Michigan State.
• Dain Dainja ranks 30th nationally in 2-point field goal percentage at 68.7% (92-134).
• Dainja has made at least 60% from the field in 17 of 22 games.
• Dainja ranks fifth in the Big Ten in blocked shots (1.4 bpg) and is averaging 2.0 blocks over the last 10 games (20).
• Freshman Jayden Epps has scored in double figures in nine of the last 11 games, averaging 10.8 points (119).
• Epps is averaging 13.0 points during his last three games in the starting lineup (39).
• Epps has 15 assists with just seven turnovers in 197 minutes over the last seven games (2.14 a/to ratio).
• Over the last two games, Coleman Hawkins has combined for 26 rebounds, 11 assists and six blocks.
• Illinois is 11-0 when shooting at least 45% from the field, and 13-1 when scoring at least 70 points.
• Illinois is a balanced offensive team, with seven players averaging at least 6.0 points.
• Illinois' top three leading scorers this season are transfers.
• A transfer has been Illinois' leading scorer in each of the last 16 games, and 19 of 22 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.
