| PROBABLEÂ STARTERSÂ (based on previous game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
4 |
Kylan Boswell |
6-2 |
215 |
Sr. |
17.3 |
4.8 |
3.9 |
Only B1G player averaging at least 17.0/4.0/3.5 |
| G |
23 |
Keaton Wagler |
6-6 |
185 |
Fr. |
13.5 |
5.3 |
2.0 |
4.8 FT/game, #2 in B1G among freshmen |
| G |
2 |
Andrej Stojakovic |
6-7 |
215 |
Jr. |
16.3 |
3.6 |
1.3 |
20+ points in 4 of first 7 games at Illinois |
| F |
0 |
David Mirkovic |
6-9 |
250 |
Fr. |
14.3 |
10.0 |
2.8 |
1st 20-pt, 20-reb game by an Illini since 1972 |
| C |
13 |
Tomislav Ivisic |
7-1 |
255 |
Jr. |
10.8 |
5.2 |
0.8 |
Double-double (11 pts, 10 reb) vs. #5 UConn |
| OFF THE BENCH |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Brandon Lee |
6-4 |
195 |
Fr. |
2.7 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
Made college debut Saturday vs. LIU |
| F |
3 |
Ben Humrichous |
6-9 |
235 |
Gr. |
8.1 |
4.8 |
0.9 |
Team-high 1.7 made 3-pointers per game |
| G |
5 |
AJ Redd |
6-3 |
170 |
Sr. |
2.3 |
0.7 |
0.0 |
Former team manager |
| G |
8 |
Blake Fagbemi |
6-0 |
180 |
Fr. |
0.7 |
2.0 |
1.0 |
Has played in three games |
| F |
15 |
Jake Davis |
6-6 |
215 |
Jr. |
3.4 |
1.8 |
0.5 |
Made three 3-pointers in season opener |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
210 |
r-Jr. |
- |
- |
- |
Out indefinitely following knee surgery |
| C |
31 |
Jason Jakstys |
6-10 |
225 |
r-Fr. |
1.2 |
2.2 |
0.4 |
9 rebounds in Illini debut vs. Jackson St. |
| F/C |
44 |
Zvonimir Ivisic |
7-2 |
250 |
Jr. |
7.4 |
5.5 |
0.5 |
1st in B1G (7th in NCAA) at 2.9 blocks/game |
| G |
77 |
Mihailo Petrovic |
6-2 |
180 |
So. |
5.3 |
1.5 |
2.8 |
Season-high 18 minutes vs. #5 UConn at MSG |
Career Record: 280-130Â (.683), 13th year
At Illinois: 171-103 (.624), 9th year
Big Ten: 92-66Â (.580)
Series History vs. Tennessee
All-Time Record / Streak:Â Tennessee leads 4-1 / Tennessee W2
Last Meeting: #1Â Tennessee 66, Illinois 64Â (Dec. 14, 2024 at Champaign)
Record at Neutral Sites: First meeting
Underwood vs. Tennessee: 0-2
OPENING TIPS
- No. 14 Illinois (6-2) returns to the court for the first time in eight days to face No. 13 Tennessee (7-2) in the Music City Madness showdown Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville (7 p.m. CT / ESPN).Â
- The No. 13 Volunteers are the last of four top-15 ranked nonconference opponents in a seven-game stretch on the Illini's schedule. Illinois defeated No. 11 Texas Tech, 81-77, at home on Nov. 11, and lost to No. 11 Alabama, 90-86, on Nov. 19 at the United Center in Chicago, followed by a 74-61 setback vs. No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28. Illinois is also slated to face 8-1 Mizzou on Dec. 22 in St. Louis.Â
- Head coach Brad Underwood has led Illinois to 28 wins over top-25 opponents since 2019-20. This is tied for ninth-most in the NCAA during that span and includes 19 wins in ranked-vs.-ranked matchups.Â
- Saturday's contest is Illinois' third game away from home this season. Illinois is 6-0 at State Farm Center, having won each home game with an average scoring margin of +30.0, but is seeking it its first win outside of Champaign after neutral-site losses to No. 11 Alabama and No. 5 UConn.Â
- Illinois enter's Saturday's matchup looking to snap a five-game skid against ranked opponents at neutral sites. The Illini's last ranked win on a neutral floor came last season on Thanksgiving Day with a 90-77 victory over No. 19 Arkansas in Kansas City.Â
- Illinois' last win at a neutral site in a ranked-vs.-ranked matchup came on March 28, 2024 when No. 10 Illinois defeated No. 4 Iowa State, 72-69, to advance to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.Â
- Illinois is currently ranked No. 14 in the AP poll and No. 15 in the coaches poll, and reached as high as No. 8 on Nov. 17. The Illini have been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons under Brad Underwood.Â
- Illinois is No. 27 in the NCAA NET rankings through games played Dec. 3.Â
- After leading the Big Ten in scoring last season (83.6 ppg), Illinois is currently averaging 90.4 points. At this early pace, the Illini would become the third team in program history to average 90+ points per game behind the 1964-65 (92.2 ppg) and 1955-56 (90.7) teams.Â
- The Illini opened this season with seven straight games of 80+ points. It marked the most such games to open a campaign since the 1988-89 Flyin' Illini scored 80+ in each of their first 12 contests.Â
- Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the nation in rebound margin (+14.0 rpg). Illinois is also second in the Big Ten in total rebounds per game (44.5 rpg) and defensive rebounds per game (30.6 rpg), ranking eighth and ninth, respectively, in the NCAA. The Illini rank among the top 10 in the nation, and second in the conference, committing just 13.5 fouls per game. Â
- Illinois is No. 17 in the kenpom rankings with a net rating of +24.91. The Illini feature the No. 14-rated offense (122.1) and the No. 21 defensive rating (97.2) in the country. The Illini have had an overall kenpom rating of 35th or better each of the last six years under Brad Underwood with a high of No. 4 (2020-21). Illinois posted consecutive top-20 rankings in 2023-24 (10th) and 2024-25 (17th).
- The Fighting Illini offense features five players averaging double figures in scoring – Kylan Boswell (17.3 ppg), Andrej Stojakovic (16.3), David Mirkovic (14.3), Keaton Wagler (13.5), and Tomislav Ivisic (10.8) – ranking second in the Big Ten and tied for the fifth-most in the nation.Â
- Junior G Andrej Stojakovic transferred to Illinois with a reputation as a prolific scorer, and he has started off strong, averaging 16.3 points on 55.4% shooting. Stojakovic has four 20-point performances in the last six games, highlighted by a season-high 26 points vs. #11 Alabama. Stojakovic also posted 23 points the win over #11 Texas Tech, and scored 20 and 24, respectively, in Illinois' most recent wins over LIU and UTRGV.Â
- Freshman F David Mirkovic is one of only two freshman in the nation, along with North Carolina's Caleb Wilson, averaging at least 14 points and 10 rebounds per contest (through Dec. 3).
- Mirkovic leads the Big Ten and is among the national top 25 in several categories, ranking first in the conference with four double-doubles (14th in NCAA), 80 total rebounds (11th), and 7.25 defensive rebounds per game (11th). His 10.0 rebounds per game rank second in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally.
- Senior G Kylan Boswell is the only player in the Big Ten averaging better than 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game (through Dec. 3). In the Illini's last outing vs. #5 UConn, Boswell poured in a game-high 25 points, his fourth 20+-point game this season. He is the Illini's active leader with 1,076 career points (568 at Illinois), with seven 20+-point games and 31 career double-digit scoring games in Orange and Blue.Â
- Illinois is 1-2 this season vs. Top 25 teams, with a home win over No. 11 Texas Tech (81-77) on Nov. 11, and losses to #11 Alabama (90-86) on Nov. 18 at Chicago's United Center and #5 UConn (74-61) at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28. With a nonconference contest remaining #13 Tennessee, plus five ranked Big Ten opponents, the Illini are currently projected to play as many as nine ranked games during the regular season.
- Illinois is the winningest team in Big Ten Conference play since 2019-20, with 81 league wins over the previous six seasons, tied with Purdue. During that stretch, the Illini lead the conference with 34 road wins in league play. When including the conference tournament, Illinois is also tied with Purdue for the most total wins against Big Ten opponents over this span with 88.
