| PROBABLE STARTERS (Based on previous game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
32 |
Kasparas Jakucionis |
6-6 |
205 |
Fr. |
11.5 |
6.5 |
10.0 |
Tied Illini frosh assists record (13) vs SIUE |
| G |
4 |
Kylan Boswell |
6-2 |
205 |
Jr. |
3.5 |
2.0 |
2.5 |
Dished out three assists vs. SIUE |
| G |
22 |
Tre White |
6-7 |
210 |
Jr. |
9.0 |
5.0 |
0.5 |
Career-high three 3-pointers vs. SIUE |
| F |
3 |
Ben Humrichous |
6-9 |
225 |
Gr. |
14.5 |
3.5 |
1.5 |
Career-high five 3-pointers vs. SIUE |
| C |
13 |
Tomislav Ivisic |
7-1 |
255 |
So. |
16.0 |
10.5 |
1.5 |
Game-high 18 points vs. SIUE |
| OFF THE BENCH |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| F |
0 |
Carey Booth |
6-10 |
215 |
So. |
5.0 |
3.0 |
0.5 |
Blocks in each of first two games |
| G |
2 |
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn |
6-1 |
185 |
So. |
11.5 |
2.0 |
0.0 |
Career-high 21 points vs EIU |
| G |
5 |
AJ Redd |
6-3 |
170 |
Jr. |
1.0 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
Former team manager turned walkon |
| F |
7 |
Will Riley |
6-8 |
195 |
Fr. |
22.5 |
7.0 |
1.5 |
B1G Freshman of the Week (Nov. 11) |
| F |
15 |
Jake Davis |
6-6 |
205 |
So. |
1.5 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
Hit first 3-pointer as an Illini vs. SIUE |
| F |
21 |
Morez Johnson Jr. |
6-9 |
255 |
Fr. |
4.0 |
8.0 |
0.0 |
Tied Illini frosh blocks record (6) vs EIU |
| G |
24 |
Keaton Kutcher |
6-2 |
195 |
r-Jr. |
1.0 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
Scored first Illinois points vs. SIUE |
| REDSHIRT (Averages from 2023-24 season) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G/F |
20 |
Ty Rodgers |
6-6 |
210 |
Jr. |
6.2 |
5.3 |
2.0 |
Started all 38 games last season |
| F |
31 |
Jason Jakstys |
6-10 |
210 |
Fr. |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Third-Team All-State |
Career Record: 254-115 (.688), 12th year
At Illinois: 145-88 (.622), 8th year
Big Ten: 80-58 (.580)
Series History
All-Time Record vs. Oakland: Illinois leads 4-0
Record in Champaign: Same
Last Meeting: #25 Illinois 64, Oakland 53 (11/10/2023 at Champaign)
Underwood vs. Oakland: 1-0
Opening Tips
- Illinois (2-0) hosts the final contest of a three-game, season-opening homestand on Wednesday night, welcoming Oakland (1-1) to State Farm Center (8 p.m. CT/BTN) for the second straight season.
- The Fighting Illini are off to a 2-0 start, with a 112-67 season-opening victory over Eastern Illinois followed by a 90-58 victory over SIUE in front of a sellout crowd last Friday.
- Illinois will face Oakland for just the fifth time in program history. The Illini are 4-0 all-time vs. the Golden Grizzlies, with all three wins coming at State Farm Center, including last season's 64-53 win.
- Illinois enters Wednesday's contest having won seven consecutive home games vs. non-conference opponents.
- Illinois is looking to start 3-0 or better for the fourth time under Brad Underwood, and the second time in three seasons after starting the 2022-23 season 4-0.
- Through two games, KenPom.com ranks the Illini 19th in adjusted efficiency rating (+19.95), with the Orange and Blue coming in at No. 15 in offensive efficiency (116.7) and No. 40 in defense efficiency (96.8)
- As a team, Illinois ranks top five nationally in free-throw attempts per game (2nd, 37.0) and free-throws made per game (5th, 26.5), 3-pointers made per game (2nd; 15.5) and 3-point attempts per game (4th; 40.0), and rebounds per game (2nd; 52.5) and defensive rebounds per game (4th; 37.5).
- The Illini have made at least 15 3-pointers in each of their first two games, the first time the program has recorded multiple games with 15+ triples in a season since 2021-22. The team's 31 triples are the second-most in school history over a two-game span, trailing only the 34 combined made threes against Arizona (16) on Dec. 11, 2021 and St. Francis PA (18) on Dec. 18, 2021.
- Will Riley was named the inaugural Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday after averaging a team-best 22.5 points with 7.0 rebounds on 60% shooting (15-25), 72.7% from three (8-11), and 77.8% on free throws (7-9) in his first two games.
- Illinois sits just outside the Top 25 of the AP poll, receiving the most points (144) among unranked teams for the second straight poll. The Illini moved up from No. 24 to No. 20, meanwhile, in the coaches poll.
- Illinois is the winningest team in the Big Ten over the last five seasons, registering a 69-31 (.690) mark in league play. The Illini won the 2024 Big Ten Tournament championship as the #2 seed, captured the regular season championship in 2022, and led the conference in wins while adding a B1G Tournament crown in 2021..
Illinois-Oakland Storylines
- Golden Grizzlies head coach Greg Kampe, the nation's longest-tenured Division I coach now in his 41st season at Oakland, was a featured guest - alongside beloved TV analyst Bill Raftery - at Brad Underwood's annual "Kickin' Cancer" dinner and auction in April. The event raised more than $500,000 for Coaches vs. Cancer.
- Wednesday's contest is the fifth in the series between Illinois and Oakland.
- The two programs will face off for the second straight year after Illinois hosted Oakland in Game 2 of last season that culminated in an Elite Eight appearance for the Illini and an NCAA Tournament second-round appearance for the Golden Grizzlies, punctuated by an 80-76 upset over Kentucky in Round 1.
- Oakland (1-1) will play its first game in a week following a road loss at Boise State (L, 87-43) on Nov. 6.
- The Illinois men's basketball program is 22-0 all-time against the current 11-team membership of the Horizon League.
- Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is 1-0 in his career vs. Horizon League programs following last season's win vs. Oakland.
Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
