| PROBABLE STARTERS (primarily based on earlier recreation) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
4 |
Kylan Boswell |
6-2 |
215 |
Sr. |
16.1 |
4.1 |
4.0 |
Only B1G participant averaging at the very least 16/4/4 |
| G |
23 |
Keaton Wagler |
6-6 |
185 |
Fr. |
15.0 |
5.9 |
2.1 |
38 FTM, No. 3 within the nation amongst freshmen |
| G |
2 |
Andrej Stojakovic |
6-7 |
215 |
Jr. |
18.5 |
4.2 |
1.2 |
23.3 ppg on 67% capturing over final 3 video games |
| F |
0 |
David Mirkovic |
6-9 |
250 |
Fr. |
15.1 |
10.3 |
2.9 |
1st 20-pt, 20-reb recreation by an Illini since 1972 |
| C |
13 |
Tomislav Ivisic |
7-1 |
255 |
Jr. |
10.8 |
4.0 |
1.0 |
63% FG & 40% 3FG |
| OFF THE BENCH |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Brandon Lee |
6-4 |
195 |
Fr. |
4.0 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
Made faculty debut Saturday vs. LIU |
| F |
3 |
Ben Humrichous |
6-9 |
235 |
Gr. |
8.6 |
5.4 |
1.0 |
Team-high 1.9 made 3-pointers per recreation |
| G |
5 |
AJ Redd |
6-3 |
170 |
Sr. |
2.3 |
0.7 |
0.0 |
Former workforce supervisor |
| G |
8 |
Blake Fagbemi |
6-0 |
180 |
Fr. |
0.7 |
2.0 |
1.0 |
Has performed in three video games |
| F |
15 |
Jake Davis |
6-6 |
215 |
Jr. |
3.9 |
2.0 |
1.6 |
Made three 3-pointers in season opener |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
210 |
r-Jr. |
– |
– |
– |
Out indefinitely following knee surgical procedure |
| C |
31 |
Jason Jakstys |
6-10 |
225 |
r-Fr. |
1.2 |
2.2 |
0.4 |
9 rebounds in Illini debut vs. Jackson St. |
| F/C |
44 |
Zvonimir Ivisic |
7-2 |
250 |
Jr. |
7.9 |
5.7 |
0.6 |
1st in B1G (eleventh in NCAA) with 18 blocks |
| G |
77 |
Mihailo Petrovic |
6-2 |
180 |
So. |
6.3 |
1.3 |
3.0 |
12 factors, 4 assists Monday vs.UTRGV |
Head Coach Brad Underwood
Career Record: 280-129 (.685), thirteenth yr
At Illinois: 171-102 (.626), ninth yr
Big Ten: 92-66 (.580)
Series History vs. UConn
All-Time Record / Streak: UConn leads 3-1 / UConn W3
Last Meeting: #1 UConn 77, #10 Illinois 52 (NCAA Elite 8, March 30, 2024 at Boston)
Record at Neutral Sites: UConn leads, 1-0
Underwood vs. UConn at Illinois / All-Time: 0-1 / 1-1
OPENING TIPS
- No. 13 Illinois (6-1) closes a stretch of 4 video games in 10 days throughout three totally different cities, going through No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden on Black Friday (11:30 a.m. CT / FOX).
- In taking over No. 5 UConn, Illinois is looking for its highest ranked win since a 72-69 win over No. 4 Iowa State within the Sweet 16 spherical of the 2024 NCAA Tournament (March 28, 2024).
- Brad Underwood has led the Illini to 5 wins over top-5 opponents since 2019-20, sixth-most within the NCAA.
- The No. 5 Huskies marks the third of 4 ranked nonconference matchups on the Illini’s schedule. Illinois defeated No. 11 Texas Tech, 81-77, at dwelling on Nov. 11 and misplaced to No. 11 Alabama, 90-86, on Nov. 19 on the United Center in Chicago. After the UConn recreation, Illinois subsequent performs Dec. 6 vs. No. 17 Tennessee in Nashville.
- Friday’s contest is simply Illinois’ second recreation away from dwelling this season. The Illini are 6-0 at State Farm Center, having gained every dwelling recreation with a mean scoring margin of +30.0.
- Illinois enter’s Friday’s matchup trying to snap a four-game skid towards ranked opponents at impartial websites. The Illini’s final ranked win on a impartial ground got here final yr on Thanksgiving Day with a 90-77 victory over No. 19 Arkansas in Kansas City.
- Illinois is ranked No. 13 within the present AP Top 25 and No. 14 within the coaches ballot. The Illini climbed to No. 8 final week, its highest November rating since reaching No. 5 on Nov. 30, 2020. The Illini have been ranked within the AP Top 25 in every of the final seven seasons beneath Brad Underwood.
- After main the Big Ten in scoring final season (83.6 ppg), Illinois is at present averaging 94.6 factors. If capable of keep this early tempo, it could surpass this system’s all-time scoring common of 92.2 ppg set in 1964-65.
- Illinois’ complete of 662 factors are its most by seven video games because the 1993-94 season (683). The Illini have opened with seven straight video games of 80+ factors for the primary time because the 1988-89 Flyin’ Illini did so in every of its first 12 contests.
- Illinois leads the Big Ten in rebound margin (+16.7 rpg) and is second in complete rebounds per recreation (45.4 rpg), rating third and fifteenth, respectively, within the NCAA. The Illini lead the convention in scoring offense (94.6 ppg) and are second in scoring margin (24.9 ppg). Illinois additionally commits the fewest fouls within the league (13.0 avg).
- Illinois is No. 13 within the kenpom rankings with a web ranking of +26.26. The Illini characteristic the No. 8-rated offense (124.0) and the No. 19 defensive ranking (97.7) within the nation. The Illini have had an total kenpom ranking of thirty fifth or higher every of the final six years beneath Brad Underwood with a excessive of No. 4 (2020-21). Illinois posted consecutive top-20 rankings in 2023-24 (tenth) and 2024-25 (seventeenth).
- The Fighting Illini offense options 5 gamers averaging double figures in scoring – Andrej Stojakovic (18.5 ppg), Kylan Boswell (16.1), David Mirkovic (15.1), Keaton Wagler (15.0), and Tomislav Ivisic (10.8) – rating second within the Big Ten and tied for the seventh-most within the nation.
- Junior G Andrej Stojakovic transferred to Illinois with a fame as a prolific scorer, and he has began off robust, averaging a team-best 18.5 factors on 58.8% capturing. Stojakovic has 4 20-point performances within the final 5 video games, highlighted by a season-high 26 factors vs. #11 Alabama. Stojakovic additionally posted 23 factors the win over #11 Texas Tech, and scored 20 and 24, respectively, in the latest wins over LIU and UTRGV.
- Freshman F David Mirkovic is certainly one of solely two freshman within the nation, together with North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, averaging at the very least 15 factors and 10 rebounds per contest (by Nov. 25).
- Mirkovic leads the Big Ten and is among the many nationwide prime 15 in a number of classes, rating first within the league with 4 double-doubles (eighth in NCAA), 72 complete rebounds (eleventh), and seven.7 defensive rebounds per recreation (twelfth). Mirkovic can also be fourth within the Big Ten and twenty sixth nationally with a rebounding common of 10.3 rpg.
- Senior G Kylan Boswell is the one participant within the Big Ten averaging higher than 16 factors, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per recreation (by Nov. 25). In the Illini’s final outing vs. UTRGV, Boswell’s streak of consecutive video games in double-figures scoring was snapped at 14. He is the Illini’s energetic chief with 1,045 profession factors (543 at Illinois) and 30 profession double-digit scoring video games in Orange and Blue.
- Illinois is 1-1 this season vs. Top 25 groups, with a house win over No. 11 Texas Tech (81-77) on Nov. 11, and a slim 90-86 loss to #11 Alabama on Nov. 18 at Chicago’s United Center. With nonconference contests remaining towards #3 UConn and #20 Tennessee, plus six ranked Big Ten groups, the Illini are at present projected to play as many as 9 ranked video games through the common season.
- Expectations are excessive as soon as once more in Champaign, with the Illini returning three starters from final yr’s workforce that gained 22 video games, superior to the NCAA Round of 32, and completed the yr ranked seventeenth in kenpom.
- Illinois is the winningest workforce in Big Ten Conference play since 2019-20, with 81 league wins over the earlier six seasons, tied with Purdue. During that stretch, the Illini lead the convention with 34 highway wins in league play. When together with the convention event, Illinois can also be tied with Purdue for essentially the most complete wins towards Big Ten opponents over this span with 88.
ILLINOIS VS. UCONN
- Friday’s matchup vs. No. 5 UConn is the fifth within the collection which dates again to 1938.
- Illinois gained the preliminary assembly, 49-23, on Dec. 21, 1938 in Champaign earlier than wins by UConn in 1992 in Champaign (70-66) and 1994 (71-56) in Hartford.
- Brad Underwood led the third-seeded Illini towards No. 1-seed UConn within the 2024 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight at TD Garden in Boston. UConn picked up their third straight win the collection en path to the second of its back-to-back nationwide titles.
- Underwood is 1-1 in his profession vs. UConn, having led Oklahoma State to a 98-90 victory over the Huskies within the opening spherical of the 2016 Maui Invitational.
- Illinois is a mixed 71-39 all-time towards the present 11-team membership of the Big East Conference, together with a 9-13 mark in neutral-site matchups.
- Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is a mixed 4-6 vs. the Big East’s present membership, together with a 2-5 mark at Illinois.
ILLINI AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
ILLINI VS. TOP-5 OPPONENTS
- Friday’s matchup vs. No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden is Illinois’ first recreation towards a Top 5-ranked foe since going through No. 3 Duke at MSG final February.
- Illinois is 29-97 all-time vs. top-5 groups, together with an 8-24 mark at impartial websites.
- The Fighting Illini’s final win over a top-5 foe got here March 2024, when No. 10 Illinois defeated No. 4 Iowa State, 72-69, within the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at TD Garden in Boston.
- Under Brad Underwood, the Illini are 5-14 in matchups vs. top-5 ranked opponents.
- Illinois’ 5 wins over top-5 opponents since 2019-20 are tied for sixth nationally throughout that span.