No. 10 Illini Host Indiana Saturday at Sold-Out State Farm Center

#10 ILLINOIS (14-5, 5-3) vs. Indiana (12-7, 4-4)
Date | Time	Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024 | 2 p.m. CT
Location	Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
Tickets	Sold Out | Buy on SeatGeek
TV	FOX (Jason Benetti & Robbie Hummel)
Live Stream	foxsports.com/live | FOX Sports App
Radio	Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 85 or 196, SXM App 958
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Digital Game Program	Game 20 vs. Indiana
Printable Notes	Illinois | Indiana
Pre-Game Media Availability	Coach Underwood (Jan. 26)
2023-24 Stats	Illinois | Indiana
Record Book	Illinois
Shop	Online Store | Auctions
Social Media	@IlliniMBB | #Illini | @IlliniMBB | Facebook | YouTube

Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 237-111 (.681), 11th year
At Illinois: 128-84 (.604), 7th year
Big Ten: 71-55 (.563)

Series History

All-Time Record / Streak: Indiana leads 96-91  /  Indiana W-3
Last Meeting: #14 Indiana 71, Illinois 68 (2/18/2023 at Bloomington)
Record at Champaign / Streak: Illinois leads 54-35  /  Indiana W-1
Last Meeting in Champaign: Indiana 80, Illinois 65 (1/19/2023)
Underwood vs. Indiana: 5-6

Stripe State Farm Center

Saturday's home game vs. Indiana marks the return of Stripe State Farm Center, presented by Invesco QQQ. Fighting Illini Athletics is asking all fans to participate by helping stripe the arena orange and blue:

• Fans holding tickets in ODD-numbered sections should wear ORANGE
• Fans with tickets in EVEN-numbered sections should wear BLUE
• All University of Illinois students should wear ORANGE

The color map is the same as previous Stripe State Farm Center games (vs. Indiana 3/1/20, vs. Arizona 12/21/21, and vs. Syracuse 11/29/22).

Underwood Aids in Fight Against Cancer

• Illini head coach Brad Underwood will be wearing custom-painted CvC Nike Air Force 1s on the State Farm Center sidelines Saturday afternoon. Underwood is joining coaches from across the country who are participating in the annual Suits & Sneakers Week (Jan. 22-28).
• This is a nationwide event created to raise funds and awareness about the fight against cancer and promotes the American Cancer Society as a source of inspiration and hope for those facing cancer. Since the CvC program began in 1993, college and high school coaches have raised more than $155 million in the fight against cancer.
• Underwood has been a long-serving member on the Coaches Council for the American Cancer Society's partnership with Coaches vs. Cancer (CvC), and is taking over for Lon Kruger as the new Chair of the CvC Coaches Council.
• Highlighting his service to Coaches vs. Cancer, Underwood hosts an annual fundraiser called Kickin' Cancer at Gordyville USA, a horse show/auction site about 30 minutes outside of Champaign.
• On April 11, he welcomed four Big Ten colleagues and rivals – Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Purdue's Matt Painter, Iowa's Fran McCaffery, and Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg – as celebrity guests for the 2023 edition of Kickin' Cancer.
• The dinner was a sold-out event with more than 1,500 guests. It was the most attended social/gala for the entire Coaches vs. Cancer program in 2023, with the evening raising approximately $400,000.
• Underwood was the 2023 recipient of the Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award for his commitment to the fight against cancer and was recognized by his peers at the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) reception in Houston.
• Underwood was also recognized as the Community Impact Honoree at the American Cancer Society's 2023 Discovery Ball Chicago.
• The 2024 Kickin' Cancer event is set for Tuesday, April 16 at Gordyville USA. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at coachesvscancerillinois.com.

Opening Tips

• No. 10 Illinois returns to a sold-out State Farm Center to host rival Indiana on Saturday (2 p.m. CT, FOX).
• Saturday's game vs. Indiana has been designated Illinois' annual Stripe State Farm Center game, presented by InvescoQQQ. The matchup also marks Illinois' annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers game.
• Saturday's matchup with Indiana, the lone regular-season tilt vs. IU on this year's schedule, is the 188th in the series that dates back to the 1905-06 season. Indiana leads, 96-91.
• After the Illini rattled off four straight wins in the series between March 1, 2020 and Feb. 5, 2022, IU has captured three straight wins, including the most recent matchup at State Farm Center, 80-65, on Jan. 19, 2023.
• Illinois is No. 10 in the latest AP poll, marking the team's ninth consecutive week inside the Top 25.
• Illinois is the Big Ten's winningest team in conference play since the start of 2019-20. Entering Saturday's game vs. Indiana, the Illini are 60-28 (.682) in league games over the last four-plus seasons.
• Following Illinois' road win at Michigan last Thursday, the Illini also have a Big Ten-leading 25 road wins (25-19, .568) on the road in conference play since the start of 2019-20, including a 2-2 mark this season.
• Saturday's contest vs. Indiana 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. Following the team's Jan. 11 win at Michigan, the Illini have been scheduled to play every third day through the team's Jan. 30 matchup at Ohio State.

Illini Team Notables

• Offensively, the Fighting Illini's scoring average 82.7 ppg ranks as the team's highest since 1993-94 (84.0 ppg).
• Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten and 25th nationally with a scoring margin of +13.7 ppg.
• During the Illini's seven-game home win streak from Nov. 17 through Jan. 11, the Orange and Blue outscored opponents by an average of 23.7 points per contest.
• Illinois has 21 wins over Top 25 teams since 2019-20, sixth-most nationally. Three of the team's four losses this season have been by single-digit margins against top-25 foes.
• Defensively, Illinois ranks 25th nationally in scoring margin (+13.7) and 42nd in field goal percentage defense (.402), marks that rank second and fourth in the Big Ten, respectively. The Orange and Blue are also 83rd in the NCAA in blocks per game (4.3), sixth in the Big Ten.
• Illinois is among the top 15 nationally in two defensive categories via KenPom, ranking 13th in the nation in effective field goal percentage defense (.449) and 14th in 2-point field goal percentage defense (.435).
• KenPom also rates the Illini among the top 35 programs nationally in adjusted efficiency on both offense (7th, 122.1) and defense (31st, 98.6). Illinois is one of 14 programs to rank inside the top 35 in both metrics.
• The Illini lead the Big Ten and rank in the top 15 in the NCAA in total rebounds per game (43.3; fifth in NCAA), defensive rebounds per game (29.8, seventh in NCAA), and offensive rebounds per game (13.2; 24th in the NCAA). The Illini also rank second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+9.6), which ranks 12th nationally.
• Illinois entered play this week leading the Big Ten in second-chance scoring, converting their 13.0 offensive rebounds per game into 15.8 points per contest, nearly two points higher than the next closest Big Ten program (Purdue, 13.9).
• The Illini average 43.3 rebounds per game is the team's best single-season mark since 1972-73 (44.4 rpg).
• The Illini have outrebounded their opponents in 14 of 19 games this season, and own a 12-2 record when winning the battle on the glass.
• Illinois has pulled down 50+ rebounds in seven games this season, including a stretch four straight – vs. Valpo, Southern, Western Illinois, and at Rutgers – that was 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.
• 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.

Illini Player Notables

Marcus Domask

• Domask has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 13 games, with two 30+ point performances – a career-high 33 vs. Florida Atlantic at Madison Square Garden and 32 vs. Northwestern – plus game highs of 26 points at No. 1 Purdue and vs. Maryland.
• Domask is averaging 18.3 ppg over the last 13 games (238). He has climbed to 13th in the Big Ten at 15.1 points per game overall this season after averaging just 8.2 points over his first six games.
• In conference games only, Domask ranks fifth in the Big Ten at 20.4 points per game.
• Domask is one of the Big Ten's most efficient scorers, ranking 13th in the conference with a .441 (101-229) field goal percentage.
• Domask ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 87.0% (67-77), closing in on the Illinois program's single-season record (minimum 75 attempts) of .874 (76-87) set by Alfonso Plummer in 2022.
• Domask is averaging 5.4 assists over the last nine games (49), compared to 1.6 apg the first 10 games (16), and ranks 12th in the Big Ten 3.42 assists per game, and 15th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.44.
• Domask was named Big Ten 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.

Quincy Guerrier

• Guerrier leads one of the nation's most tenacious rebounding teams, ranking sixth in the Big Ten in both overall rebounding (8.05 rpg), and defensive rebounding (5.95 rpg), and 14th in offensive rebounding (2.11 rpg).
• Guerrier leads the Illini and ranks third in the Big Ten with eight double-doubles through 19 games this season 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 10 of his last 11 games, averaging 15.8 points per game over that stretch after opening the season with a  6.3 points per game average through his first eight contests at Illinois.
• Guerrier is 20-of-48 (.417) on threes over the last 11 games, compared to 2-of-20 (.100) over his first eight.

Coleman Hawkins

• Hawkins has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games and is averaging 14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 blocks and 2.4 steals with 26 threes (2.4 per game) during that run.
• In Illinois' 88-73 road win at Michigan (1/18), Hawkins became first Big Ten player since 2007 (Purdue's Carl Landry) to record a stat line of at least 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, six steals and one block.
• Hawkins followed up his six-steal performance at Michigan (1/18) with five more swipes vs. Rutgers (1/21), becoming the first Illini player since Trent Frazier in 2018-19 to record two games with 5+ steals in a single season. His combined 11 steals are the most by an Illini over a two-game stretch in 38 years, since Bruce Douglas combined for 12 steals with seven at Michigan (1/18/86) and five at Michigan State (1/12/86).
• Hawkins has recorded at least one steal in each of his last 13 games, a career-long streak.
• Hawkins also posted a career-long streak of eight consecutive games with a block between Dec. 17 vs. Colgate and Jan. 18 at Michigan, and ranks 12th in the Big Ten at 1.25 blocks per game.
• Hawkins is the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top 15 in the conference in both blocks per game (1.25 bpg, 12th) and steals per game (1.88 spg, sixth).
• Hawkins has made 26-of-63 (.413) 3-pointers over the last 11 games, after going 2-of-14 (.143) from distance in his first five contests.
• Hawkins is averaging 9.2 rebounds per game over his last five contests, and has climbed to No. 15 in the Big Ten with an overall rebounding average of 6.6 rebounds per game, and No. 13 in the league at 4.81 defensive rebounds per game.

Luke Goode

• Goode started seven games, from Dec. 29 vs. FDU to Jan. 21  vs. Rutgers, averaging 30.4 minutes per game. Goode set his career high in minutes with 36 each in each game against Michigan State (1/11) at Maryland (1/14).
• Goode scored career-best 16 points at #1 Purdue and tied his career high with four 3-pointers against the Boilers, then two games later vs. Maryland he tallied 13 points including a trio of 3-pointers.
• Goode ranks 13th in the Big Ten at 1.95 triples per game and is shooting 40.7% (37-91) from distance.

Justin Harmon

• Harmon has reached double-figures scoring in five of his last eight games and is averaging 11.1 points per game over that stretch. Harmon averaged just 4.1 points per game over his first 11 contests of the season.
• Harmon posted a season-high 20 points, hitting 7-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, along with 2-of-2 at the foul line in 30 minutes of action in the Illini's win against Northwestern on Jan. 2.
• Harmon led the Illini in scoring for the first time this season, with 18 points in the 86-63 home win vs. Rutgers (1/21).
• Harmon's 7.1 ppg for the season enters Saturday's matchup ranked 6th on the team, overall. It is the second-highest average of any B1G player that hasn't started a game this season.

Terrence Shannon Jr.

• Shannon recorded 16 points and four assist in the Illini's victory over Rutgers (1/21).
• Shannon started at Northwestern Wednesday and posted 12 points, including 5-for-6 from the free-throw line, to move his streak of consecutive games with 10+ points to 23.

Ty Rodgers

• Rodgers has provided the Illini with another excellent rebounder from his point guard position, ranking third on the team, behind Quincy Guerrier and Coleman Hawkins, at 5.1 rebounds per game.
• Rodgers has been particularly effective on the offensive glass where he has pulled down 37 of his 96 total rebounds for a team-leading 38.5%.

Every Day Guys Exclusive:

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

• Jan. 10: 'I Just Wanted to be Different': Hawkins' Legacy Grows in Fourth Year With Program
• 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)