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Probable
Illinois starters
F, 34, Brian Cook (senior, 6-10, 240,
21.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg)
F/C, 40, James Augustine (freshman,
6-10, 220, 7.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
G, 24, Sean Harrington (senior, 6-3,
185, 10.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
G, 11, Dee Brown (freshman, 6-0, 175,
12.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.8 apg)
G, 5, Deron Williams (freshman, 6-3,
210, 6.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.5 apg)
Off
the bench
C, 1, Aaron Spears (freshman, 6-9, 250,
3.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
G, 4, Luther Head (sophomore, 6-3, 175,
7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg)
F, 23, Blandon Ferguson (senior, 6-3,
205, 2.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg)
G, 25, Jerrance Howard (senior, 6-1,
200, 0.0 ppg, 0.1 rpg)
G, 31, Nick Huge (junior, 6-4, 215, 0.7
ppg, 0.3 rpg)
F, 32, Kyle Wilson (freshman, 6-8, 230,
2.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
F, 42, Clayton Thomas (senior, 6-7,
240, 0.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
F, 43, Roger Powell (sophomore, 6-6,
220, 8.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
C, 45, Nick Smith (sophomore, 7-2, 240,
4.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
Series
history -- Iowa
Illinois owns a 68-63 advantage over
Iowa in the all-time series. Iowa leads 48-16 in games played at
Iowa City, but the Illini and Hawkeyes have split the last four
meetings there. Illinois defeated Iowa 77-66 at the Assembly Hall in
the only meeting last season.
Iowa won the last meeting at Iowa City
in 2001 by the score of 78-62. Illinois last won at Iowa City on
Jan. 26, 2000, when the score was 69-58.
On the
air
Television: ESPN Plus local -- Larry
Morgan, play-by-play; Doug Altenberger, expert ESPN Plus analyst
Radio: Illini Sports Radio Network, 43
stations
-- Brian Barnhart, play-by-play; Steve Bardo, expert analyst; Loren
Tate pre-game and halftime reports
Coaching
Illinois
Head coach: Bill Self -- overall 194-99
(10th year), Big Ten 26-8; at Illinois 65-18 (third year); versus
Iowa 2-1
Associate head coach: Norm Roberts
(third year)
Assistants: Tim Jankovich (first year)
and Wayne McClain (second year)
Trainer: Rod Cardinal (30th year).
Iowa
Head coach: Steve Alford -- overall
222-124 (12th year); at Iowa 66-47 (fourth year); versus Illinois
1-4
Assistant coaches: Brian Jones, Greg
Lansing and Rich Walker
Quick
shots
Illinois' 12-1 start is the school's
best since 1989-90, when the Illini began 12-1 and ended 21-8 with
Kendall Gill and Steve Bardo as seniors. ... A win over Iowa would
give the Illini their best start since the 1988-89 season, when they
started 17-0. ... Illinois has now won nine consecutive Big Ten
conference games, dating back to the final seven games of last
season, its longest streak since winning 13 straight conference
games from Feb. 26, 1955, to Feb. 20, 1956, and the sixth longest
conference-game-winning streak in school history. ... Illinois has
won five straight Big Ten road games, its longest such streak since
the Illini won six straight from Feb. 19, 1955, to Feb. 25, 1956,
and again the sixth longest such winning streak in school history.
... Brian Cook has scored at least 17 points in all 11 of his games
this season, including at least 20 eight times. ... Sean Harrington
has averaged 16.5 points per game in his four starts for the Illini
this season. ... Harrington is shooting 59 percent (19-32) from
3-point range over the last three games and 60 percent (28-47) in
eight games at the Assembly Hall this season. ... Assistant coach
Wayne McClain and sophomore forward Roger Powell are both
celebrating birthdays on Jan. 15.
Cook
books more weekly honors
Senior forward Brian Cook earned
several weekly awards after a pair of stellar performances,
averaging 28 points and 10 rebounds on 56 percent shooting to earn
Big Ten, ESPN.com, The Sporting News, FoxSports.com and Dick Vitale
Player of the Week honors and lead the Illini to a 2-0 start atop
the conference standings.
The senior forward guided the Illini to
a road victory at Minnesota to open the Big Ten season and equaled
his career high with 25 points by hitting six-of-13 from the field
and 13-of-17 from the free-throw line. Cook added 11 rebounds for
his 11th career double-double and third this season, which is tied
for third among all league players.
The preseason Big Ten Player of the
Year put on an even more impressive show against Wisconsin,
shattering his career high with 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting,
including a pair of treys, in just 26 minutes on the court. Cook
added nine rebounds in the win to nearly record another
double-double. The 6-10 forward produced 24 of his 31 points in the
second half, including a streak of 15 consecutive Illinois points,
and scored 22 of the Illini's final 26 points in the game. His12
field goals were the most by any Big Ten player this season.
He earns his second Big Ten Player of
the Week accolade this season, as he was also honored on Dec. 9, and
the third of his career.
Last
time out -- Illinois 69, Wisconsin 63
Illinois improved to 2-0 in the Big Ten
with a 69-63 win over Wisconsin at the Assembly Hall. Senior Brian
Cook scored a career-high 31 points, including 24 in the second
half, while leading the Illini with nine rebounds. Freshman James
Augustine followed Cook with a career-high 17 points, including 13
in the first half, when Cook sat out more than 10 minutes with two
fouls. After allowing Wisconsin to shoot 60 percent from the field
in the first half, the Illini defense tightened to hold the Badgers
to just 35.3 percent in the second. Cook's 3-pointer with 1:49
remaining gave Illinois a 12-point lead.
Defense
After 12 games this season, Illinois
opponents are shooting just 36.8 percent from the field, including
just 29.3 percent from 3-point range.
Against Coppin State on Dec. 30,
Illinois held the Eagles to just 12 field goals, the fewest made
shots in the 40-year history of the Assembly Hall, and to just 29
percent shooting from the field. Coppin State was the second Illini
opponent this season to shoot under 30 percent. In the Big Ten
opener,
Illinois held Minnesota to 30.5 percent shooting on its home floor,
as the Gophers made just 19.2 percent (5-26) from 3-point range.
Illinois has now held six of its last
seven
opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field and has a total of eight such defensive efforts this season. Coppin
State's 37 points were the fewest allowed by the Illini since
defeating Northwestern 63-30 on Feb. 19, 2000.
Illinois leads the Big Ten in
scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of just 59.2 points,
and also leads in in field-goal percentage defense, at .368. The Illini also
rank third in the league in rebounding margin (plus 5.0) and fifth
in steals per game (7.0).
In the latest national statistics
compiled by the NCAA, Illinois ranks ninth in field-goal percentage
defense and third in scoring margin (plus 22.5), while ranking 11th
in scoring defense.
Howard
says 2003 is final season
Guard Jerrance Howard has said that the
2003 season will be his final campaign as a player at Illinois.
Howard, who would have one season of eligibility remaining in
2003-04, after redshirting as a freshman in 1999-2000, will graduate
in May and plans to possibly enter the coaching field. He will be
listed as a senior for the remainder of his Illinois career.
Unselfish
play
The Fighting Illini have begun the
2002-03 season with unselfish play. Illinois leads the Big Ten and
ranks fourth in the nation in assists per game (19.5 average),
highlighted by a season-high 25 assists versus Oakland, 24 versus
Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and 23 against both Western Illinois and North
Carolina. In the win over Coppin State, the Illini were credited
with 21 assists on 22 made baskets, an amazing 96 percent of shots
made. Illinois has tallied 20 or more assists in seven games and has
recorded assists on over 67 percent of its baskets (254 assists on
375 FG) on the season. Guards Dee Brown and Deron Williams rank
second and fifth, respectively, in the Big Ten in assists, with
averages of 4.8 and 4.5 per game.
High-scoring Illini
Illinois has opened the 2002-03 season
by averaging 79.2 points, outscoring its opponents by an average of
20 points per game. Illinois is shooting 50.4 percent from the
field, ranking 11th in the nation in field-goal percentage, and has
shot better than 50 percent in eight-of-13 games this season.
Illinois leads the Big Ten in scoring
margin (plus 20.0), field goal percentage (.504) and 3-point field
goal percentage (.401) while ranking second in scoring average
(79.2). Illinois' top six scorers are all shooting 48 percent or
better from the field.
Hot start
Illinois' eight straight wins to open
the 2002-03 season tied the 10th best start in the 98-year history
of Fighting Illini basketball and rank as the Illini's best start
since beginning the 1995-96 season 9-0.
Illinois' current 12-1 record is its
best since the 1989-90 season, when the Illini began 12-1. A win over
Iowa on Wednesday would give Illinois
its best start since beginning the 1988-89 season with a 17-0 mark.
Top 25 streak continues
Illinois began last week ranked No. 8
in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, extending its streak to 48
consecutive polls in which the Illini have been ranked, including
every poll during Bill Self's tenure. Illinois is also ranked No. 8
in the AP's top 25.
The Illini had a school-record streak
of 30 straight polls in the top 10 snapped last January but has never
dropped out of the coaches' top 25.
Bench
play
The Illinois bench has a very
productive start this season, averaging 22.7 points and 10.9
rebounds, while limiting the opponents' bench to 15.3 points and 9.4
rebounds. Illinois' bench is outscoring the opponents by 7.4 points
per game and is out-rebounding the opponents by 1.5 boards per game.
Eastern Illinois and Minnesota have the only two opposing benches to
outscore Illinois.
Bench
numbers (points-rebounds):
Illinois 32-9, Lehigh 9-7
Illinois 40-18, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
14-8
Illinois 32-9, Western Illinois 14-6
Illinois 39-14, North Carolina 7-1
Illinois 20-9, Arkansas 19-13
Illinois 12-13, Eastern Illinois 18-12
Illinois 13-3, Temple 8-8
Illinois 30-13, Missouri 26-11
Illinois 17-12, at Memphis 11-15
Illinois 12-10, Coppin State 6-8
Illinois 11-10, Oakland 5-7
Illinois 14-11, at Minnesota 36-17
Illinois 9-6, Wisconsin 11-8
Illinois totals 281-137, opponents
194-121
The book
on Cook
Senior Brian Cook, a preseason Big Ten
Player of the Year selection, is proving the recognition was
deserved. He may deserve more. Cook leads the Big Ten in scoring at
21.7 points per game, while ranking fourth in rebounding at 8.4
boards per contest. He also ranks sixth in the league in field-goal
shooting (.555) and third in free-throw percentage (.838). Cook has
been the leading scorer and rebounder in nine of his 11 games this
season.
Cook's 31-point total against Wisconsin
Jan. 11 was a career high and the most by an Illinois player since
Kevin Turner scored 35 versus Indiana on Jan. 3, 1998.
Cook's streak of consecutive made free
throws came to an end at 32 on Jan. 4 against Oakland, tying Rob
Judson for second place in school history for consecutive free
throws.
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Cook enters the Iowa game with 1,388
career points, 15th on the UI career scoring list, with NBA players
Ken Norman and Kendall Gill in his immediate sights.
After sitting out the first two games
of the season (along with teammate Jerrance Howard) as an NCAA
penalty for playing in an unsanctioned summer basketball tournament,
Cook returned and immediately established himself in the Illini
lineup.
Cook has scored at least 17 points in
all 11 games he's played, reaching 20 points eight times. He's also
had at least eight rebounds eight times and has averaged 9.7 boards
over the last seven games.
Cook's best-scoring game came against
Wisconsin with a career-high 31 points. Other top games were 25
points each against Minnesota and Temple, 22 against North Carolina,
22 versus Oakland, 21 against Eastern Illinois and Memphis, and 20
versus Coppin State.
In the win over No. 11 Missouri, Cook
scored 17, making all 10 of his free-throw attempts, and pulled down
a game-high nine rebounds. In two games to open Big Ten play, Cook
recorded the 11th double-double of his career with 25 points and 11
boards against Minnesota and followed with 31 points and nine boards
against Wisconsin.
Dee-lightful,
Dee-pendable -- no Dee-bate, Dee can play
Who is the best freshman point guard in
college basketball? It's hard to find a rookie guard who has made
more of an impact than Illinois' Dee Brown. Brown has started every
game and leads the Illini in minutes played (33.4 avg.). He has
scored in double figures in eight-of-13 games and is second on the
team in scoring, averaging 12.8 points. Brown exploded for a
career-high 25 points against Eastern Illinois on Dec. 10, hitting
10-of-14 shots, including a career-high five 3-pointers.
In two December performances in front
of national television audiences, Brown first had a game-high 21
points along with seven assists and five rebounds in Illinois'
victory over No. 11 Missouri to earn Big Ten Player of the Week
honors on Dec. 21. He then followed with 19 points, including five
3-pointers, along with three assists, three boards and no turnovers
in 37 minutes against Memphis.
Brown ranks second in the Big Ten in
assists, with 4.77 per game, and ranks fourth in the league with an
assist-turnover ratio of 2.14. He also ranks 21st in the Big Ten in
scoring, at 12.8 points per game. One of the quickest guards in
America, Brown has 1.5 steals per game for seventh in the Big Ten.
Among the top freshmen in the league,
he ranks among the top four in assists (first), points (fourth) and
steals (first) per game.
Brown
becomes first Illinois freshman to earn Big Ten Player of the Week
honors
Dee Brown became the first freshman in
Illinois history to earn Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He was
honored on Dec. 23 after pouring in a game-high 21 points in the
Illini's victory over No. 11 Missouri.
The first-year point guard connected on
a trio of 3-pointers, recorded a game-high seven assists and added
five rebounds, including four on the offensive glass, in the win.
Against Missouri, Brown broke the 20-point barrier for the second time on the season, while his seven assists against the Tigers also
ranked as the second best output of his career.
Brown was the second Illini to earn Big
Ten Player of the Week accolades this season, as teammate Brian Cook
was honored on Dec. 9.
Twice as
nice -- Williams joins Brown in all-freshman backcourt
Deron Williams and Dee Brown make up
perhaps the best freshmen backcourt in the nation. The two rank
first and fourth, respectively, in the Big Ten in
assist-to-turnover ratio and have the Illini leading the Big Ten in
team assists and assist-to-turnover ratio. Brown leads the team in
minutes, at 33.4 per game, but Williams is third, at 24.3 minutes.
Williams is averaging 6.5 points, is second to Brown for the team
lead in assists with 59, and is second on the team in steals with
17. Williams is shooting 45 percent from the field. He leads the Big Ten in assist-turnover ratio, at 2.68, and is fourth in
assists, with an average of 4.5.
That's a
three -- Sean Harrington
Senior Sean Harrington has been hot
from behind the arc this season. He has made 38-of-72 treys, leading
the Big Ten and ranking sixth in the nation in 3-point field-goal
percentage, at 52.8 percent. Harrington nailed a career-high six
3-pointers in Illinois' win over North Carolina on Dec. 3 en route
to a 20-point output, tied his mark by making six-of-eight treys on
his way to 18 points against Coppin State, and tied it again with
six-of-nine treys on his way to a career-high 22 points against
Minnesota. Against Oakland, Harrington had 20 points, connecting on
five 3-pointers.
In his four games as a starter this
season, Harrington is averaging 16.5 points per game, including an
average of 20 points in his first three starts. It was the
first time in his career at Illinois that he scored in double
figures in three straight games.
Harrington is third on the team with 34
assists and has just 12 turnovers, for an assist-to-turnover ratio
of 2.83. He also ranks third on the team with 16 steals. In games
played at the Assembly Hall, Harrington is 28-of-47 (.596) from 3-point
range.
Harrington ranks fifth on the UI career
list with 165 3-point field goals.
Augie hot
Another member of the heralded Illini
freshman class to shine has been newcomer James Augustine. He has
bolstered the UI frontcourt, averaging 7.2 points and shooting over
65 percent from the field, ranking second in the league in field
goal percentage. He has scored in double figures five
times, with a season-high 17 points versus Wisconsin on Jan. 11.
He is second on the team in
rebounding, behind Brian Cook, and is averaging 5.9 boards.
Augustine has
been Illinois' top rebounder in three games, highlighted by
back-to-back nine-rebound performances versus Lehigh and
Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He ranks 15th in the Big Ten in
rebounding, at 5.9 per game, and eighth in blocked shots, at 1.4 per
game.
Cook
named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week following wins over UNC and
Arkansas
Brian Cook was named Big Ten Co-Player
of the Week on Dec. 9, after leading the Illini to victories over
North Carolina and Arkansas. He shared the award with Indiana's Tom
Coverdale.
Cook scored a game-high 22 points in
Illinois' 92-65 victory over No. 12 North Carolina. He connected on
eight-of-12 shots from the field, grabbed a game-high eight rebounds
and tied his career high with five assists. Cook was also the
leading scorer in Illinois' 62-58 win over Arkansas, scoring 18
points in 39 minutes of action, the most playing time logged by an
Illini player this season. Cook made seven-of-14 field goals and
added four rebounds and four assists versus the Razorbacks. On the
week, Cook averaged 20 points, six rebounds and 4.5 assists per game
on combined 58 percent shooting.
Spears
sidelined with knee injury
Freshman center Aaron Spears suffered a
torn lateral meniscus in his left knee during practice on Dec. 16
and had arthroscopic surgery on Dec. 27. He is expected to miss four
to six weeks of action, with a possible return in mid-February. He
averaged 3.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in six games before he was
injured.
Freshmen
bask in season opener
For the first time in school history,
Illinois opened the season with three freshmen in the starting
lineup, as James Augustine, Dee Brown and Deron Williams were on the
floor for the opening tip versus Lehigh on Nov. 24. Two sophomores,
Roger Powell and Nick Smith, rounded out the starting lineup as the
youngest in school history. Prior to the opener, the five starters
had combined for a total of four starts (all by Nick Smith).
The previous time Illinois started
three freshmen in any game was Feb. 20, 1991, when Rennie Clemons,
Scott Pierce, and Tom Michael started versus Ohio State.
In the opening two wins of the season,
the five Illinois freshmen scored 104 of Illinois' 186 points (56
percent), while grabbing 42 of the Illini's 90 rebounds (47
percent).
Fresh
faces
Five freshmen have given an entirely
new look to the Fighting Illini this season. The Illini recruiting
class was a consensus top 10 group and includes McDonald's
All-American Dee Brown, a 6-foot guard from Proviso East High School
in Maywood; Deron Williams, a 6-3 guard from The Colony, Texas; Kyle
Wilson, a 6-8 forward from Plano, Texas; James Augustine, a 6-10 forward
from Lincoln-Way Central High School in New Lenox; and Aaron Spears,
a 6-9 post player from Chicago Dunbar High School.
Jankovich
added to UI staff
Bill Self added veteran coach Tim
Jankovich to the Illinois coaching staff Nov. 20, replacing Billy
Gillispie, who moved to UTEP as head coach on Nov. 2. Jankovich, a
former head coach at North Texas, has worked as associate head coach
the last three seasons at Vanderbilt. He served on the Oklahoma
State staff with Self in the early 1990s.
National
exposure
For the 2002-03 season, Illinois is
scheduled to appear at least 13 times on national television, with
five games on ESPN, four games on ESPN2 and four games on CBS.
Tip-ins
Illinois' 26 wins in 2002 tied as the
third winningest season in school history. … The 2001-02 season was
the second time in school history that the Illini posted
back-to-back 26-win seasons. The last time was in 1984 and 1985. …
In
2002, Illinois won at least 10 games in conference play for the
third straight season and for the fifth of the last six years. ... In 2002,
Illinois led the Big Ten in scoring in all games (77.3 ppg) for the
second year in a row.
Back-to-back titles
During the 2001 and 2002 seasons,
Illinois won back-to-back Big Ten titles for the first time in 50
years (since 1951-52) and for just the third time in school history.
The Whiz Kids posted back-to-back titles in 1942 and 1943. Illinois
has never won three straight Big Ten titles.
Self wins
second Big Ten title in two years
Bill Self became just the second Big
Ten coach in conference history to win Big Ten basketball titles in
his first two seasons in the league. Self is the first since
Wisconsin's Walter Meanwell did so in his first three seasons, from
1912-14.
Last season, Bill Self became the first
coach in 22 years, the ninth all-time in the Big Ten and the second
Illini coach to win a Big Ten championship in his first season as
coach at a conference school.
League rookies earning hardware were
Wisconsin's Meanwell in 1912, Guy Lowman in 1918 and Harold Foster
in 1935, Iowa's Sam Barry in 1923, Michigan's George Veekner in
1929, Illinois' Doug Mills in 1937, Minnesota's Bill Musselman in
1972, Purdue's Lee Rose in 1979, Self in 2001 and Wisconsin's Bo
Ryan in 2002.
Williams, Archibald move to the NBA
Frank Williams became Illinois' first,
first-round NBA draft pick since 1990 when the New York Knicks chose
him as the 26th pick of the 2002 draft. Teammate Robert Archibald
soon followed as the 32nd pick by the Memphis Grizzlies. Archibald
is the first native of Scotland to be drafted by an NBA team.
Quick
shots
--Ingram transfers from Tulsa: Jack
Ingram, a 6-10 forward-center from San Antonio, Texas, transferred
to Illinois from Tulsa this past summer and will sit out the 2002-03
season per NCAA transfer rules.
--Future
Illini: Three future student-athletes signed national letters of
intent with the University of Illinois and Bill Self during the
early signing period in November. The class includes 6-foot-3-inch
guard Richard McBride of Springfield Lanphier High School, 6-8
forward Brian Randle of Peoria Notre Dame High School and 6-9
forward Warren Carter of Lake Highlands High School in Dallas,
Texas. Both McBride and Randle are two-time all-state picks entering
their senior seasons.
[Provided by Kent Brown,
assistant
athletics director
and
sports information director,
University of Illinois]
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