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Next Up vs. Iowa - 2-24-24

Men's Basketball

No. 12 Illini Host Orange Out vs. Iowa on Saturday at Sold-Out State Farm Center

PREVIEW

#12 ILLINOIS (19-7, 10-5) vs. Iowa (16-11, 8-8)
Date | Time Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 | 1:15 p.m. CT
Location Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
Tickets Sold Out | Buy On SeatGeek
TV BTN (Connor Onion & Robbie Hummel)
Live Stream FoxSports.com/live/btn | Fox Sports App
Radio Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 161 or 195, SXM App 957
Live Stats StatBroadcast
Digital Game Program Game 27 vs. Iowa
Printable Notes Illinois | Iowa
Pre-Game Media Availability Coach Underwood (Feb. 23)
2023-24 Stats IllinoisIowa
Record Book Illinois
Shop Online Store | Auctions
Social Media @IlliniMBB | #Illini | @IlliniMBB 129943 | Facebook | YouTube
Illinois Probable Starters
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Note
G/F 20 Ty Rodgers 6-6 210 So. 6.8 5.4 2.3 Team-leading 2.2 offensive rebounds/game
G 0 Terrence Shannon Jr. 6-6 225 5th 22.1 4.4 2.3 25 points from 1,000 at Illinois
G/F 3 Marcus Domask 6-6 215 Gr. 15.5 4.7 3.5 Eclipsed 2,000 career points at Maryland (2/17)
G/F 13 Quincy Guerrier 6-8 230 Gr. 10.4 7.0 0.2 #17 on NCAA active rebounder list (939)
F 33 Coleman Hawkins 6-10 230 Sr. 12.3 6.1 2.7 Leads team in steals (38) and blocks (26)
Off the Bench
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Note
G 2 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn 6-1 185 Fr. 2.7 1.0 0.5 9 pts & tied career-high w/ 4 rebs vs. FDU
G 4 Justin Harmon 6-4 200 Gr. 6.8 3.2 1.3 8.7 ppg (17 3FGs) over last 15 games
G 5 AJ Redd 6-3 170 So. 0.4 0.3 0.0 First-career FG vs. Missouri
G/F 10 Luke Goode 6-7 205 Jr. 6.7 4.2 0.5 Career-high 16 points (4 3FG) at #1 Purdue
G 11 Niccolo Moretti 6-1 170 r-Fr. 1.8 1.3 1.1 2 points in return from injury 1/18/24 at Michigan
G 25 Max Williams 6-2 200 Sr. 0.3 0.3 0.0 First-career points (2 FTs) vs. Michigan (2/13/24)
F 35 Amani Hansberry 6-8 240 Fr. 2.5 2.5 0.5 8 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl vs. Southern
F/C 42 Dain Dainja 6-9 255 r-Jr. 5.2 3.1 0.2 Team-high 19 points (9-10 FG) vs. FDU
Out
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Note
G 1 Sencire Harris 6-4 170 So. -- -- -- Plans to redshirt 2023-24 season
G 22 Keaton Kutcher 6-2 200 Jr. -- -- -- Plans to redshirt 2023-24 season

Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 242-113 (.682), 11th year
At Illinois: 133-86 (.607), 7th year
Big Ten: 76-57 (.571)

Series History

All-Time Record / Streak: Illinois leads 90-77  /  Iowa W-1
Last Meeting: Iowa 81, Illinois 79 (2/4/2023 at Iowa City)
Record at Champaign / Streak: Illinois leads 65-17  /  Illinois W-3
Last Meeting at Champaign: #20 Illinois 74, #24 Iowa 72 (3/6/2022)
Underwood vs. Iowa: 5-6

Opening Tips

  • No. 12 Illinois hosts Iowa at sold-out State Farm Center on Saturday afternoon (1:15 p.m. CT, BTN). It is Illinois' annual Hail to the Orange Out, presented by Gameday Spirit, with all fans in attendance asked to wear Orange.\
  • Illinois is No. 12 in the latest AP poll, the team's 13th consecutive week inside the Top 25.
  • The Illini are second in the Big Ten standings at 10-5 with five games remaining in the regular season. 
  • Illinois' next Big Ten win will mark its 1,000th victory all-time in conference play. A charter member of the Big Ten Conference, Illinois is 999-757 (.569) in 119 seasons of league games. 
  • 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.
  • 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.  
  • Illinois is also seeking its 11th Big Ten victory of the year. With a win, the Illini would become the league's first team to clinch finishing above .500 in B1G play in each of the last five seasons.
  • Illinois is the Big Ten's winningest team in conference play since the start of 2019-20. The Illini are 65-30 (.684) in league games over the last five seasons heading into Saturday's game vs. Iowa.
  • Terrence Shannon Jr., the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, scored a career-high 35 points in a double-double effort (season-high 11 rebounds) Wednesday at Penn State. 
  • Shannon averaged 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 last week, earning conference accolades.
  • Following Illinois' win at Maryland on Feb. 17, the Illini have a Big Ten-leading 27 road wins (27-21, .563) in conference play since the start of 2019-20, which includes a 4-4 road mark this season. 
  • Illinois is 6-5 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.  
  • 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. 
  • Through games played Feb. 22, Illinois ranks 16th in NET. The Illini have a combined 8-7 record in Quad 1 (4-5) and Quad 2 (4-2) games, and a perfect 11-0 mark in Quad 3 (6-0) and Quad 4 (5-0) contests. 
  • All five of Illinois' remaining regular-season games are  Quad 1 or Quad 2 opportunities. The next two - vs. Iowa (2/24) and vs. Minnesota (2/28) - are Quad 2 games, followed by three straight Quad 1 matchups to close out the regular season at Wisconsin (3/2), vs. Purdue (3/5), and at Iowa (3/10)..    

Illini Team Notables

  • Illinois is fifth in the country in offensive efficiency (123.4), 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).
  • Illinois' scoring average of 83.4 points is the team's highest since 1993-94 (84.0 ppg) and ranks 16th in the NCAA.
  • Illinois has topped 85 points in eight of its last 10 games. The Illini are 12-2 this season when scoring at least 85 points. 
  • Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally with a scoring margin of +11.9 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 seven losses this season have come against top-10 foes, and all seven have been by single-digit margins.  
  • Illinois is among the top 25 nationally in two defensive categories via KenPom, ranking 24th in 2-point field goal percentage defense (.456), and 25th in effective field goal percentage defense (.464).
  • KenPom rates the Illini among the nation's top programs nationally in adjusted efficiency on both offense (5th, 123.4) and defense (59th, 100.0). Among the top-10 rated offensive programs nationally, Illinois is one of seven - along with Arizona, BYU, UConn, Creighton, Duke, and Purdue - to also rank inside the top 60 defensively. 
  • Illinois is 13-0 when holding the opposition to less than one point per possession.  
  • The Illini lead the Big Ten and rank in the top 30 in the NCAA in total rebounds per game (42.4; fourth in NCAA), defensive rebounds per game (29.4, seventh in NCAA), and offensive rebounds per game (13.0; 26th in the NCAA). The Illini also rank second in the Big Ten in rebounding margin (+9.3), which ranks seventh nationally.
  • The Illini's 42.4 rebounds per game is the team's best single-season mark since 1972-73 (44.4 rpg).  
  • The Illini have outrebounded their opponents in 19 of 26 games, and are 16-3 when winning the battle on the glass. 
  • Illinois is 11-2 this season when it records an offensive rebound rate of at least 35%.
  • Illinois enters play this weekend leading the Big Ten in second-chance scoring, converting their offensive rebounds into 15.1 ppg, 1.5 points per game higher than the next closest Big Ten program (Purdue, 13.6). 
  • Illinois has pulled down 50+ rebounds in nine 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 Illinois' longest streak of consecutive games with 50+ rebounds since the 1963-64 season. 
  • 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 eclipsed 2,000 points for his Division I career on Feb. 17 vs. Maryland. He scored 1,615 points at Southern Illinois and has tallied 404 as an Illini. Domask is one of 22 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. 
  • Domask enters Saturday's game 14 rebounds shy of 700 career boards, and just two steals away from 100. 
  • Domask is one of 11 active NCAA Division I players to have recorded 2,000+ points and 600+ rebounds. He also ranks as one of 12 active DI players to post 2,000+ points and 400+ assists. 
  • Domask has scored in double figures in 19 of the last 20 games, with two 30+ point performances – a career-high 33 vs. Florida Atlantic at Madison Square Garden and 32 vs. Northwestern. 
  • Domask is averaging 17.7 ppg over the last 20 games (354). He has climbed to 12th in the Big Ten at 15.5 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 18.7 points per game. 
  • Domask, at 15.5 ppg, and teammate Terrence Shannon Jr., at 22.1 ppg, rank as the top scoring tandem in the Big Ten conference with a combined 37.6 ppg. The duo ranks ahead of Purdue's Zach Edey (23.3 ppg) and Lance Jones (12.9 ppg) who average a combined 36.2 ppg. Domask and Jones were teammates for four seasons at Southern Illinois from 2019-20 through 2022-23.  
  • Domask is one of the Big Ten's most efficient scorers, ranking 12th in the conference with a .457 (143-313) field goal percentage. 
  • Domask ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten in free throw shooting at 87.6% (82-105), just ahead of the Illinois program's single-season record of .874 (76-87) set by Alfonso Plummer in 2022. 
  • Domask is averaging 4.7 assists over the last 16 games (75), compared to 1.6 apg the first 10 games (16), and ranks 12th in the Big Ten at 3.5 assists per game, and 13th with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.55.  
  • 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.

Coleman Hawkins

  • Hawkins has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 18 games and is averaging 14.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.9 steals. 
  • 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).
  • 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.  
  • 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 eighth in the Big Ten at 1.65 steals per game overall. In Big Ten Play, Hawkins ranks sixth in the league at  1.80 swipes per contest. 
  • 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 13th in the Big Ten at 1.17 blocks per game overall.
  • Hawkins is the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top 15 in the conference in both blocks per game (1.13 bpg, 13th) and steals per game (1.65 spg, eighth). 
  • Over the last 18 games, Hawkins, one of the most versatile front court players in the nation, has led the Fighting Illini in 3-pointers made (41) and attempted (97), connecting on 42.3% from long distance, the second-best mark on the team during that span, behind Quincy Guerrier's 44.3%. Hawkins opened the season 2-for-14 (.143) from distance in his first five contests. 
  • Hawkins ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting among players listed 6-foot-10 or taller with 43 triples, more than the next two players - Minnesota F Dawson Garcia (21) and Wisconsin C Steven Crowl (17) - combined.
  • 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.

Terrence Shannon Jr.

  • Shannon has reached double-figures scoring in each of his last 30 games as an Illini, doing so in all 20 of his appearances this season, plus the final 10 contests of the 2022-23 campaign. 
  • Shannon is closing in on a pair of scoring milestones, entering Saturday's contest vs. Iowa 25 points away from 1,000 in his two seasons as an Illini, and 110 points away from 2,000 for his Division I career. 
  • Shannon scored a career-high 35 points, and tied his season high with 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and the fifth of his Illini career in Illinois game at Penn State (2/21). His 35-point effort marked the most by an Illini since Kofi Cockburn scored 37 vs. Wisconsin (2/2/22), and the most in a road game by an Illini since Ayo Dosunmu scored 36 at Missouri (12/12/2020).
  • Shannon has four 30-point games this season, tying for third-most in a single season in school history and the most since Ayo Dosunmu in 2020-21. Shannon's five career 30-point games are tied for sixth on the Illini's career charts. 
  • Shannon's scoring average of 22.1 points per game ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 6 nationally. 
  • At 22.1 points per game, Shannon is on pace for Illinois' 20th single-season scoring average of 20+ points since 1907. 
  • 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).  
  • Shannon is one of five "Power Conference" players nationally averaging 20+ points while shooting .470 or better from the field joining Purdue's Zach Edey, Alabama's Mark Sears, Washington's Keion Brooks Jr., and Tennessee's Dalton Knecht, and one of only 12 NCAA Division I players overall to hit those offensive marks. 
  • In his last nine games since returning to the Illini, Jan. 21 vs. Rutgers, Shannon has averaged 22.4 points and 4.1 rebounds.
  • In his last six games, dating back to Illinois' road win at Ohio State on Jan. 30, Shannon is averaging 27.0 points. During that period, Shannon is shooting 46.5% overall while hitting a team-most 16 three-pointers and 52 free-throws, and adding a team-leading eight blocks. 
  • Shannon ranks among the Big Ten leaders in several categories: No. 2 in scoring (22.1 ppg, sixth in NCAA), No. 5 in 3-pointers per game (2.3), No. 6 in field goal percentage (.476), No. 12 in blocked shots per game (1.15), and No. 15 in free-throw percentage (.787).
  • Shannon, at 22.1 ppg, and teammate Marcus Domask, at 15.5 ppg, rank as the top scoring tandem in the Big Ten conference at a combined 37.6 ppg, ahead of Purdue's Zach Edey (23.3 ppg) and Lance Jones (12.9 ppg), who averaged a combined 36.2 ppg. 

Quincy Guerrier

  • Guerrier leads one of the nation's most tenacious rebounding teams, ranking eighth in the Big Ten in overall rebounding (7.04 rpg) and seventh in the league in defensive rebounding (5.35 rpg). 
  • Guerrier leads the Illini and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with eight double-doubles through 26 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 12 of his last 18 games, averaging 12.2 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 27-of-61 (.443) on threes over the last 18 games, compared to 2-of-20 (.100) over his first eight. Guerrier's 44% from beyond the arc leads the Illini during that stretch, while his 27 total triples are second on the team behind Coleman Hawkins (41). 
  • Guerrier enters play Saturday vs. Iowa with 939 career rebounds, ranking 17th on the NCAA's list of active career leaders, and closing in no 1,000 boards for his collegiate career.   
  • In addition to his 939 career rebounds, Guerrier has amassed 1,590 career points at the Division I level and ranks as one of just 15 active players nationally to have recorded 1,500+ points and 900+ rebounds in their careers.

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 5.4 rebounds per game. 
  • Rodgers recorded a combined 24 rebounds in back-to-back games, notching 10 boards as part of a double-double effort at Ohio State (1/30), and grabbing a game-high 14 vs. Nebraska (2/4). It matched his best two-game total of the season after he pulled down nine boards vs. Missouri (12/22), followed by a career-high 15 vs. FDU (12/29). 
  • Rodgers has been particularly effective on the offensive glass where he has pulled down a team-leading 56 offensive rebounds, or a team-high 39.7% of his 141 total rebounds. 
  • Rodgers' 2.15 offensive rebounds per game ranks 12th in the Big Ten this season.

Luke Goode

  • Goode leads the Illini with 47 3-pointers on the season, just ahead of Terrence Shannon Jr. (46) and Coleman Hawkins (43). Goode also ranks first on the team shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc. 
  • Goode's 1.8 3-pointers per game rank 17th in the Big Ten. 
  • 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.

Justin Harmon

  • Harmon ranks tied for fifth on the Illini roster (with Ty Rodgers) in scoring at 6.8 points per game, and has tallied 131 of his 176 total points over the team's last 15 games (8.7 ppg) after averaging just 4.1 points per game over the team's first 11 contests of the season. 
  • Harmon shot 5-for-16 (.313) from 3-point range through his first 11 games, but has hit at a clip of more than 38 percent (17-for-45) over his last 15 contests. 
  • 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).

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Players Mentioned

Dain Dainja

#42 Dain Dainja

F/C
6' 9"
Redshirt Junior
Luke Goode

#10 Luke Goode

G/F
6' 7"
Junior
Sencire Harris

#1 Sencire Harris

G
6' 4"
Sophomore
Coleman Hawkins

#33 Coleman Hawkins

F
6' 10"
Senior
Niccolo Moretti

#11 Niccolo Moretti

G
6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
AJ Redd

#5 AJ Redd

G
6' 3"
Sophomore
Ty Rodgers

#20 Ty Rodgers

G/F
6' 6"
Sophomore
Terrence Shannon Jr.

#0 Terrence Shannon Jr.

G
6' 6"
Fifth Year
Quincy Guerrier

#13 Quincy Guerrier

G/F
6' 8"
Graduate Student
Marcus Domask

#3 Marcus Domask

G/F
6' 6"
Graduate Student
Justin Harmon

#4 Justin Harmon

G
6' 4"
Graduate Student
Keaton Kutcher

#22 Keaton Kutcher

G
6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Dain Dainja

#42 Dain Dainja

6' 9"
Redshirt Junior
F/C
Luke Goode

#10 Luke Goode

6' 7"
Junior
G/F
Sencire Harris

#1 Sencire Harris

6' 4"
Sophomore
G
Coleman Hawkins

#33 Coleman Hawkins

6' 10"
Senior
F
Niccolo Moretti

#11 Niccolo Moretti

6' 1"
Redshirt Freshman
G
AJ Redd

#5 AJ Redd

6' 3"
Sophomore
G
Ty Rodgers

#20 Ty Rodgers

6' 6"
Sophomore
G/F
Terrence Shannon Jr.

#0 Terrence Shannon Jr.

6' 6"
Fifth Year
G
Quincy Guerrier

#13 Quincy Guerrier

6' 8"
Graduate Student
G/F
Marcus Domask

#3 Marcus Domask

6' 6"
Graduate Student
G/F
Justin Harmon

#4 Justin Harmon

6' 4"
Graduate Student
G
Keaton Kutcher

#22 Keaton Kutcher

6' 2"
Junior
G