| Illinois Probable Starters |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
210 |
So. |
5.6 |
5.4 |
2.4 |
1st career double-double (10p, 15 r) vs. FDU |
| G/F |
10 |
Luke Goode |
6-7 |
205 |
Jr. |
7.6 |
4.1 |
0.6 |
Career-high 16 pints (4 3FGs) at #1 Purdue |
| G/F |
3 |
Marcus Domask |
6-6 |
215 |
Gr. |
14.1 |
4.5 |
3.2 |
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. |
11.5 |
7.6 |
0.2 |
3 straight double-doubles (avg. 15.3 pts, 10.3 rebs) |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
230 |
Sr. |
10.4 |
5.4 |
2.8 |
6 straight games w/ 10+ points (14.2 ppg) |
| 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. |
6.4 |
2.7 |
0.9 |
38 combined points (8 3FGs) vs. FDU & NW |
| 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. |
7.0 |
4.1 |
0.4 |
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: 234-109 (.682), 11th year
At Illinois: 125-82 (.604), 7th year
Big Ten: 68-53 (.562)
Series History
All-Time Record / Streak: Michigan State leads 64-63 / Illinois W-3
Record at Champaign / Streak: Illinois leads 41-21 / Illinois W-2
Last Meeting: Illinois 75, Michigan State 66 (1/13/2023 at Champaign)
Underwood vs. Michigan State: 4-5
Opening Tips
- Illinois returns to State Farm Center to host Michigan State on Thursday (8 p.m. CT, FS1) in the first of two Big Ten home games this week.
- 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 Thursday's game vs. Michigan State, the Illini are now 57-26 (.687) in league games over the last four-plus seasons.
- Illinois is 8-1 at State Farm Center this season and has won six consecutive home games since a 71-64 loss to then-No. 4 Marquette on Nov. 14.
- During the team's six-game home win streak, Illinois has outscored opponents by an average of 27.2 points. On the season, the Illini rank second in the Big Ten with a scoring margin of +16.7.
- Thursday's meeting with Michigan State is the 128th in the series that dates back to the 1950-51 season. Illinois trails the series, 64-63, but has won three straight games vs. the Spartans.
- The Illini are 41-21 vs. Michigan State in Champaign and have won two straight at State Farm Center - a 56-55 win on Jan. 25, 2022 and a 75-66 victory on Jan. 13, 2023.
- The game vs. Michigan State begins a steady cadence of Big Ten play in which the Illini face five of their next six conference foes on two-day preparations through the end of January. Illinois' lone three-day window during this run falls between Sunday's home game vs. Maryland (1 p.m. CT, BTN) and the team's road game at Michigan on Jan. 18 (7:30 p.m. CT, FS1).
- 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 10th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.382), 14th in scoring margin (+16.7), 74th in blocks per game (4.4), and 84th in scoring defense (66.8 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 (.409) and third effective field goal percentage defense (.431).
- KenPom also rates the Illini among the top-25 programs nationally in adjusted efficiency on both offense (6th, 119.9) and defense (17th, 94.5). Illinois is one of only eight programs to rank inside the top 20 in both metrics.
- The Illini lead the Big Ten in both total rebounds per game (44.00) and defensive rebounds per game (30.79), figures that are fourth and fifth in the NCAA, respectively. The Illini also rank second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+10.6), which is 12th nationally, and offensive rebounds per game (13.21), 39th 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 seven of the last eight games, with two 30+ point performances – a career-high 33 vs. Florida Atlantic at Madison Square Garden and 32 vs. Northwestern – and most recently a game-high 26 points at Purdue.
- Domask is averaging 18.5 ppg over the last eight games (148). He has climbed to 20th 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 24.3 ppg.
- Domask ranks second in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 88% (44-50), and 11th in the league in field goal percentage at .449 (70-156).
- Domask is averaging 7.3 assists over the last four games (29), compared to 1.6 apg the first 10 games (16).
- Quincy Guerrier leads one of the nation's most tenacious rebounding teams, ranking 10th in the Big Ten at 7.6 rebounds per game, overall, and sixth in the league in defensive rebounding (5.9 per game).
- Guerrier has five double-doubles through 14 games with the Illini, including each of the last three games. He totaled two double-doubles in 71 career games at Oregon, both coming during the 2021-22 season.
- Guerrier has scored at least 14 points in each of the last six games, averaging 18.5 points (111).
- Guerrier is 12-of-24 (.500) on threes over the last six games, compared to 2-of-20 the first eight games.
- Coleman Hawkins has scored in double-figures in six straight games – a career-best streak – and is averaging 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists with 17 threes (2.8 per game) in 32.3 min/game during this run.
- Hawkins has made 17-of-35 three-pointers over the last six games (.485), after going 2-of-14 from distance in his first five games (.143).
- Justin Harmon has combined for 43 points over the last three games (14.3 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 is coming off a career-best 16 points at Purdue in a career-high 36 minutes. Goode tied his career high with four 3-pointers against the Boilers, a return to his accuracy from behind the arc after combining for just three triples over the previous four games. .
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