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Coming off an 85-80 win at Maryland, No. 12 Illinois faces the second of back-to-back road games at Penn State on Wednesday (5:30 p.m. CT, BTN). The matchup will be played at Rec Hall, marking PSU's first game at its former basketball venue since December 2015.
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Illinois is No. 12 in the latest AP poll, the team's 13th consecutive week inside the Top 25.
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The Illini are second in the Big Ten standings at 10-4, one game in the loss column behind No. 3-ranked Purdue (12-3).
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Illinois is one win away from its fifth consecutive 20-win season under head coach
Brad Underwood, which would mark the 37th 20-win season in program history. Illinois has not had five straight 20-win campaigns since doing so for eight straight seasons from 2000 through 2007.
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Underwood looks to become just the second coach in Fighting Illini history with five straight 20-win seasons, joining the legendary Lou Henson, who accomplished the feat nine years in a row from 1983 through 1991.
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Illinois is also seeking its 11th Big Ten victory. With a win, the Illini would become the league's only team to finish above .500 in B1G play in each of the last five seasons.
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Illinois is the Big Ten's winningest team in conference play since the start of 2019-20. The Illini are 65-29 (.691) in league games over the last five seasons heading into Wednesday's game at Penn State.
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Following Illinois' win at Maryland on Saturday, the Illini also have a Big Ten-leading 27 road wins (27-20, .574) in conference play since the start of 2019-20, which includes a 4-3 road mark this season.
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Terrence Shannon Jr. is the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 29 points on 54.8% shooting, 40% from three, and 85.7% from the foul line to lead the Illini to wins over Michigan and at Maryland.
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Marcus Domask eclipsed 2,000 points for his Div. I career on Saturday at Maryland. He is the 19th active Division I players to reach 2,000 career points, and the fourth in the Big Ten joining Boo Buie, Zach Edey, and Jahmir Young.
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Illinois is 6-4 away from State Farm Center in 2023-24, joining Purdue as the only Big Ten teams with winning records in combined road and neutral games this season.
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Illinois has been projected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament based on the Men's Basketball Committee's release of its top 16 teams on Feb. 17.
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The Illini enter the week ranked 12th in NET with a combined 8-6 record in Quad 1 (4-5) and Quad 2 (4-1) games, and a perfect 11-0 mark in Quad 3 (6-0) and Quad 4 (5-0) contests.
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Of Illinois' six remaining regular-season games, the next two - at Penn State (2/21) and vs. Iowa (2/24) - are Quad 2 opportunities, followed by a Quad 3 game vs. Minnesota (2/28), before three straight Quad 1 matchups to close out the regular season at Wisconsin (3/2), vs. Purdue (3/5), and at Iowa (3/10).
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Illinois is fifth in the country in offensive efficiency (123.1), its highest ranking of the Kenpom era, ahead of the 2005 season, when the Illini's NCAA runner-up team had the nation's No. 3 offense (122.3).
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Illinois' scoring average of 83.1 points per game, the team's highest since 1993-94 (84.0 ppg), ranks 20th in the NCAA.
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Illinois has topped 85 points in seven of its last nine games. The Illini are 12-1 this season when scoring at least 85 points.
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Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten and 20th nationally with a scoring margin of +12.4 ppg.
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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.
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Illinois has 21 wins over Top 25 teams since 2019-20, sixth-most nationally. Three of the team's six losses this season have come against top-10 foes, and all six have been by single-digit margins.
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Illinois is among the top 25 nationally in two defensive categories via KenPom, ranking 15th in effective field goal percentage defense (.458), and 19th in 2-point field goal percentage defense (.451).
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KenPom rates the Illini among the nation's top programs nationally in adjusted efficiency on both offense (5th, 123.1) and defense (47th, 99.0). Among the top-10 rated offensive programs nationally, Illinois is one of six - along with Arizona, UConn, Duke, Florida and Purdue - to also rank inside the top 50 defensively.
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Illinois is 13-0 when holding the opposition to less than one point per possession.
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The Illini lead the Big Ten and rank in the top 30 in the NCAA in total rebounds per game (42.2; fourth in NCAA), defensive rebounds per game (29.4, seventh in NCAA), and offensive rebounds per game (12.8; 28th in the NCAA). The Illini also rank second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+8.8), which ranks 12th nationally.
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The Illini's 42.2 rebounds per game is the team's best single-season mark since 1972-73 (44.4 rpg).
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The Illini have outrebounded their opponents in 18 of 25 games, and own a 16-2 record when winning the battle on the glass.
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Illinois is 11-1 when it records an offensive rebound rate of at least 35%.
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Illinois enters play this week leading the Big Ten in second-chance scoring, converting their offensive rebounds into 14.9 ppg, 1.5 points per game higher than the next closest Big Ten program (Purdue, 13.4).
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Illinois has pulled down 50+ rebounds in eight games this season, its most since 1979-80. Included in that was a stretch four straight – vs. Valpo, Southern, Western Illinois, and at Rutgers – that was
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Illinois' longest streak of consecutive games with 50+ rebounds since the 1963-64 season.
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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.
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Domask eclipsed 2,000 points for his Division I career on Saturday vs. Maryland. He scored 1,615 points at Southern Illinois and has tallied 389 as an Illini. Domask is one of 19 active Division I players to reach 2,000 points and is one of four in the Big Ten, joining Boo Buie, Zach Edey, and Jahmir Young.
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Domask enters Wednesday's game 17 rebounds shy of 700 career boards, and just two steals away from 100.
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Domask has scored in double figures in 18 of the last 19 games, with two 30+ point performances – a career-high 33 vs. Florida Atlantic at Madison Square Garden and 32 vs. Northwestern.
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Domask is averaging 17.8 ppg over the last 19 games (339). He has climbed to 12th in the Big Ten at 15.6 points per game overall this season after averaging just 8.2 points over his first six games.
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In conference games only, Domask ranks fourth in the Big Ten at 18.9 points per game.
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Domask, at 15.6 ppg, and teammate
Terrence Shannon Jr., at 21.4 ppg, rank as the top scoring tandem in the Big Ten conference with a combined 37.0 ppg. The duo ranks ahead of Purdue's Zach Edey (23.2 ppg) and Lance Jones (12.8 ppg) who average a combined 36.0 ppg. Domask and Jones were teammates for four seasons at Southern Illinois from 2019-20 through 2022-23.
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Domask is one of the Big Ten's most efficient scorers, ranking 12th in the conference with a .457 (137-300) field goal percentage.
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Domask ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 87.3% (89-102), just short of the Illinois program's single-season record of .874 (76-87) set by Alfonso Plummer in 2022.
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Domask is averaging 4.6 assists over the last 15 games (69), compared to 1.6 apg the first 10 games (16), and ranks 12th in the Big Ten at 3.4 assists per game, and 13th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.56.
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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.
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Hawkins has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 17 games and is averaging 14.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.9 steals.
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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.
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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).
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In back-to-back road games at Michigan (1/18) and at Northwestern (1/24), Hawkins recorded two double-doubles of 21 points and 10 rebounds vs. the Wolverines and 22 points and 13 boards vs. the Wildcats, while shooting 54% (14-26) overall, 50% (5-10) from 3-point range, and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, while adding eight steals, five assists, three blocks.
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Hawkins recorded at least one steal in 14 straight games from Dec. 2 at Rutgers to Jan. 27 vs. Indiana, a career-long streak, before finishing without a swipe at Ohio State (1/30) for the first time since the season's first three games. He ranks seventh in the Big Ten at 1.7 steals per game overall. In Big Ten Play, Hawkins ranks sixth in the league at 1.9 swipes per contest.
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Hawkins also posted a career-long streak of eight consecutive games with a block between Dec. 17 vs. Colgate and Jan. 18 at Michigan. He ranks 12th in the Big Ten at 1.16 blocks per game overall.
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Hawkins is the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top 15 in the conference in both blocks per game (1.16 bpg, 12th) and steals per game (1.68 spg, seventh).
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Over the last 17 games, Hawkins, one of the most versatile front court players in the nation, has led the Fighting Illini in 3-pointers made (38) and attempted (90), connecting 42.2% from long distance, the second-best mark on the team during that span. Hawkins opened the season 2-for-14 (.143) from distance in his first five contests.
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Hawkins ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting among players listed 6-foot-10 or taller with 40 triples on the season, more than the next two players - Minnesota F Dawson Garcia (20) and Wisconsin C Steven Crowl (17) - combined.
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Hawkins is averaging 7.0 rebounds per game over his last 11 contests, and has climbed to No. 17 in the Big Ten with an overall rebounding average of 6.2 rebounds per game.
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Shannon, at 21.4 ppg, and teammate
Marcus Domask, at 15.6 ppg, rank as the top scoring tandem in the Big Ten conference at a combined 37.0 ppg, ahead of Purdue's Zach Edey (23.2 ppg) and Lance Jones (12.8 ppg), who average a combined 36.0 ppg.
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Shannon has reached double-figures scoring in each of his last 29 games as an Illini, doing so in all 19 of his appearances this season, plus the final 10 contests of the 2022-23 campaign.
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Shannon's scoring average of 21.4 points per game ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 10 nationally.
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At 21.4 points per game, Shannon is on pace for Illinois' 20th single-season scoring average of 20-plus points since 1907.
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Shannon would record the fifth 20-point season by an Illini guard in program history. Other Illini guards to average more than 20.0 points per game are Jim Dawson (21.7 ppg in 1966-67), Rick Howat (20.6 ppg in 1970-71), Kendall Gill (20.0 ppg in 1989-90), and Ayo Dosunmu (20.1 ppg in 2020-21).
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Shannon is one of six "Power Conference" players nationally averaging 20+ points while shooting .450 or better from the field joining Purdue's Zach Edey, Alabama's Mark Sears, Cal's Jaylon Tyson, Washington's Keion Brooks Jr., and Tennessee's Dalton Knecht, and one of only 17 NCAA Division I players overall to hit those offensive marks.
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Since returning to the Illini lineup on Jan. 21 vs. Rutgers, Shannon has averaged 20.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest over his last eight games.
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In his last five games, dating back to Illinois' road win at Ohio State on Jan. 30, Shannon has led the Illini to a 4-1 record while averaging 25.4 points. During that period, Shannon is shooting 44.6% overall while hitting a team-most 14 three-pointers and 39 free-throws, and adding a team-leading seven blocks.
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Shannon ranks among the Big Ten leaders in several categories: No. 2 in scoring (21.4 ppg, 10th in NCAA), No. 5 in 3-pointers per game (2.3), No. 6 in field goal percentage (.470), No. 13 in blocked shots per game (1.2), and No. 15 in free-throw percentage (.800). .
