| Illinois Probable Starters (from the last game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Trent Frazier |
6-2 |
175 |
Sr. |
12.4 |
3.0 |
4.0 |
6th on UI career scoring list (1,744 pts) |
| G |
11 |
Alfonso Plummer |
6-1 |
180 |
Gr. |
15.1 |
2.4 |
1.1 |
School-record 8 threes vs OSU (2/24) |
| G |
20 |
Da'Monte Williams |
6-3 |
215 |
Sr. |
3.9 |
5.2 |
2.8 |
3.0 assist/turnover ratio |
| G/F |
3 |
Jacob Grandison |
6-6 |
210 |
Gr. |
10.6 |
4.0 |
2.4 |
19.0 ppg over last two games |
| C |
21 |
Kofi Cockburn |
7-0 |
285 |
Jr. |
21.2 |
10.8 |
0.8 |
3rd in NCAA with nine 20/10 games |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
Brandin Podziemski |
6-5 |
200 |
Fr. |
1.5 |
1.0 |
0.3 |
5 points at Northwestern (1/29) |
| F |
2 |
Connor Serven |
6-9 |
235 |
So. |
0.0 |
0.2 |
0.0 |
Team's lone walkon in second year |
| F |
4 |
Omar Payne |
6-10 |
240 |
Jr. |
1.9 |
1.8 |
0.2 |
63.3% FG (19-30) |
| G |
5 |
Andre Curbelo |
6-1 |
175 |
So. |
7.8 |
2.8 |
3.1 |
15 points at Purdue (2/8) |
| G |
10 |
Luke Goode |
6-7 |
200 |
Fr. |
2.0 |
1.7 |
0.7 |
Career-high 9 points vs MSU (1/25) |
| C |
12 |
Brandon Lieb |
7-0 |
220 |
So. |
0.8 |
0.7 |
0.1 |
Career-high 4 points vs St. Francis Pa. |
| F |
13 |
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk |
6-8 |
235 |
r-So. |
1.8 |
2.3 |
0.7 |
Career-high 8 points vs MSU (1/25) |
| G |
15 |
RJ Melendez |
6-7 |
205 |
Fr. |
3.8 |
1.8 |
0.6 |
10.7 ppg over 3-game stretch Feb 8-16 |
| G |
22 |
Austin Hutcherson |
6-6 |
190 |
Gr. |
2.8 |
2.0 |
0.5 |
Out for remainder of season |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
215 |
So. |
5.3 |
4.0 |
1.5 |
10 pts, 4 reb, 3 stl vs OSU (2/24) |
Career Record: 199-91 (.686), 9th year
At Illinois: 90-64 (.584), 5th year
Big Ten: 52-43 (.547)
Series Notes vs. Michigan
All-Time Record: Illinois leads 91-85
Streak: Illinois W-4
Last Meeting: #25 Illinois 68, Michigan 53 (1/14/2022 at Champaign)
Record at Ann Arbor: Michigan leads 52-31
Streak at Ann Arbor: Illinois W-2
Last Meeting at Ann Arbor: #4 Illinois 76, #2 Michigan 53 (3/2/2021)
Underwood vs. Michigan at Illinois / All-Time: 4-2 / 4-3
Opening Tips
• No. 15 Illinois plays its final road game of the season on Sunday afternoon at Michigan (1 p.m. CT, CBS).
• Coach Underwood is one win away from his 200th career victory.
• Illinois is seeking its 20th victory, which would mark three straight 20-win seasons for the first time since 2009 through 2011, and the 35th 20-win season in school history.
• Illinois has won at least 12 Big Ten games in three straight years for just the third time in school history, joining 1951-53 and 1987-89. Illinois is aiming for its first-ever run of 13+ B1G wins in three straight seasons.
• Illinois has won nine of its last 12 Big Ten road games, and 14 of its last 18.
• Illinois has totaled 19 road wins in Big Ten play over the last three years, three more than the next closest team (Wisconsin, 16). Illinois is 19-10 during this stretch (.655), one of only three teams above .500 in B1G road games.
• Illinois has won back-to-back games at Michigan after losing nine of its previous 10 in Ann Arbor.
• Illinois is the Big Ten's winningest team over the last three seasons with a 41-16 record in league play, and a 44-16 mark when including the conference tournament.
• Illinois' 41 wins in Big Ten play over the last three years is the winningest 3-year stretch in school history.
• Illinois is 26-6 in its last 32 games versus Big Ten opponents.
• Illinois has had nine different starting lineups this season, second-most among high-major conference teams.
• Illinois rotation players have missed a combined 49 games so far this season.
• Illinois has outrebounded 18 of 27 opponents and ranks 17th in the NCAA in rebound margin at +7.0 rpg.
• Illinois is 16-2 when outrebounding its opponent.
• Illinois is unbeaten this season when shooting better than its opponent (17-0).
• Illinois is 13-1 when shooting at least 45%, and 14-2 when holding its opponent to less than 45% shooting.
• Illinois is 16-2 this season when scoring at least 70 points in regulation.
• Illinois is 15-2 when attempting more free throws than the opponent.
• Leading the way for Illinois is National Player of the Year candidate Kofi Cockburn, the only player in the country averaging at least 21 points (21.2 ppg) and 10 rebounds (10.8 rpg) this season.
• Cockburn is the only player ranked in the top 10 nationally in both scoring (eighth) and rebounding (eighth).
• Cockburn has 42 career double-doubles, the Illinois all-time record and most in the NCAA over the last three years
• Cockburn has scored in double figures in 37 straight games dating back to Feb. 2, 2021. According to Elias, that is the third-longest active streak in the country.
• Cockburn averaged 22.9 points (160) on 64.4% shooting (65-101) over a seven-game stretch prior to Ohio State.
• Cockburn is vying to become the first Illini to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds for a season since Nick Weatherspoon in 1973 (25.0 ppg, 12.3 rpg).
• Cockburn is drawing 7.5 fouls per 40 minutes, which ranks third nationally.
• Cockburn has nine 20-point, 10-rebound games the season, ranking third in the NCAA.
• Despite missing five games, Cockburn still ranks 13th in the NCAA in double-doubles this season with 14.
• Cockburn has 18 assists this season. His total in 31 games last year was five.
• Cockburn has 803 career rebounds, needing 28 more to pass Skip Thoren (1963-65) and become Illinois' all-time leading rebounder among 3-year players.
• Cockburn has 1,428 career points, needing 77 more to pass Ayo Dosunmu (2019-21) and become Illinois' all-time leading scorer among 3-year players.
• Cockburn and Alfonso Plummer are combining to average 36.3 points, the highest scoring duo among high-major teams.
• Trent Frazier is averaging 13.4 points over the last 14 games (188), scoring in double figures 10 times.
• Frazier is averaging 5.0 assists over the last 13 games (65).
• Frazier is No. 6 on the UI scoring list (1,744) and also ranks in the Illini top 10 in career games played (second), minutes (second), 3-pointers (second), starts (fourth) and steals (sixth).
• Frazier is just four points away from moving into the top 5 on the Illinois all-time scoring list.
• Frazier has played 4,667 career minutes, needing 31 more to pass Dee Brown (2003-06) and become Illinois' all-time leader in minutes played.
• Frazier has started 132 career games, needing five more to pass Dee Brown and become Illinois' all-time leader in games started.
• Alfonso Plummer averaged 15.7 points over a three-game stretch from Feb. 5-13 prior to Rutgers.
• After combining for just 12 points and going 0-7 from 3-point range the previous two games, Plummer erupted for 26 points with a school-record 8 threes vs. Ohio State.
• Plummer has scored in double figures 18 times, with nine outings of 20+ points.
• Plummer leads the Big Ten in 3-pointers, averaging 3.0 makes. He led the Pac-12 last season, averaging 2.6 made threes while at Utah.
• Plummer is 34 points away from reaching 1,000 for his career (966).
• Jacob Grandison is averaging 19.0 points (38) and shooting 50% from 3-point range (8-16) over the last two games.
• Grandison set his scoring high in Big Ten play with 24 points at Michigan State, then had 14 points vs. Ohio State.
Big Run in the Big Ten
Illinois' performance in conference play during the Underwood era has reached historic level of success. The Illini's 41 Big Ten wins since 2020 is the most in program history over a three-year stretch:
41 B1G wins – 2020 (13), 2021 (16), 2022 (12)
39 B1G wins – 2004 (13), 2005 (15), 2006 (11)
39 B1G wins – 2003 (11), 2004 (13), 2005 (15)
39 B1G wins – 1987 (13), 1988 (12), 1989 (14)
39 B1G wins – 1951 (13), 1952 (12), 1953 (14)
Illinois has won at least 12 Big Ten games in three consecutive years for just the third time in school history, joining the 1951-53 and 1987-89 stretches. With three games remaining, Illinois is one win away from tallying three straight 13+ win Big Ten seasons for the first time in program history.
Among the Greats
Kofi Cockburn is putting up numbers that rank among some of the best big men in recent college basketball history. Cockburn is the first player from a high-major conference in the last four years to average at least 21 points and 10 rebounds, and just the ninth player to do so in the last 20 seasons:
Mike Sweetney, Georgetown, 2002-03 – 22.8 ppg 10.4 rpg
Kris Humphries, Minnesota, 2003-04 – 21.7 ppg 10.1 rpg
Michael Beasley, Kansas State, 2006-07 – 26.2 ppg 12.4 rpg
Kevin Durant, Texas, 2006-07 – 25.8 ppg 11.1 rpg
Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina, 2007-08 – 22.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma, 2008-09 – 22.7 ppg 14.4 rpg
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, 2008-09 – 23.3 ppg 11.8 rpg
Marvin Bagley, Duke, 2017-18 – 21.0 ppg 11.1 rpg
Kofi Cockburn, Illinois, 2021-22 – 21.2 ppg 10.8 rpg
Prolific Plummer
Illinois landed one of the top graduate transfers in college basketball with the addition of sharp-shooter Alfonso Plummer. He is second on the Illini and 13th in the Big Ten in scoring at 15.1 ppg. He has made 82 three-pointers so far, leading the league with an average of 3.0 treys per game and already ranking eighth on the Illinois single-season list:
1. 116 – Luther Head, 2005
2. 99 – Dee Brown, 2005
3. 96 – Cory Bradford, 2000
4. 87 – Jalen Coleman-Lands, 2016
5. 85 – Cory Bradford, 1999
6. 83 – D.J. Richardson, 2013 & Rich McBride, 2006
8. 82 – Alfonso Plummer, 2022 & 82 Rich McBride, 2007
Plummer is coming off an incredible shooting performance against Ohio State on Thursday night. He tied the school record with eight 3-point field goals in 10 attempts on his way to a game-high 26 points. Plummer is the fifth Illini player to make eight threes in a game:
8 – Alfonso Plummer vs. Ohio State, 2/24/2022
8 – Brandon Paul vs. Ohio State, 1/10/2012
8 – Trent Meacham vs. Florida A&M, 11/19/2006
8 – Dee Brown vs. Purdue, 3/3/2005
8 – Kevin Turner at UCLA, 12/30/97
Plummer has made at least five triples in eight games, the most ever by an Illini player in a season and currently ranking second among high-major conference players this year.
Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
