| Illinois Starters Last Game (2023-24 Stats) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Season Note |
| G |
3 |
Makira Cook |
5-6 |
5th |
16.4 |
3.1 |
4.4 |
WBIT Most Outstanding Player |
| G |
1 |
Genesis Bryant |
5-6 |
5th |
14.2 |
3.1 |
3.2 |
9th place on Illinois' career made 3-point FG list with 133 makes |
| G |
24 |
Adalia McKenzie |
5-10 |
Sr. |
11.0 |
5.0 |
2.2 |
21 double-digit scoring efforts, five games with 20+ points last year |
| F |
23 |
Brynn Shoup-Hill |
6-3 |
Sr. |
3.0 |
2.3 |
0.4 |
12 starts/28 appearances last season |
| F |
44 |
Kendall Bostic |
6-2 |
5th |
12.1 |
10.9 |
1.7 |
Double-double in 9 of last 11 games |
Career Record:Â 197-100Â (.663), 11th season
Division I Record:Â 168-75Â (.691), Ninth season
At Illinois:Â 41-25Â (.621), Third season
Big Ten Record:Â 19-17Â (.528), Third season
Live Stream
Fans unable to attend Thursday night's season opener can watch Illinois vs. No. 19 Florida State online by purchasing a subscription to B1G+, a streaming service of non-televised events produced by the Big Ten Network in partnership with the Big Ten Conference schools.
Fans who sign up can choose either the monthly rate of $12.99Â or the annual rate of $89.99. The B1G+ subscription includes access to live streaming of non-televised games, next day on-demand archives, and access to Big Ten Network's library of Illinois' previous season classics and originals.
The 16Â remaining women's basketball games are slated to be streamed via B1G+:
» Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. vs. Eastern Illinois
» Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. vs. Le Moyne
» Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. vs. Oregon State
» Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. vs. Bradley
» Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. vs. Southern Indiana
» Dec. 20 at 12 p.m. vs. Southern
» Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. vs. Oregon
» Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. at Minnesota
» Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. vs. Iowa
» Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. vs. Michigan State
» Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. at Rutgers
» Feb. 2 at 12 p.m. at Maryland
» Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. vs. Northwestern
» Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. at Wisconsin
» Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. vs. Penn State
» March 2 at 2 p.m. vs. Michigan
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OPENING TIP
The 51st campaign of Illinois women's basketball tips off with Illinois hosting #19/19 Florida State on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. CT on B1G+ from State Farm Center. Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM). Streaming, audio, and stats links are also available at FightingIllini.com/wbb.Â
- Illinois is 2-3 all-time when facing an AP-ranked team in a season opener. Thursday night marks the 6th such occurrence.
- The last time Illinois opened the regular season against a Power opponent was the 2011-12 campaign against South Carolina.
- Illinois is 6-7 all-time in season openers against Power opponents.
- Illinois returns four 1,000-career point scorers, tied for the most in the NCAA with Baylor, Notre Dame, and Kansas State.
- Illinois' exhibition game starters (Cook, Bryant, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill, Bostic) have a combined 354 career starts (328 at Illinois) and played a combined 496 games (368 at Illinois).Â
- The Fighting Illini return eight players from last year's WBIT Championship team while adding six newcomers - four freshmen and two transfers - into the mix.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Florida State brought back 75% of its scoring production from a year ago as well as 82% of its rebounds. FSU went 23-11 last season, including a 12-6 mark in ACC play. The Seminoles have appeared in 11 consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Florida State opened the 2024-25 campaign on Monday vs. North Florida, coming away with a 119-49 win from the Tucker Center on Education Day.
Illinois and Florida State announced a home-and-home series on Sept. 2, as the Illini will make a return trip to Tallahassee in 2025-26.
ALL-TIME SERIES INFORMATION
The 2024 matchup marks the third meeting in the all-time series between Illinois and Florida State. Most recently, the sides met in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge during the 2021-22 season. FSU leads the series, 2-0, with the first meeting taking place in 1990.
FLYING PAST THE FLYERS - EXHIBITION
Illinois opened its 2024-25 slate with an exhibition victory over Lewis, 80-53, on Friday night at State Farm Center. Three Fighting Illini student-athletes scored in double figures, including a game-high 22-point effort from Kendall Bostic. All 12 Illini dressed for the game saw action. Attendance was called at 3,556. Green is 3-0 in exhibition games at Illinois.
PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
All three returning fifth-year Illini players landed on Naismith Award position watch lists ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Makira Cook (Point Guard), Genesis Bryant (Shooting Guard), and Kendall Bostic (Power Forward) each earned spots on the respective 20-player lists. Cook also was recognized to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Women's Player of the Year Watch List and Preseason All-Big Ten list for the second-consecutive year.Â
Freshman Berry Wallace was named to Shane Laflin's (Premier Basketball/ESPNW) 2024 NCAA Expected Impact Freshman List, featuring 10 college newcomers.
1,000 POINT SCORERS & REBOUNDING
Entering the 2024-25 campaign, Illinois has four players with 1,000+ career points scored. Makira Cook and Adalia McKenzie have surpassed 1,000 points in their time at Illinois, while Genesis Bryant and Kendall Bostic are within 100 points of achieving the feat as Illini.
To date, 32 Fighting Illini players have scored 1,000 points during their career at Illinois. Only three players have scored 1,000 points and grabbed 1,000 rebounds at Illinois; they are the only players to record 1,000 boards as an Illini.
| Milestone Marks |
| Name |
Career Points |
Career Rebounds |
Career Games/Starts |
Points at Illinois |
Rebounds at Illinois |
Games/Starts at Illinois |
| Makira Cook |
1,628 |
361 |
110/87 |
1,057 |
198 |
61/61 |
| Adalia McKenzie |
1,063 |
475 |
93/81 |
1,063 |
475 |
93/81 |
| Genesis Bryant |
1,031 |
241 |
99/53 |
952 |
204 |
65/53 |
| Kendall Bostic |
1,011 |
1,058 |
115/93 |
918 |
994 |
93/93 |
THE SHAUNA GREEN EFFECT
The Illini's 41 overall wins in Green's first two seasons are the program's most over a two-year span since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns, when Illinois recorded 42 combined victories under Hall of Fame coach Theresa Grentz.
Illinois' 19 Big Ten regular-season victories over Green's first two seasons are the program's most over a two-year span since the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 campaigns, when Illinois totaled 20 conference wins under Hall of Fame coach Theresa Grentz.Â
INAUGURAL WBIT CHAMPIONS
Illinois clinched the inaugural WBIT title in a 71-57 victory over Villanova at Hinkle Fieldhouse on April 3, 2024. The victory marked the program's first-ever postseason title.
After totaling five points through the first two quarters due to foul trouble, Makira Cook registered a game-high 27 points by pouring in 22 points in the second half. Shooting 7-for-11 from the floor over the final 20 minutes, Cook would be named the WBIT's Most Outstanding Player.
Genesis Bryant tallied 17 points in the championship and also finished the night with five rebounds and four assists. Kendall Bostic clinched a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. All three seniors would be named to the WBIT All-Tournament Team and announce their decisions to return as fifth-years at Illinois.
Illinois was the only team in the WBIT field to win a game at home, on the road, and at a neutral site.
HOME ATTENDANCE NUMBERS
Across 15 home games during the 2022-23 season, Illinois Women's Basketball saw 52,295 fans fill the State Farm Center en route to a 12-3 record. That total attendance ranked 5th in program history and made Shauna Green the only head coach to bring in 50,000 or more fans in her first season with the Illini.
In Illinois' 2023-24 season - and home - opener, the attendance of 2,680 marked the largest ticketed season-opening crowd at State Farm Center since 2000 (3,954). In the Illini's 17 home games last season, Illinois finished with a combined attendance of 63,242 for an average of 3,720 a game. 63,242 is now the fifth-best all-time attendance.
CONTRACT EXTENSION
Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced a two-year contract extension for women's basketball head coach Shauna Green, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees at its Nov. 14 meeting. Initially, the new agreement will keep Green on a six-year contract through at least the 2029-30 season. The agreement also provides Green the opportunity to earn up to four additional one-year extensions if certain performance thresholds are met.
Under Coach Green, Illinois has compiled a 41-25 record, including a 19-17 mark in Big Ten play. In two years under Green, the Illinois women's basketball team has registered 41 wins, the first-ever postseason championship in program history (2024 WBIT), and back-to-back top-five season attendances in State Farm Center. Over the last two seasons, Illinois has delivered two upsets of AP Top-15 ranked teams: No. 12 Iowa (1/1/23) and No. 14 Indiana (2/19/24).
FOREIGN TRIP
From August 2-12, the Illinois women's basketball team traveled to Europe for a foreign tour of Italy and Greece. The Fighting Illini grew on and off the court with exhibition games, educational tours, excursions, local cuisine, and authentic experiences on the schedule.
The WBIT championship run into April, 10 additional summer practices, and international exhibition games added extra opportunities for the team to grow and gel.Â
On Aug. 4, the Illini earned a 67-65 victory over the Spain & Italy Select Team at a neutral court in Ponte Buggianese, Italy. Game two of the Illinois women's basketball foreign tour saw the Illini earn a 106-42 victory at Amilla Peristeriou on Aug. 9. The win moved the Fighting Illini to 2-0 on the trip, and Shauna Green is now 5-0 as the head coach in foreign tour games.
PRO ILLINI
Illinois women's basketball is represented at the professional level across multiple continents. Former Illini center Camille Hobby joined the professional ranks after spending her fifth year of college at Illinois. Hobby plays for PAOK in Greece. Adrienne Williams Godbold, a guard at Illinois from 2009-13, plays in the Puerto Rican BSNF for Hatillo. Brandi Beasley, a guard at Illinois from 2016-20, plays for CJS Geispolsheim in France. Brittany Carter, who played at Illinois from 2014-15, now plays for GIE Cibao Immortals in the Dominican Republic and was the 2024 league MVP. Rebecca Harris, a guard at Illinois from 2006-08, plays for the Bay Area Phoenix in the Women's Premier Basketball Association (WPBA), helping them to a championship. Harris has also played in the Athletes Unlimited League.
