| Illinois Probable Starters |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
Terrence Shannon Jr. |
6-6 |
225 |
Sr. |
17.2 |
4.9 |
2.9 |
19.3 ppg over his last 4 games |
| G |
15 |
RJ Melendez |
6-7 |
205 |
So. |
5.9 |
3.4 |
0.7 |
102 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast vs Michigan |
| G/F |
24 |
Matthew Mayer |
6-9 |
225 |
Gr. |
12.9 |
5.4 |
1.2 |
19.0Â ppg, 6.6Â rpg over last 5 games |
| F |
33 |
Coleman Hawkins |
6-10 |
225 |
Jr. |
9.8 |
6.5 |
2.9 |
16 pts, 7 reb in 49 min vs Michigan |
| F |
42 |
Dain Dainja |
6-9 |
270 |
r-So. |
9.7 |
5.6 |
0.5 |
64.7% FG (123-190) |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Sencire Harris |
6-4 |
160 |
Fr. |
3.5 |
2.0 |
0.9 |
+8 in 22 min vs Michigan |
| F |
2 |
Connor Serven |
6-9 |
235 |
Jr. |
0.2 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
Academic All-Big Ten |
| G |
3 |
Jayden Epps |
6-2 |
190 |
Fr. |
10.0 |
1.9 |
1.6 |
17 pts, 4 threes vs Minnesota |
| G |
5 |
AJ Redd |
6-3 |
160 |
Fr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Former manager now on roster |
| G |
10 |
Luke Goode |
6-7 |
200 |
So. |
2.3 |
1.3 |
0.4 |
4 pts, 4 reb, 1 stl vs Michigan |
| G |
11 |
Niccolo Moretti |
6-1 |
160 |
Fr. |
– |
– |
– |
Joined team Jan. 26; will redshirt |
| C |
12 |
Brandon Lieb |
7-0 |
220 |
Jr. |
1.0 |
1.1 |
0.1 |
3 reb in 7 min at Indiana |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
200 |
Fr. |
3.3 |
4.1 |
1.0 |
Career-high 14 pts, 7 reb vs Michigan |
| G |
22 |
Paxton Warden |
6-4 |
180 |
Fr. |
0.2 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
First career FG at Minnesota |
| G |
55 |
Skyy Clark |
6-3 |
200 |
Fr. |
7.0 |
3.7 |
2.1 |
Announced leave from team Jan. 6 |
Career Record: 223-103Â (.684), 10th year
At Illinois: 114-76 (.600), 6th year
Big Ten: 66-51Â (.564)
Series Notes vs. Purdue
All-Time Record: Purdue leads 104-90
Streak: Purdue W-2
Last Meeting: #3 Purdue 84 #13 Illinois 68 (Feb. 8, 2022 at West Lafayette)
Record at West Lafayette: Purdue leads 64-29
Streak at West Lafayette: Purdue W-1
Underwood vs. Purdue:Â 3-4
Opening Tips
• Illinois closes out the regular season on the road Sunday, at No. 5 Purdue (11:30 a.m. CT, FOX).
• Illinois is 12-5 in its last 17 games versus top-10 teams, and 2-0 this season (No. 2 Texas & No. 8 UCLA).
• Illinois' last road win against a top-5 team came two years ago, a 76-53 victory at No. 2 Michigan (3/2/21).
• Illinois is 5-3 against ranked opponents this season and has won 16 of its last 25 games vs. Top 25 teams.
• Illinois is coming off a 91-87 double overtime home win over Michigan on Thursday night, securing a fourth straight 20-win season and fourth consecutive winning record in Big Ten play under coach Brad Underwood.
• Illinois has recorded at least 20 wins and a winning record in B1G play in four straight seasons for the first time since doing so eight years in a row from 1999-2000 through 2006-07.
• Illinois is the Big Ten's winningest team in league play over the last four years, with 55 total wins and 23 road wins.
• Illinois and Iowa are the only teams above .500 in B1G play each of the last four seasons.Â
• Illinois went 15-2 at home this year (.882), ending the season on a six-game winning streak at State Farm Center. It marked the Illini's best home winning percentage since the 2005-06 season (15-1, .938).
• Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the NCAA in blocked shots, averaging 5.7 bpg.Â
• Illinois broke the school's single-season blocks record last Sunday at Ohio State. This year's team now has 170 blocks, eclipsing the previous UI mark of 162 set in 1978-79.
• Entering the final game of Big Ten play, Illinois has a seed range of 2-9 for next week's B1G Tournament.
Taking on the Top 10
Illinois faces its third top-10 opponent of the season on Sunday at No. 5 Purdue. Illinois is 2-0 this year against top-10 teams, fighting back from double-digit deficits in both contests.Â
The Illini defeated No. 2 Texas in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 6, overcoming a 10-point second-half hole to earn the victory in overtime. Illinois previously came back from down 15 in the second half to beat No. 8 UCLA in the Las Vegas Main Event on Nov. 18.
Illinois has won 12 of its last 17 games versus top-10 opponents, another highlight of the job Brad Underwood has done rebuilding the Illini program. Illinois set a single-season school record in 2020-21 with six wins over top-10 foes.Â
The Illini rank second nationally in top-10 wins over the last four seasons:
1. Baylor - 14
2. Illinois - 11
3. Kansas - 10
Seniors in Charge
Thursday night at State Farm Center was Senior Night, with Illinois honoring its two seniors who lead the way for the team despite being in their first year in the program.Â
Matthew Mayer (Austin, Texas) has made an immediate impact as a graduate transfer. He ranks second on the team in scoring and third in rebounding, averaging 12.9 points and 5.4 rebounds. He has scored in double figures in 19 of the last 22 games, with seven 20-point performances, led by a career-high 26 in the win at Wisconsin. Mayer leads the team and ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 66 three-pointers. He also leads the Illini with 40 blocks, helping this year's team break the school record for blocked shots in a season. Mayer is working toward a strategic brand communication graduate certificate.
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Chicago) has been one of the nation's top transfers this season. He leads the team in scoring, ranking seventh in the Big Ten at 17.2 points per game. He also ranks second in the league in free throws made (150) and attempted (189), and leads the Illini with 37 steals. Shannon has scored in double figures 24 times, with 10 20-point games. He scored a career-high 30 points vs. Monmouth and had one of the NCAA's signature performances this season, racking up 29 points and tying the school record with eight 3-pointers to lead Illinois to a comeback win over No. 8 UCLA. Shannon is majoring in sociology.
The seniors were special in their final home game, combining for 45 points and 14 rebounds, with 14 of those points coming in overtime. Mayer led the Illini in scoring with 24 points (four 3-pointers) and had seven rebounds, while Shannon tallied 21 points (13-16 FT), seven boards and four assists. Shannon scored Illinois' last seven points of the first overtime, while Mayer opened the second OT with the UI's first seven points.
It marked the first time that Mayer and Shannon both had 20-point performances in the same game.
