| Illinois Probable Starters |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
210 |
So. |
6.3 |
5.1 |
2.3 |
Career-high 15 points (6-8 FG) vs. Michigan State |
| G/F |
10 |
Luke Goode |
6-7 |
205 |
Jr. |
7.3 |
4.2 |
0.7 |
Career-high 16 points (4 3FG) at #1 Purdue |
| G/F |
3 |
Marcus Domask |
6-6 |
215 |
Gr. |
14.1 |
4.6 |
3.3 |
B1G Player of the Week: 29.0 pts, 5.5 ast, 4.0 rebs vs. NW/PUR |
| G/F |
13 |
Quincy Guerrier |
6-8 |
230 |
Gr. |
11.4 |
7.5 |
0.3 |
17.3 ppg & 8.2 rpg over last 7 games |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
230 |
Sr. |
10.4 |
5.4 |
2.8 |
Career-high 4 blocks vs. Michigan State |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
2 |
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn |
6-1 |
185 |
Fr. |
3.5 |
1.4 |
0.6 |
9 pts & tied career-high w/ 4 rebs vs. FDU |
| G |
4 |
Justin Harmon |
6-4 |
200 |
Gr. |
6.5 |
2.9 |
1.1 |
13.3 ppg (11 3FG) over last 4 games |
| G |
5 |
AJ Redd |
6-3 |
170 |
So. |
0.5 |
0.2 |
0.0 |
First-career FG vs. Missouri |
| G |
11 |
Niccolo Moretti |
6-1 |
170 |
r-Fr. |
4.0 |
2.3 |
2.7 |
Career-high 6 points vs Valpo |
| G |
25 |
Max Williams |
6-2 |
200 |
Sr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Transfer from DePaul |
| F |
35 |
Amani Hansberry |
6-8 |
240 |
Fr. |
2.6 |
2.9 |
0.5 |
8 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl vs. Southern |
| F/C |
42 |
Dain Dainja |
6-9 |
255 |
r-Jr. |
6.7 |
3.9 |
0.3 |
Team-high 19 points (9-10 FG) vs. FDU |
| Out |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
Terrence Shannon Jr. |
6-6 |
225 |
5th |
21.7 |
4.5 |
2.5 |
Suspended from all team activities Dec. 27 |
| G |
1 |
Sencire Harris |
6-4 |
170 |
So. |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Plans to redshirt 2023-24 season |
| G |
22 |
Keaton Kutcher |
6-2 |
200 |
Jr. |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Transfer from South Dakota |
Career Record: 235-109 (.683), 11th year
At Illinois: 126-82 (.606), 7th year
Big Ten: 69-53 (.566)
Series History
All-Time Record / Streak: Maryland leads 14-7 / Maryland W-2
Last Meeting: #22 Maryland 71, #16 Illinois 66 (12/2/2022 at College Park)
Record at Champaign / Streak: Maryland leads 5-2 / Illinois W-1
Last Meeting in Champaign: Illinois 76, Maryland 64 (1/6/2022)
Underwood vs. Maryland: 2-6 at Illinois (2-7 overall)
Opening Tips
- Illinois welcomes Maryland to State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. CT, BTN) for the second game of back-to-back Big Ten home contests, following Thursday night's thrilling 71-68 victory over Michigan State.
- Marcus Domask was named Player of the Week by the Big Ten (Jan. 8) and Associated Press (Jan. 9), and was also honored as one of five USBWA Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week (Jan. 9), after averaging 29.0 points, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 59.4% from the field, 66.7% from 3-point range, and 90% from the free-throw line in matchups vs. Northwestern and at No. 1 Purdue.
- The Illini are No. 10 in the latest AP ranking, marking the team's seventh consecutive week inside the top 25.
- Illinois is the Big Ten's winningest team in conference play since the start of 2019-20. Entering Sunday's game vs. Maryland, the Illini are now 58-26 (.690) in league games over the last four-plus seasons.
- Illinois is 9-1 at State Farm Center this season and has won seven consecutive home games since a 71-64 loss to then-No. 4 Marquette on Nov. 14.
- During the team's seven-game home win streak, Illinois has outscored opponents by an average of 23.7 points. On the season, the Illini lead the Big Ten with a scoring margin of +15.8.
- Sunday's meeting with Maryland is the just the 22nd in the series overall, and the 13th since Maryland joined the Big Ten in 2014-15.
- The Illini are just 2-5 in home games vs. Maryland, but won the most recent matchup at State Farm Center, 76-64, on Jan. 6, 2022.
- Following Thursday's matchup vs. Michigan State, Sunday's tilt vs. Maryland continues a steady cadence of Big Ten play in which the Illini face five of six conference foes on two-day preparations through the end of January. Illinois' lone three-day window during this run falls between the matchup with the Terrapins and the team's next contest at Michigan on Jan. 18.
- Illinois has 21 wins over Top 25 teams since 2019-20, sixth-most nationally. Each of the team's three losses this season have been by single-digit margins against top-25 foes.
- The Illini closed a non-conference schedule featuring six opponents that competed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, including two that advanced to the second round (Missouri and FDU), two Sweet 16 participants (Marquette and Tennessee), and 2023 Final Four Cinderella story, FAU. The Orange and Blue went 4-2 in those six contests.
- Illinois' Braggin' Rights win on Dec. 22 capped a run with four of five games away from State Farm Center. The month began with a 76-58 win at Rutgers in the 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 loss at No. 17 Tennessee.
- Illinois averaged 99.0 ppg (297) over a three-game stretch from Dec. 22-Jan. 2 in wins vs. Missouri (97-73), vs. FDU (104-71), and vs. Northwestern (96-66). It marked the first time Illinois had topped 90 points in three consecutive games in 30 seasons, since December 10-18, 1993.
- Defensively, Illinois ranks 11th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.385), 18th in scoring margin (+15.8), 66th in blocks per game (4.5), and 82nd in scoring defense (66.9 ppg).
- Illinois is among the top 3 nationally in two defensive categories via KenPom, ranking second in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage defense (.414) and fourth in effective field goal percentage defense (.433).
- KenPom also rates the Illini among the top-25 programs nationally in adjusted efficiency on both offense (7th, 119.8) and defense (22nd, 95.0). Illinois is one of 11 programs to rank inside the top 25 in both metrics.
- The Illini lead the Big Ten in both total rebounds per game (43.33) and defensive rebounds per game (30.47), figures that are fourth and sixth in the NCAA, respectively. The Illini also rank second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+9.7), which is 16th nationally, and are fourth in offensive rebounds per game (12.87), 46th in the NCAA.
- The Illini have outrebounded their opponents in 11 of 14 games this season, going 10-1 in those contests.
- Illinois has pulled down 50+ rebounds in seven 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.
- Illinois' seven games of 50+ rebounds ranks as the most for the program since at least the 1979-80 season.
Illini Player Notables
- Marcus Domask has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games, with two 30+ point performances – a career-high 33 vs. Florida Atlantic at Madison Square Garden and 32 vs. Northwestern – plus a game-high 26-point effort in a narrow loss at No. 1 Purdue.
- Domask is averaging 18.1 ppg over the last eight games (163). He has climbed to 18th in the Big Ten at 14.1 points per game overall this season after averaging just 8.2 points over his first six games.
- In conference games only, Domask is the Big Ten's leading scorer at 22.0 ppg.
- Domask also leads the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 89.3% (60-56).
- Domask is averaging 6.8 assists over the last five games (35), compared to 1.6 apg the first 10 games (16), and has moved up to No. 12 in the Big Ten overall at 3.33 assists per game.
- Quincy Guerrier leads one of the nation's most tenacious rebounding teams, ranking 10th in the Big Ten at 7.5 rebounds per game, overall, and sixth in the league in defensive rebounding (5.9 per game).
- Guerrier has five double-doubles through 15 games with the Illini. He totaled two double-doubles in 71 career games at Oregon, both coming during the 2021-22 season.
- Guerrier has scored at least 10 points in each of the last seven games, averaging 17.3 points (121).
- Guerrier is 13-of-30 (.433) on threes over the last seven games, compared to 2-of-20 the first eight games.
- Coleman Hawkins has scored in double figures in seven straight games – a career-best streak – and is averaging 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 blocks with 20 threes (2.9 per game) in 33.1 min/game during that run.
- Hawkins has made 20-of-44 (.455) 3-pointers over the last seven games, after going 2-of-14 (.143) from distance in his first five games.
- Justin Harmon has combined for 53 points over the last four games (13.3 avg.), including 18 points in the Illini's non-conference finale vs. FDU, and career-high 20 points vs. Northwestern. He had totaled 45 points over the first 11 games of the season (4.1 ppg).
- Luke Goode has started each of the Illini's last four games, setting season-highs in minutes in each contest - 26 vs. FDU, 32 vs. Northwestern, and 35 at Purdue - before playing a career-best 36:15 vs. Michigan State.
- Goode also scored career-best 16 points at Purdue and tied his career high with four 3-pointers against the Boilers. He ranks 10th in the Big Ten at 1.93 triples per contest. .
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