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 The Illini have been dealing with injuries, but their offense has
continued to flourish, averaging 75.9 points, led by Kendrick Nunn's
19.3 ppg. Unfortunately, the Illini have been giving up 75.7 points,
and defense is why Nunn came off the bench in Illinois' last outing,
though he finished with a career-best 27 points off the pine. Yale
comes in having won two straight, including an impressive 18-point
victory over Vermont, and the Bulldogs won't be an easy team to
beat. Makai Mason (16.8 ppg) and Justin Sears (15.6) rank among the
top seven scorers in the Ivy League, and Yale is averaging 72.9
points a contest.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN3
ABOUT YALE (5-3): The Bulldogs have been hitting the boards this
year, leading the Ivy League in rebounding margin (plus-10.8), a
stat they've paced the league in for the last four years. With the
team 5-0 this season when it wins the battle of the boards, coach
James Jones certainly keeps his team focused on the stat. "It's
something we kind of hang our hats on," Jones told reporters. "We
rebound, in some regard, every day in practice -- whether it be
foul-line blockout or two-on-two blockout. We do have guys who have
an affinity for it."
ABOUT ILLINOIS (4-5): With senior big man Mike Thorne Jr. sidelined
with a knee injury, freshman Michael Finke has been getting more
playing time and taking advantage of it. Finke is averaging 9.4
points on 57.4 percent shooting and comes off a career-best 24-point
performance against Western Carolina. Finke's output was the highest
point total by an Illini freshman in eight seasons and gives
Illinois hope it can still have an interior presence with Thorne
out.
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TIP-INS
1. Sears is third in Yale history with 168 career blocks, just four
behind former NBA big man Chris Dudley.
2. Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten and 31st nationally in
defensive rebounding percentage, grabbing 76.3 percent of missed
shots on the defensive end.
3. Illini G Malcolm Hill (16.2 ppg) is shooting 56.3 percent from
the field and 50 percent from 3-point range over the last three
games.
PREDICTION: Illinois 81, Yale 74
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