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Probable
Illinois starters
F, 34,
Brian Cook (senior, 6-10, 240,
21.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
F-C, 40, James Augustine (freshman,
6-10, 220, 7.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
G, 4, Luther Head (sophomore, 6-3, 175,
8.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
G, 11, Dee Brown (freshman, 6-0, 175,
12.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 5.0 apg)
G, 5, Deron Williams (freshman, 6-3,
210, 6.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.5 apg)
Off the
bench
C, 1, Aaron Spears (freshman, 6-9, 250,
3.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
F, 23, Blandon Ferguson (senior, 6-3,
205, 2.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
G, 24, Sean Harrington (senior, 6-3,
185, 8.5 ppg, 2.6 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,
2.4 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, 6.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
C, 45, Nick Smith (So., 7-2, 240, 5.7
ppg, 3.1 rpg)
Illinois
coaching staff
Head coach Bill Self:
Overall record: 197-101 (10th year);
Big Ten: 29-10
At Illinois: 68-20 (third year); all-
time versus Michigan State: 2-2
Associate head coach: Norm Roberts
(third year)
Assistants: Tim Jankovich (first year)
and Wayne McClain (second year)
Trainer: Rod Cardinal (30th year)
Michigan
State coaching staff
Head coach: Tom Izzo
At Michigan State: 178-73 (eighth
year); all-time versus Illinois: 9-5
Overall: same
Assistant coaches: Brian Gregory, Mike
Garland, Mark Montgomery
On the
air
Television: CBS-National -- Dick Enberg,
play-by-play; Clark Kellogg, expert analyst.
Radio: Illini Sports Radio Network, 43
stations -- Brian Barnhart, play-by-play; Stephen Bardo, expert
analyst, and Loren Tate, pre-game and halftime reports
Quick
shots
Illinois' last two home wins have
knocked off undefeated Big Ten opponents in Purdue and Michigan. ...
Illini opponents are shooting .372 from the field, which would be
the lowest opponent field goal percentage since 1955-56 (.352). ...
Since 1956, the only other Illini squad to hold opponents to less
than 40 percent shooting was the 2001 squad, also under Bill Self
(.386). ... Illini opponents are also shooting just .270 from
3-point range, which would be the lowest in school history (current
low is .308 in 2000). ... After seven Big Ten games, Brian Cook
leads the Big Ten in scoring (22.0 average) and is fifth in
rebounding (7.1 average). James Augustine leads in field goal
shooting (31-of-50, .620), while Dee Brown leads in assist-turnover
ratio (6.50) and is second in assists (5.57 average). ... Brian Cook
has scored at least 15 points in 15 of his 16 games this season,
including at least 20 points 11 times. He has scored 20 or more in
eight of the last 10 games, including six in a row prior to Jan. 18
at Indiana, the longest such streak by an Illini player since
Kendall Gill tallied 20-plus points in the final 10 games of the
1989-90 season. ... Illini players are currently leading four Big
Ten statistical categories for all games. Brian Cook leads the Big
Ten in scoring (21.1 ppg); James Augustine leads in field goal
shooting (.621); Dee Brown leads in assists (5.00 apg) and
assist-to-turnover ratio (2.81). ... Sean Harrington is second in
the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.457).
Last time
out -- Illinois 67, Michigan 60
Illinois suffered through its worst
shooting game at the Assembly Hall since Feb. 9, 2000, (also against
Michigan) but rode the back of Brian Cook in the second half to hand
the Wolverines their first conference loss. Cook scored 26 of his
game-high 30 points in the second half, including 19 in the final
9:15 of the game, as the Illini overcame an 11-point deficit.
Michigan scored a total of 27 points in the second half. Illinois
shot just 25 percent (eight-of-32) from the floor in the first half
and trailed by five at the break. Illinois improved to 52.4 percent
(11-of-21) in the second half. On the season, Illinois has been the
Big Ten's best shooting team, at 49 percent.
Freshman James Augustine helped the
cause with his second consecutive double-double, with 11 points and
10 rebounds. Freshman guard Deron Williams added nine points, seven
rebounds and six assists; while Dee Brown added five points, five
rebounds and five assists.
Self
defense
After 18 games this season, Illinois
opponents are shooting just 37.2 percent from the field, including
just 27 percent from 3-point range. The Illini rank fourth in the
nation (as of Jan. 27) in field-goal-percentage defense.
The 37.2 percent shooting by Illini
opponents would be the lowest allowed since 1956 and just the second
time since that team shot under 40 percent. The other was in 2001,
also under Bill Self.
The 27 percent 3-point
field-goal-percentage defense is the lowest in school history.
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 (five-of-26) from
3-point range.
Illinois has now held nine of its last
12 opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field and has a
total of 11 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
field-goal-percentage defense (.372) and 3-point percentage defense
(.270) and is second in scoring defense, allowing opponents an
average of just 60.9 points. The Illini also rank fourth in the
league and rebounding margin (plus 3.4).
In the latest national statistics (as
of Jan. 27) compiled by the NCAA, Illinois ranks fourth in
field-goal-percentage defense and seventh in scoring margin (plus
15.9), while ranking 18th in scoring defense (61.0).
Unselfish
play
The 2002-03 Fighting Illini season has
been trademarked with unselfish play. Illinois leads the Big Ten and
ranks third in the nation (as of Jan. 27) in assists per game (18.56
average), highlighted by a season-high 25 assists versus Oakland, 24
versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff and 23 against Western Illinois, North
Carolina and Penn State. 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
eight games and has recorded assists on over 67.1 percent of its
baskets (334 assists on 498 FG) on the season. Guards Dee Brown and
Deron Williams rank first and fifth, respectively, in the Big Ten in
assists with averages of 5.00 and 4.50 per game.
Self
closing in on milestone
Bill Self needs just three wins to
reach 200 for his career and two to reach 70 at Illinois. Among
Illini coaches, Ralph Jones (1913-20) was the quickest to reach 70
wins (92 games), and Self is at 68 wins in 88 games.
High-scoring Illini
Illinois has opened the 2002-03 season
by averaging 76.3 points per game, outscoring its opponents by an
average of over 15.4 points per game. Illinois is shooting 48.7
percent from the field, ranking 13th in the nation in field goal
percentage (NCAA rankings as of Jan. 27), and has shot better than
50 percent in nine-of-18 games this season.
Illinois leads the Big Ten in scoring
average (76.3), in scoring margin (plus 15.4) and field goal
percentage (.487), and ranks third in 3-point field goal percentage
(.371). Illinois' top six scorers are all shooting 45 percent or
better from the field.
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 -- as in National Player of the Year
candidate. Cook leads the Big Ten in scoring, at 21.1 points per
game (39th nationally as of Jan. 27), and he ranks fifth in
rebounding, at 7.1 boards per contest. He also ranks fifth in the
league in field goal shooting (.542) and 12th in free-throw
percentage (.798). Cook has been Illinois' leading scorer and
rebounder in 12 of his 16 games this season.
Cook's 31 points against Wisconsin Jan.
11 were a career high and the most by an Illinois player since Kevin
Turner scored 35 versus Indiana on Jan. 3, 1998.
In one of the most inspiring
performances in Illini hoops history, Cook scored 26 second-half
points (to Michigan's 27) in leading the Illini from an 11-point
deficit to knock off the previously undefeated Wolverines. Cook
scored 19 points in the final 9:15 to finish with 30 for the game.
Cook had a streak of consecutive made
free throws come to an end at 32 on Jan. 4 against Oakland, tying
Rob Judson and Andy Kaufmann for second place in school history for
consecutive free throws.
Cook enters the Michigan State game
with 1,486 career points, eighth on the UI career scoring list and
just one point shy of Efrem Winters for seventh place.
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 15 points in
all but one game this season, reaching 20 points or more 11 times.
He's also had at least eight rebounds nine times.
Cook's best scoring game came against
Wisconsin with a career-high 31 points. Other top games were against
Michigan, when he had 30 points; 25 against both Minnesota and
Temple; 22 against North Carolina, Oakland and Purdue; 21 against
Eastern Illinois and Memphis; and 20 versus Coppin State and Iowa.
In the win over No. 11 Missouri, Cook
scored 17, making all 10 of his free-throw attempts, and he pulled
down a game-high nine rebounds.
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Top 25
streak continues
Illinois began the week ranked No. 14
in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, extending its streak to 50
consecutive polls in which the Illini have been ranked, including
every poll during Bill Self's tenure. Illinois is ranked No. 13 in
the AP's top 25.
The Illini had a school-record streak
of 30 straight polls in the top 10 snapped in January 2002 but have
never dropped out of the top 25 in the coaches' poll while under
Self.
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 (34.2 average). He has
scored in double figures in 10 games and is second on the team in
scoring, averaging 12.1 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 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 leads the Big Ten in assists,
with 5.0 per game, and also leads the league with an assist-turnover
ratio of 2.81. He ranks 25th in the Big Ten in scoring, at 12.5
points per game. One of the quickest guards in America, Brown's 1.39
steals per game ranks 11th in the Big Ten.
Through seven Big Ten games, Brown has
totaled 39 assists with only six turnovers, leading the conference
with an astounding assist-turnover ratio of 6.50 in league play.
Among the top freshmen in the league,
he ranks among the top five in assists (first), points (fifth) and
steals (third) per game.
In head-to-head matchups with other
heralded freshman point guards, Brown held North Carolina's Raymond
Felton to nine points (2-6 FG), three assists and eight turnovers;
Michigan's Daniel Horton was three-of-17 from the field (seven
points), with two assists and seven assists.
Twice as
nice -- Williams joins Brown in all-freshman backcourt
Deron Williams and Dee Brown make up
one of the best freshmen backcourts in the nation. The two rank
first and second, 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 34.2 per game, but Williams is third at 25.8 minutes.
Williams is averaging 6.3 points; is second to Brown by nine for the
team lead in assists, with 81; and is second on the team in steals,
with 20. He ranks second in the Big Ten in assist-turnover ratio, at
2.25, and is fifth 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 43-of-94 treys, second
in the Big Ten and ranking ninth in the nation (as of Jan. 27) in
3-point field goal percentage at 45.7 percent. Harrington nailed a
career-high six 3-pointers in
Illinois' win over North Carolina on
Dec. 3 en route to 20 points and tied his mark by making
six-of-eight treys on his way to 18 points against Coppin State. He
tied it again with six-of-nine treys on his way to a career-high 22
points against Minnesota. Against Oakland, he had 20 points,
connecting on five 3-pointers.
In his five games as a starter this
season, Harrington averaged 13.8 points per game, including an
average of 20.0 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 41
assists and has just 14 turnovers, for an assist-to-turnover ratio
of 2.73. He is third on the team with 19 steals. In games played at
the Assembly Hall, Harrington is 28-of-55 (.510) from 3-point range.
Harrington ranks fifth on the UI career
list with 170 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 7.7 points, and he leads the
Big Ten in field goal percentage, shooting 62.0 percent from the
field. He has scored in double figures seven times, most recently
recording his first career double-double with season highs of 19
points and 12 rebounds versus Penn State and following with another
against Michigan, when he had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Augustine is also second on the team --
behind Brian Cook -- in rebounding, averaging 6.1 boards. He has
been Illinois' top rebounder in five games, highlighted by his
12-rebound performance against Penn State. Augustine ranks 14th in
the Big Ten in rebounding, at 6.1 per game, and 10th in blocked
shots, at 1.22 per game.
Bench
play
The Illinois bench has been very
productive this season, averaging 20.1 points and 9.9 rebounds,
while limiting the opponents' bench to 16.1 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Illinois' bench is outscoring their opponents by 4.0 points per game
and out-rebounding them by 1.0 boards per game.
Bench numbers (points-rebounds):
Illinois 32-9, Lehigh 9-7
40-18, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 14-8
32-9, Western Illinois 14-6
39-14, North Carolina 7-1
20-9, Arkansas 19-13
12-13, Eastern Illinois 18-12
13-3, Temple 8-8
30-13, Missouri 26-11
17-12, Memphis 11-15
12-10, Coppin State 6-8
11-10, Oakland 5-7
14-11, at Minnesota 36-17
9-6, Wisconsin 11-8
21-11, at Iowa 22-3
26-13, at Indiana 22-6
6-6, Purdue 18-11
19-8, at Penn State 20-7
8-4, Michigan 13-13
Illinois total 361-179, opponents 289-161
Cook
books more weekly honors
Senior forward Brian Cook earned
several Player of the Week awards the week of Jan. 6-12 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, College Basketball News and Dick Vitale Player of the
Week honors and lead the Illini to a pair of Big Ten wins.
The senior forward guided the Illini to
a road victory at Minnesota to open the Big Ten season, as he
equaled his then-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.
The preseason Big Ten Player of the
Year put on an even more impressive show against Wisconsin, setting
a new 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 UI points, as he scored 22 of the Illini's
final 26 points in the game. His 12 field goals are the most by any
Big Ten player this season.
He earned 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.
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.
Brown was the second Illini to earn
League Player of the Week accolades this season, as teammate Brian
Cook was honored on Dec. 9 and Jan. 13.
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.
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.
Howard
says 2003 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.
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.
Cardinal
in final year as trainer
Longtime
Illini men's basketball trainer Rod Cardinal is in his 30th and
final season on the bench. Cardinal began his career in 1973-74,
Harv Schmidt's final season; worked with Gene Bartow in his one
season, 1974-75; and then served under Lou Henson from 1976 to 1996,
Lon Kruger from 1997 to 2000 and Bill Self from 2001 to 2003.
Cardinal has been on the bench for more than 900 games (913, 585-328
as of Jan. 30) and several thousand practices.
[Provided by Kent Brown,
assistant
athletics director
and
sports information director,
University of Illinois]
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