|
Probable starters for Illinois
F -- 43, Roger Powell (senior, 6-6, 235, 11.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
C -- 40, James Augustine (junior, 6-10, 230, 9.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg) OR
C -- 45, Nick Smith (senior - r, 7-2, 250, 6.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg)
G -- 4, Luther Head (senior, 6-3, 185, 11.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg)
G -- 5, Deron Williams (junior, 6-3, 210, 14.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6.2
apg)
G -- 11, Dee Brown (junior, 6-0, 185, 13.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.5 apg)
Off the bench...
G -- 15, Calvin Brock (freshman, 6-4, 185)
G -- 33, Richard McBride (sophomore, 6-3, 215, 3.2 ppg, 1.2 apg)
F -- 34, Fred Nkemdi (senior, 6-5, 235, 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
F -- 41, Warren Carter (sophomore, 6-9, 210, 1.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg)
F -- 42, Brian Randle (sophomore, 6-7, 210, 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg)
C-F -- 50, Jack Ingram (senior - r, 6-10, 245, 2.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
F -- 55, Shaun Pruitt (freshman, 6-8, 245)
Series history: SIUE
Illinois defeated the Cougars 104-68 on Jan. 3, 1981, in their
only previous meeting. Illinois shot 63 percent from the field, with
Mark Smith (18), James Griffin (17), Eddie Johnson (16), Perry Range
(13) and Bryan Leonard (12) all scoring in double figures against
the Division II opponent.
Quick shots
- Southern Illinois-Edwardsville assistant coach Marcus Belcher
played two years at SIU under current Illini coach Bruce Weber.
- Illinois has led the Big Ten in scoring each of the last four
seasons.
- Illinois' next exhibition game is against Lewis University on
Nov. 14, with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
Williams fifth straight Illini
Preseason Player of the Year pick
At the recent Big Ten Media Day in Chicago, junior guard Deron
Williams became the fifth straight Illini to be named Preseason Big
Ten Player of the Year.
Williams, who was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team last
season, is just the third Big Ten player ever to lead the league in
assists in each of his first two seasons, joining Michigan State's
Magic Johnson (1978-79) and Illinois' Bruce Douglas (1983-84).
Williams has also earned Preseason All-America honors from
Playboy Magazine and is among 50 preseason candidates for the Wooden
Award.
Two Illini earn all-Big Ten honors
Junior guards Deron Williams and Dee Brown were both named to the
Preseason All-Big Ten First Team at the recent Big Ten Media Day in
Chicago.
Brown was an All-Big Ten Second Team selection in 2004 after
being named the Preseason Player of the Year prior to his sophomore
season.
Illinois begins season near the top
Illinois begins the 2004-05 season ranked No. 5 in the Preseason
ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, its highest preseason ranking since
starting the 2001-02 season ranked No. 2. The Preseason Associated
Press Poll is scheduled to be released next week.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
 Recruiting press conference date
changed to Dec. 12
The press conference to announce the Fighting Illini men's
basketball recruiting class has been scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Nov.
12, at the Professional Development Room of the Bielfeldt Athletics
Administration Building. The first day of the signing period is Nov.
10.
Valpo game time changed
Start time for the Dec. 19 men's basketball game against
Valparaiso has been changed to 4 p.m. An Illini women's game against
UCLA is scheduled to begin at noon that day. The men's game against
Valparaiso is part of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic.
Hot ticket to watch the Illini at the
Assembly Hall
Illinois sold out of season tickets for the 2004-05 campaign,
making it one of the hottest tickets in program history. As of Nov.
4, single-game tickets remained only for games against Florida A&M,
Oakland and Longwood, all games not part of the student season
ticket package.
Home cookin'
Illinois is 51-2 (.962) at the Assembly
Hall over the last four years, with the only losses coming to
Michigan State on Feb. 3, 2002, and to Purdue on Jan. 10, 2004 ...
The Boilermakers broke a 23-game Illini winning streak at the
Assembly Hall that at the time ranked fourth in the nation ...
Illinois is 63-3 (.955) at the Assembly Hall over the past five
seasons, the best home mark in the nation over that period … The
Illini have also won 31 in a row at the Assembly Hall against
non-conference opponents ... Illinois has won 35 of its last 37
(.946) Big Ten games at the Assembly Hall … Below is a look at
Illinois' home record the past five seasons:
|
Year |
Overall |
Big Ten |
| 2003-04 |
12-1 |
7-1 |
| 2002-03 |
14-0 |
7-0 |
| 2001-02 |
13-1 |
7-1 |
| 2000-01 |
12-0 |
8-0 |
| 1999-2000 |
12-1 |
7-1 |
| Total |
63-3
(.955) |
36-3
(.923) |
Weber wins Big Ten title in first
season
With the win over Ohio State on March 7, Bruce Weber's Illini
claimed sole possession of the title and becomes just the third Big
Ten coach to win an outright league title in his first season, along
with Wisconsin's Guy Lowman in 1918 and Minnesota's Bill Musselman
in 1972.
Weber is the 11th coach in Big Ten history to win at least a
share of the conference title in his first season. He is the third
Illini rookie coach to win the league, following Doug Mills in 1937
and Bill Self in 2001.
New faces on the roster
- Arnold transfers from Illinois State: Marcus Arnold, a
6-8 forward-center from Chicago, transferred to Illinois from
Illinois State in the summer of 2004 and will sit out the 2004-05
season per NCAA transfer rules. He will begin the 2005-06 season
with junior eligibility.
- Freshmen duo: the 2004 recruiting class of
6-foot-4-inch guard Calvin Brock of Chicago. Simeon High School
and 6-8 forward Shaun Pruitt of Aurora West High School. Brock was
the Chicago Player of the Year in 2004, while Pruitt was runner-up
for Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois last season.
[Kent Brown, assistant
athletics director,
sports information director,
University of Illinois] |
