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Next up - Iowa - 2-25-25

Men's Basketball

Illini Host Hail to the Orange Out Tuesday Night vs. Iowa

PREVIEW

ILLINOIS (17-11, 9-8 B1G) vs. Iowa (15-12, 6-10 B1G)
Promotion Hail to the Orange Out presented by Gameday Spirit
Date | Time Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 | 8 p.m. CT
Location Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
Buy Tickets FightingIllini.com
TV FS1 (Brandon Gaudin & Robbie Hummel)
Live Stream FoxSports.com/live/fs1 | Fox Sports App
Radio Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 83, SXM App 83
Live Stats Statbroadcast.com
Printable Notes Illinois | Iowa
Pregame Press Conferences Coach Underwood (Feb. 24) 
2024-25 Stats Illinois | Iowa
Record Book Illinois
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Social Media @IlliniMBB | #Illini | @IlliniMBB 129943 | Facebook | YouTube
PROBABLE STARTERS (Based on previous game)
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Note
G 32 Kasparas Jakucionis 6-6 205 Fr. 15.5 5.6 4.8 Illini freshman record 10 20-point games
G 4 Kylan Boswell 6-2 205 Jr. 11.0 4.9 3.1 Team-leading 1.45 assist-turnover ratio
G 22 Tre White 6-7 210 Jr. 9.5 5.3 0.8 Team-high 16 points vs. #3 Duke
F 3 Ben Humrichous 6-9 225 Gr. 8.4 3.9 1.1 Team-leading 1.89 3-pointers per game
C 13 Tomislav Ivisic 7-1 255 So. 12.4 8.0 2.0 9 double-doubles (4th in B1G)
OFF THE BENCH
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Note
F 0 Carey Booth 6-10 215 So. 1.2 1.1 0.1 Five of eight field goals are 3-pointers
G 2 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn 6-1 185 So. 7.4 1.9 0.6 Led Illini w/ 17 pts, career-high 5 ast at WIS
G 5 AJ Redd 6-3 170 Jr. 0.3 0.7 0.2 Former team manager turned walkon
F 7 Will Riley 6-8 195 Fr. 11.7 3.9 2.1 16.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.3 apg over last 8 games
F 15 Jake Davis 6-6 205 So. 3.3 1.6 0.3 8 points in first-career start at #11 Wisconsin 
F 21 Morez Johnson Jr. 6-9 255 Fr. 7.2 6.6 0.2 2.7 offensive rebounds/game (4th in B1G)
G 24 Keaton Kutcher 6-2 195 r-Jr. 0.5 0.3 0.1 First Illini 3-pointer vs. Chicago State
REDSHIRT (Averages from 2023-24 season)
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Note
G/F 20 Ty Rodgers 6-6 210 Jr. 6.2 5.3 2.0 Started all 38 games last season
F 31 Jason Jakstys 6-10 210 Fr. -- -- -- Third-Team All-State

Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 269-126 (.681), 12th year
At Illinois: 160-99 (.618), 8th year
Big Ten: 89-66 (.574)

Series History vs. Iowa

All-Time Record / Streak:  Illinois leads 92-77 / Illinois W-2
Last Meeting:  #12 Illinois 73, Iowa 61 (3/10/2024 in Iowa City)
Record at Champaign / Streak:  Illinois leads 66-17 / Illinois W-4
Last Meeting at Champaign:  #12 Illinois 95, Iowa 85 (2/24/2024)
Underwood vs. Iowa:  7-6

Opening Tips

  • Illinois returns to Big Ten Conference play on Tuesday, hosting Iowa at State Farm Center (8 p.m. CT, FS1). 

  • Tuesday is Illinois' annual Hail to the Orange Out presented by Gameday Spirit. All Illini fans are encouraged to wear Orange. T-shirts courtesy of Gameday Spirit will be passed out to the first 1,000 fans at the Main West Entrance of State Farm Center. 

  • Illinois is No. 23 in the latest NCAA NET rankings, one of seven Big Ten teams in the top 30.  

  • The Illini are 6-10 in Quad 1 games and 3-6 vs. top-25 opponents this season. 

  • The Illini's six Quad 1 wins are tied for 12th nationally. Illinois is slated to play a total of 18 regular-season Quad 1 games, its highest total in the seven-year history of the NET. 

  • Tuesday's matchup features two of the Big Ten's most potent offenses. Iowa leads the Big Ten (seventh nationally) at 83.9 ppg, while the Illini rank third in the league (17th nationally) at 83.3 ppg. 

  • Illinois, at 9-8 in Big Ten play, is one win away from securing its sixth consecutive season at .500 or better in conference play. Illinois and Iowa are the only programs in the league with active streaks of five straight seasons at .500 or better.  

  • Illinois is aiming to secure double-digit wins in conference play for a sixth straight season, which would be the program's longest streak since doing so for seven years in a row from 2000 through 2006.

  • The matchup vs. Iowa is Illinois' final Quad 2 game of the regular season. Illinois is in the midst of a stretch in which it closes the regular season with six of seven games against Quad 1 opponents. 

  • Illinois is one of the nation's top rebounding teams, ranking second in the NCAA in total rebounds per game (43.3) and defensive rebounds per game (30.1), and seventh in rebound margin (+9.1 rpg). 

  • Illinois is 16-1 this season when scoring 80+ points, including 9-0 in Big Ten play.

  • Illinois is coming off a 110-67 loss to #3 Duke at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. Tre White had his most productive game since early January, leading the Illini with 16 points, while adding five rebounds. Kasparas Jakucionis added 14 points and led the team with seven rebounds and six assists.

Illini Team Notables

  • Illinois leads the Big Ten in five team statistical categories, with the following NCAA rankings: total rebounds per game (2nd in NCAA; 43.3), defensive rebounds per game (2nd; 30.1), rebound margin (2nd; 10.0), 3-point attempts per game (8th; 30.1), offensive rebounds per game (26th; 13.2), and free-throw attempts per game (22.5). 

  • Illinois is 16-1 on the season when scoring at least 80 points. The Illini's 17 games with 80+ points are second in the Big Ten behind Iowa (18), and tied for 12th nationally. Among teams with at least 15 80-point games, Illinois' .941 win percentage ranks fifth in the nation behind Arkansas State at 16-0 (1.000), Duke at 15-0 (1.000), Auburn at 19-1 (.950), and Akron at 17-1 (.944).  

  • The Illini secured their 11th home win of the season vs. UCLA (Feb. 11), their sixth straight season with at least 10 home wins at State Farm Center under Brad Underwood. 

  • Since 2019-20, the Illini are 80-17 (.825) at State Farm Center, tied with Purdue and Maryland for the second-most home wins by a Big Ten team over the last six seasons behind Iowa (82). Nationally, the Illini's 80 home wins rank tied for 17th, overall, and tied for 11th among teams that have played each of the last six seasons in a power conference. 

  • Illinois is a combined 6-7 away from State Farm Center this season, with a 4-5 mark in true road contests, and a 2-2 mark in neutral site games. 

  • Illinois is 33-26 (.559) in Big Ten road games since the start of the 2019-20 season, the best mark in the league over the last six seasons. The Illini have finished .500 or better on the road in league play in four of the last five seasons, and are 4-5 this season heading into their final road game, March 2 at #12 Michigan. 

  • Under Brad Underwood, Illinois has finished in the top 40 in KenPom adjusted efficiency for both offensive and defensive in four of the last six seasons. The Illini offense is currently No. 18 with a rating of 120.7, while the team is 40th on defense (98.5). 

  • Illinois is No. 17 nationally in KenPom's effective field goal percentage defense (.462), including a No. 10 ranking (first in the Big Ten) in 2-point defense (.450). 

  • According to KenPom, the Illini rank No. 31 nationally, and sixth among Power Conference programs, with a 3-point attempt rate (3-point attempts/total field goal attempts) of 47.0%. Among major conference teams, Illinois ranks first nationally with five games of 15+ made 3-pointers. 

  • Illinois is averaging 83.3 points per game, just short of the pace of last year's team that averaged 83.4 points per contest en route to a Big Ten Tournament Championship and an Elite Eight run. 

  • Eight of Illinois' wins have come by 20+ points, with three of those games coming on the road. The Illini defeated Eastern Illinois, 112-67 (+45); Oakland, 90-58 (+32); UMES, 87-40 (+47); and Little Rock, 92-34 (+58) all within the first month of the season. Illinois then defeated Chicago State, 117-64 (+53); recorded an historic 109-77 (+32) victory at No. 9 Oregon; earned a 91-52 (+39) home win over Penn State; rolled to a 94-69 (+25) victory at Indiana; and posted 95-74 (+21) win at Minnesota. The Illini have led by 25+ points in 10 games this season.  

  • Illinois is second nationally in rebounding at 43.3 boards per game, on pace for the program's best average in 52 seasons, since (44.4 rpg in 1972-73). The Orange and Blue have outrebounded their opponent in 22 of 28 games this season. 

  • Illinois is 3-6 against Top-25 ranked teams this season with wins over No. 19 Arkansas, No. 20 Wisconsin, and at No. 9 Oregon. The Illini's three ranked wins are tied for 20th nationally. Following Tuesday's home game vs. Iowa, the Illini are set to close the regular season with two more ranked games at #15 Michigan and vs. #20 Purdue. 

  • Brad Underwood has led the Illini program to Top-25 rankings in seven consecutive seasons. Illinois has been ranked for a total of nine weeks this season and is receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25. Illinois was ranked for seven consecutive weeks this season, and has reached as high as 13th.

  • Illinois has registered 78 wins in league play since the start of the 2019-20 season, one behind Purdue for the most in the conference over the last six seasons. And when including the conference tournament, the Illini's 84 wins during this time span also rank second in the league behind Boilermakers. 

  • The Illini won the 2024 Big Ten Tournament championship as the #2 seed, captured the regular season championship in 2022, and led the conference in wins while adding a B1G Tournament crown in 2021, and the team's three total championships during that span are tied with Purdue for the most in the Big Ten.  

  • Following the 2024 Elite Eight appearance and Big Ten Tournament Championship, Illinois has a dramatically different roster this season. The program returns just one rotation player – last year's ninth-leading scorer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn – and returns just 2.9% of its minutes, 2.2% of its points, and 2.0% of its rebounds overall.

  • Newcomers to the Illini roster have accounted for 91.1% of the team's scoring so far (2,125 of 2,333 total points), with UI freshmen accounting for 43.3% of those points (920).

  • Illinois' top three scorers, and top three rebounders are all in their first year of collegiate basketball. Freshman G Kasparas Jakucionis ranks first in scoring (15.5 ppg) and third in rebounding (5.6 rpg). Sophomore C Tomislav Ivisic nearly averages a double-double at 12.4 points (second on team) and team-leading 8.0 rebounds. Freshman F Will Riley is the Illini's No. 3 scorer at 11.7 points per game. And Freshman F Morez Johnson Jr. ranks second on the team at 6.6 rebounds per game with a team-leading 70 offensive boards (2.7 per game). 

  • Eight different Illini players have recorded a 20-point game this season, tied for the top mark in the NCAA, and the most by any Big Ten program since at least 2004-05. 

  • Three Illini scored 20+ points vs. Penn State - Ben Humrichous (21), Morez Johnson Jr. (20) and Tre White (20). It marked just the third time in the last 35 seasons that Illinois had a game featuring a trio of 20-point scorers.  

  • Illinois' 32-point road win over #9 Oregon was the largest margin of victory ever by a road team over an AP Top-10 opponent, and the largest road win in Illinois program history against any top-25 opponent. 

  • In their 109-77 win at #9 Oregon, Illinois became the first Big Ten team since Feb. 9, 1989, to record 100+ points in a Top-10 road win (No. 10 Michigan defeated No. 8 Iowa, 108-107).

  • Illinois also posted a dominant 94-69 win at Indiana on Jan. 14. The 25-point margin of victory was the second-largest for a Hoosiers' opponent in Assembly Hall history, while Illinois' 94 points marked the most ever scored by a visiting team in a regulation game at Assembly Hall. 

Illini Player Notables

Kasparas Jakucionis

  • Kasparas Jakucionis has been named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List, a Top-10 candidate for the Jerry West Award, a unanimous selection to the five-player Freshman All-America Team by The Athletic, a Midseason All-America third team selection by The Sporting News, a John R. Wooden Award Late Midseason Watch List (top 20) selection, and a Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Midseason Team selection. 

  • Jakucionis has 10 20-point games this season, setting the Illini all-time record for 20-point games by a freshman previously held by Cory Bradford who had eight 20-point games as a redshirt freshman in 1998-99. 

  • Jakucionis scored 20+ points in six straight games from Nov. 25-Dec. 22, shattering the Illini freshman record for consecutive 20-point games (previous record was two).  

  • Jakucionis became the fourth Big Ten freshman since 1996-97 with at least six-straight 20-point games, and the first to do so since Indiana's Eric Gordon had seven in a row in 2007.

  • Jakucionis has posted four game this season with 20+ points, 6+ rebounds and 5+ assists, tied for fifth nationally with Davidson junior Reed Bailey, Arkansas-Pine Bluff junior Doctor Bradley, Auburn fifth-year senior Johni Broome, Princeton junior Xavian Lee, Appalachian State senior Myles Tate, and Michigan junior Danny Wolf. 

  • At 15.5 points per game, Jakucionis is on pace to become the third Illini freshman in program history to average more than 15.0 points per game, and is just shy of the program record for scoring average by a freshman. Kiwane Garris (15.9 in 1993-94), Cory Bradford (15.4 in 1998-99), and Deon Thomas (15.1 in 1990-91) rank 1-3 on that list. 

  • All-time among Illinois freshman, Jakucionis ranks seventh in points (404), 10th in rebounds (145), and seventh in assists (126), and second in free-throws made (113). 

  • Jakucionis has earned two Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors this season.

Tomislav Ivisic

  • Tomislav Ivisic is the No. 6 rebounder in the Big Ten at 8.0 rebounds per game and ranks fourth in the league at 6.4 defensive rebounds per contest. 

  • Ivisic has led the Illini rebounding effort in 12 of the 25 games in which he has played. 

  • Ivisic, classified as sophomore in his first season of collegiate competition, has recorded nine double-doubles through 25 games, ranking fourth in the Big Ten, tied for 34th in the NCAA overall, and first among power conference underclassmen. 

  • Ivisic, at 7-1, is one of the nation's top 3-point shooting big men, and has connected on 37 3-pointers this season, fourth on the team behind Ben Humrichous (53), Kasparas Jakucionis (43), and Will Riley (38). 

  • Nationally, Ivisic ranks as one of just three 7-footers with at least 30+ 3-pointers made this season, trailing only Stanford senior Maxime Raynaud (48), and his brother Zvonimir Ivisic (42) of Arkansas.

  • Ivisic has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 20 games this season, tied with Raynaud for the most games with a triple among 7-footers. 

Ben Humrichous

  • Ben Humrichous leads the fighting Illini with 53 3-pointers on the season and has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 24 of 28 games. 

  • Humrichous leads the team, averaging 1.89 triples per contest, 17th in the Big Ten. 

  • With three games remaining on the Illini's regular-season schedule, Humrichous' 53 3-pointer as an Illini have matched his total hit during the 2023-24 season for Evansville.

Kylan Boswell

  • Kylan Boswell recorded the seventh triple-double in Illinois history and fifth of the Underwood era against Chicago State (Dec. 29), tallying 18 points, career-high 10 rebounds, and career-high 10 assists. 

  • Boswell scored in double-figures in 12 of 14 games for the Illini between the Dec. 10 vs. Wisconsin (19 points) and Feb. 2 vs. Ohio State (14), including a career-high 22 points in the Illini win at Indiana on Jan. 14. During that 14-game stretch, Boswell averaged 13.9 points (195), 6.3 rebounds (88), and 4.2 assists (59).

Morez Johnson Jr.

  • Morez Johnson Jr. is also excelling for the Illini. Over his last 16 games, prior to breaking his wrist vs. Michigan State on Feb. 15, Johnson averaged 8.9 points (142) and 6.8 rebounds (109), and made eight straight starts.  

  • During that 16-game run, beginning with the Illini's Braggin' Rights win vs. Mizzou on Dec. 22, Johnson has recorded a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double in the win over Penn State (Jan. 8), a 15-point, nine-rebound effort in his second-career start vs. Northwestern on Jan. 26, and 14-point, a 15-rebound double-double in the team's come-from-behind win over Ohio State on Feb. 2, and a 17-point, five-rebound effort vs. #11 Michigan State. 

  • Johnson, at 6.6 rebounds per game, is just short of Deon Thomas (6.8 rpg in 1990-91) for the third-best freshman mark in Illini history. Kofi Cockburn set the record holds the record at 8.8 rpg as a freshman in 2019-20, and Efrem Winters posted an average of 6.9 rpg in 1982-83. 

  • Prior to his injury, Johnson had recorded a team-leading 29 total blocks, tied for fourth in the Illini freshman record book with James Griffin (1978-79). 

Will Riley

  • Will Riley opened his Illini career by breaking the program's scoring record for a freshman debut with 31 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists in the team's season-opening win vs. Eastern Illinois. 

  • Riley has led the Fighting Illini in scoring seven times, all in a reserve role, providing a vital scoring threat off the bench. He scored in double-figures in seven straight games between Jan. 30 at Nebraska and Feb. 18 at #11 Wisconsin, averaging 17.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game during that run. 

  • Riley posted an historic outing in the team's win at Minnesota (Feb. 8), becoming the only freshman in the nation since at least 1996-97 to record a game with 27+ points, 9+ rebounds, and 7+ assists without a turnover.

  • Riley has earned three B1G Freshman of the Week awards this season.

Tre White

  • After opening the year averaging 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in eight games, Tre White found a rhythm on the court for the Illini. Beginning with a 23-point, 8 rebound effort vs. #20 Wisconsin on Dec. 10, White averaged 12.1 points (157) and 6.2 rebounds (80) the team's next 13 games, scoring in double figures seven times.  

  • In the Illini's matchup vs. #3 Duke at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 22, White led the Illini with 16 points and added five rebounds. It marked his first game of the season as the Illini's top scorer.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

  • Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has continued to make a big impact for the Illini in his sophomore season. Over 13 games between Dec. 22 vs. Missouri and Feb. 5 vs. Rutgers, Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 10.0 points (130) while shooting 52.2% (48-92) from the field.

  • During that run, Gibbs-Lawhorn made the first start two starts of his collegiate career vs. Ohio State (Feb. 2) and at Rutgers (Feb. 5). Against Ohio State, he was key to the Illini's 87-79 come-from-behind victory, posting 10 points highlighted by a momentum-shifting steal and run-out dunk that capped a 12-2 run to pull the Illini to within one possession after OSU's lead had reached 11 points. 

  • Gibbs-Lawhorn has posted nine double-digit scoring games this season, eight of which have come since Dec. 29: 16 vs. Chicago State (Dec. 29), 11 at Oregon (Jan.2), 11 vs. USC (Jan. 11), 12 at Indiana (Jan. 14), 15 vs. Maryland (Jan. 23), 15 at Nebraska (Jan. 30), 10 vs. Ohio State (Feb. 2), and 17 at #11 Wisconsin (Feb. 18).

Jake Davis

  • Jake Davis has made an impact for the Illini off the bench since just before the New Year. After totaling just eight points and seven rebounds in his first his nine games as an Illini, Davis has averaged 4.6 points (78) and 2.0 rebounds (34) over his last 17 games since Dec. 29 vs. Chicago State. 

  • Davis was vital to the Illini's win at then-No. 9 Oregon on Jan. 2, posting a season-high 12 points and with three rebounds in the road win in Eugene. 

Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

#2 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Keaton Kutcher

#24 Keaton Kutcher

G
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
test
AJ Redd

#5 AJ Redd

G
6' 3"
Junior
Ty Rodgers

#20 Ty Rodgers

G/F
6' 6"
Junior
Jason Jakstys

#31 Jason Jakstys

F
6' 10"
Freshman
Morez Johnson Jr.

#21 Morez Johnson Jr.

F
6' 9"
Freshman
Jake Davis

#15 Jake Davis

F
6' 6"
Sophomore
Ben Humrichous

#3 Ben Humrichous

F
6' 9"
Graduate Student
Tomislav Ivisic

#13 Tomislav Ivisic

C
7' 1"
Sophomore
Kasparas Jakucionis

#32 Kasparas Jakucionis

G
6' 6"
Freshman
Carey Booth

#0 Carey Booth

F
6' 10"
Sophomore
Kylan Boswell

#4 Kylan Boswell

G
6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

#2 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Keaton Kutcher

#24 Keaton Kutcher

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
test
G
AJ Redd

#5 AJ Redd

6' 3"
Junior
G
Ty Rodgers

#20 Ty Rodgers

6' 6"
Junior
G/F
Jason Jakstys

#31 Jason Jakstys

6' 10"
Freshman
F
Morez Johnson Jr.

#21 Morez Johnson Jr.

6' 9"
Freshman
F
Jake Davis

#15 Jake Davis

6' 6"
Sophomore
F
Ben Humrichous

#3 Ben Humrichous

6' 9"
Graduate Student
F
Tomislav Ivisic

#13 Tomislav Ivisic

7' 1"
Sophomore
C
Kasparas Jakucionis

#32 Kasparas Jakucionis

6' 6"
Freshman
G
Carey Booth

#0 Carey Booth

6' 10"
Sophomore
F
Kylan Boswell

#4 Kylan Boswell

6' 2"
Junior
G