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University of Illinois Athletics

Next Up - at Michigan - 3-2-25

Men's Basketball

Illini Visit B1G Leading #15 Michigan Sunday

PREVIEW

ILLINOIS (18-11, 10-8 B1G) at #15/13 Michigan (22-6, 14-3 B1G)
Date | Time Sunday, March 2, 2025 | 2:45 p.m. CT (3:45 p.m. ET)
Location Ann Arbor, Mich. | Crisler Center
Buy Tickets Sold Out | Purchase on SeatGeek
TV CBS (Kevin Harlan & Dan Bonner)
Live Stream CBSSports.com
Radio Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 210 or 195, SXM App 957
Live Stats Statbroadcast.com
Printable Notes Illinois | Michigan
Pregame Press Conferences Coach Underwood (March 1) 
2024-25 Stats Illinois | Michigan
Record Book Illinois
Shop Online Store | Auctions
Social Media @IlliniMBB | #Illini | @IlliniMBB 129943 | Facebook | YouTube
PROBABLE STARTERS (Based on previous game)
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Note
G 32 Kasparas Jakucionis 6-6 205 Fr. 15.3 5.6 4.8 Illini freshman record 10 20-point games
G 4 Kylan Boswell 6-2 205 Jr. 11.1 4.9 3.2 15 points & 7 assists vs. Iowa
F 7 Will Riley 6-8 195 Fr. 11.8 4.0 2.1 15.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.1 apg over last 9 games
G 22 Tre White 6-7 210 Jr. 9.7 5.2 0.8 15.0 ppg last 2 G (16 vs #3 Duke, 14 vs Iowa)
C 13 Tomislav Ivisic 7-1 255 So. 12.8 7.9 2.0 9 double-doubles (4th in B1G)
OFF THE BENCH
Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG APG Note
F 0 Carey Booth 6-10 215 So. 1.2 1.1 0.1 Five of eight field goals are 3-pointers
G 2 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn 6-1 185 So. 7.2 1.9 0.6 17 points & 5 assists at #11 Wisconsin
F 3 Ben Humrichous 6-9 225 Gr. 8.3 3.9 1.0 Team-leading 1.9 3-pointers per game
G 5 AJ Redd 6-3 170 Jr. 0.3 0.7 0.2 Former team manager turned walkon
F 15 Jake Davis 6-6 205 So. 3.2 1.6 0.3 8 points in first-career start at #11 Wisconsin 
F 21 Morez Johnson Jr. 6-9 255 Fr. 7.2 6.6 0.2 2.7 offensive rebounds/game (4th in B1G)
G 24 Keaton Kutcher 6-2 195 r-Jr. 0.5 0.3 0.1 First Illini 3-pointer vs. Chicago State
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

Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 270-126 (.682), 12th year
At Illinois: 161-99 (.619), 8th year
Big Ten: 90-66 (.577)

Series History vs. Michigan

All-Time Record / Streak: Illinois leads 95-85  /  Illinois W-8
Last Meeting: #14 Illinois 97, Michigan 68 (2/13/2024 in Champaign)
Record at Ann Arbor / Streak: Michigan leads 52-33  /  Illinois W-4
Last Meeting at Ann Arbor: #14 Illinois 88, Michigan 73 (1/18/2024)
Underwood vs. Michigan at Illinois / All-Time: 8-2 / 8-3

Opening Tips

  • Illinois plays its final road game of the season Sunday at Big Ten co-leader, #15 Michigan (2:45 p.m. CT, CBS). 

  • Head Coach Brad Underwood has led the Illini to eight straight wins over Michigan (streak began Dec. 11, 2019), including a run of four consecutive victories at Crisler Center.

  • Illinois' current four-game winning streak in Ann Arbor has tied the longest run in program history, first set from 1952 through 1955 and matched from 2001 through 2005.

  • Illinois, at 10-8 in Big Ten play, has secured its sixth consecutive season at .500 or better in conference play.

  • Illinois' run of six straight seasons with 10+ Big Ten wins is the program's longest streak since doing so for seven years in a row from 2000 through 2006.

  • The Illini are the only Big Ten team to finish .500 or better in the league standings each of the last six seasons. 

  • Illinois boasts the Big Ten's highest scoring offense, averaging 83.2 points per game (14th in NCAA). 

  • Illinois is 17-1 this season when scoring 80+ points, including 10-0 in Big Ten play.

  • After playing eight games in 24 days from Feb. 2-25, Sunday's game at Michigan is the team's lone contest over a nine-day stretch before closing the regular season at home next Friday vs. Purdue. 

  • Illinois is tied for the Big Ten lead with 79 conference wins over the last six seasons (through Feb. 27). Underwood has led the Illini to 33 Big Ten road wins since 2019-20, three more than any other program during that span. 

  • Illinois is No. 21 in the NCAA NET rankings, one spot ahead of Michigan, and among seven B1G teams in the top 25. 

  • Sunday's game at Michigan is the first of back-to-back Quad 1 games to close out the regular season.

  • The Illini are 6-10 in Quad 1 games, and 3-6 vs. top-25 opponents this season. 

  • The Illini's six Quad 1 wins are tied for 14th nationally. 

  • Illinois is slated to play 18 regular-season Quad 1 games, the program's most in the seven-year history of the NET. 

  • Overall, the Illini will play six of their final seven regular-season games against Quad 1 opponents, and five of six against top-25 ranked opponents. 

  • Illinois is one of the nation's top rebounding teams, ranking second in the NCAA in total rebounds per game (42.9) and defensive rebounds per game (29.9), and seventh in rebound margin (+8.7 rpg). 

  • Illinois has won 10 games by 20+ points this season, including five against Big Ten opponents. The Illini are coming off an 81-61 home win over Iowa on Tuesday.

  • Four Illini posted double-figures scoring in the team's win over the Hawkeyes, led by Tomislav Ivisic with 22 points. Kylan Boswell and Will Riley, who made his third collegiate start, each tallied 15 points, and Tre White added 14. Kasparas Jakucionis finished with nine points, but tied Riley for the team rebounding lead with seven boards. Boswell dished out seven assists, while Ivisic added five helpers.

Illini Team Notables

  • Illinois leads the Big Ten in five team statistical categories, with the following NCAA rankings: total rebounds per game (2nd in NCAA; 42.9), defensive rebounds per game (2nd; 29.9), 3-point attempts per game (7th; 30.1), scoring offense (14th; 83.2), and offensive rebounds per game (38th; 13.0). 

  • Illinois is 17-1 on the season when scoring at least 80 points. The Illini's 18 games with 80+ points are tied for the most in the Big Ten (Iowa), and tied for 11th nationally. Among teams with at least 15 80-point games, Illinois' .944 win percentage ranks fifth in the nation behind Arkansas State at 17-0 (1.000), Duke at 16-0 (1.000), Auburn at 20-1 (.952), and Akron at 18-1 (.947).  

  • The Illini secured their 12th home win of the season vs. Iowa (Feb. 25). It marks the team's sixth straight season with at least 10 home wins at State Farm Center under Brad Underwood. 

  • Since 2019-20, the Illini are 81-17 (.827) at State Farm Center, the second-most home wins by a Big Ten team over the last six seasons behind Iowa (82). Nationally, the Illini's 81 home wins rank tied for 15th, overall, and tied for ninth among teams that have played each of the last six seasons in a power conference. 

  • Illinois is a combined 6-7 away from State Farm Center this season, with a 4-5 mark in true road contests, and a 2-2 mark in neutral site games. 

  • Illinois is 33-26 (.559) in Big Ten road games since the start of the 2019-20 season, the best mark in the league over the last six seasons. The Illini have finished .500 or better on the road in league play in four of the last five seasons, and are 4-5 this season heading into their final road game, Sunday at #15 Michigan. 

  • Under Brad Underwood, Illinois has finished in the top 40 in KenPom adjusted efficiency for both offensive and defensive in four of the last six seasons. The Illini offense is currently No. 18 (120.7), while the team is 35th on defense (97.8). 

  • Illinois is No. 19 nationally in KenPom's effective field goal percentage defense (.463), including a No. 9 ranking (first in the Big Ten) in 2-point defense (.451). 

  • According to KenPom, the Illini rank No. 32 nationally, and sixth among Power Conference programs, with a 3-point attempt rate (3-point attempts/total field goal attempts) of 47.0%. Among major conference teams, Illinois ranks first nationally with five games of 15+ made 3-pointers. 

  • Illinois is averaging a Big Ten-leading 83.2 points per game, just short of the pace of last year's team that averaged 83.4 points per contest en route to a Big Ten Tournament Championship and Elite Eight run. 

  • Ten of Illinois' wins have come by 20+ points, with three of those games coming on the road. The Illini defeated Eastern Illinois, 112-67 (+45); Oakland, 90-58 (+32); UMES, 87-40 (+47); and Little Rock, 92-34 (+58) all within the first month of the season. Illinois then defeated Chicago State, 117-64 (+53); recorded an historic 109-77 (+32) victory at No. 9 Oregon; earned a 91-52 (+39) home win over Penn State; rolled to a 94-69 (+25) victory at Indiana; posted 95-74 (+21) win at Minnesota; and notched an 81-61 (+20) victory over Iowa. The Illini have led by 25+ points in 10 games this season.  

  • Illinois is second nationally in rebounding at 42.9 boards per game, on pace for the program's best average in 52 seasons (44.4 rpg in 1972-73). The Orange and Blue have outrebounded their opponent in 22 of 29 games this season, going 17-5 in those contests. 

  • Illinois is 3-6 against Top-25 ranked teams this season with wins over No. 19 Arkansas, No. 20 Wisconsin, and at No. 9 Oregon. The Illini's three ranked wins are tied for 20th nationally. The Illini are set to close the regular season with two more ranked games, Sunday at #15 Michigan and next Friday vs. #20 Purdue. 

  • Brad Underwood has led the Illini program to Top-25 rankings in seven consecutive seasons. Illinois has been ranked for a total of nine weeks this season and is receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25. Illinois was ranked for seven consecutive weeks this season, and has reached as high as 13th.

  • Illinois has registered 79 wins in league play since the start of the 2019-20 season, tied with Purdue for the most in the conference over the last six seasons (through 2/27). When including the conference tournament, the Illini's 85 wins during that time span also are tied for the league lead with the Boilermakers. 

  • 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, and the team's three total championships during that span are tied with Purdue for the most in the Big Ten.  

  • Following the 2024 Elite Eight appearance and Big Ten Tournament Championship, Illinois has a dramatically different roster this season. The program returns just one rotation player – last year's ninth-leading scorer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn – and returns just 2.9% of its minutes, 2.2% of its points, and 2.0% of its rebounds overall.

  • Newcomers to the Illini roster have accounted for 91.4% of the team's scoring so far (2,206 of 2,414 total points), with UI freshmen accounting for 42.8% of those points (944).

  • Illinois' top three scorers, and top three rebounders are all in their first year of collegiate basketball. Freshman G Kasparas Jakucionis ranks first in scoring (15.3 ppg) and third in rebounding (5.6 rpg). Sophomore C Tomislav Ivisic nearly averages a double-double at 12.8 points (second on team) and team-leading 7.9 rebounds. Freshman F Will Riley is the Illini's No. 3 scorer at 11.9 points per game. And Freshman F Morez Johnson Jr. ranks second on the team at 6.6 rebounds per game with a team-leading 70 offensive boards (2.7 per game). 

  • Eight different Illini players have recorded a 20-point game this season, tied for the top mark in the NCAA, and the most by any Big Ten program since at least 2004-05. 

  • Three Illini scored 20+ points vs. Penn State - Ben Humrichous (21), Morez Johnson Jr. (20) and Tre White (20). It marked just the third time in the last 35 seasons that Illinois had a game featuring a trio of 20-point scorers.  

  • Illinois' 32-point road win over #9 Oregon was the largest margin of victory ever by a road team over an AP Top-10 opponent, and the largest road win in Illinois program history against any top-25 opponent. 

  • In their 109-77 win at #9 Oregon, Illinois became the first Big Ten team since Feb. 9, 1989, to record 100+ points in a Top-10 road win (No. 10 Michigan defeated No. 8 Iowa, 108-107).

  • Illinois also posted a dominant 94-69 win at Indiana on Jan. 14. The 25-point margin of victory was the second-largest for a Hoosiers' opponent in Assembly Hall history, while Illinois' 94 points marked the most ever scored by a visiting team in a regulation game at Assembly Hall. 

Illini Player Notables

Kasparas Jakucionis

  • Kasparas Jakucionis has been named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List, a Top-10 candidate for the Jerry West Award, a unanimous selection to the five-player Freshman All-America Team by The Athletic, a Midseason All-America third team selection by The Sporting News, a John R. Wooden Award Late Midseason Watch List (top 20) selection, and a Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Midseason Team selection. 

  • Jakucionis has 10 20-point games this season, setting the Illini all-time record for 20-point games by a freshman previously held by Cory Bradford who had eight 20-point games as a redshirt freshman in 1998-99. 

  • Jakucionis scored 20+ points in six straight games from Nov. 25-Dec. 22, shattering the Illini freshman record for consecutive 20-point games (previous record was two).  

  • Jakucionis became the fourth Big Ten freshman since 1996-97 with at least six-straight 20-point games, and the first to do so since Indiana's Eric Gordon had seven in a row in 2007.

  • Jakucionis has posted four game of 20+ points, 6+ rebounds and 5+ assists, tied for fifth nationally (first among freshmen) with Davidson junior Reed Bailey, Arkansas-Pine Bluff junior Doctor Bradley, Auburn fifth-year senior Johni Broome, Princeton junior Xavian Lee, Appalachian State senior Myles Tate, and Michigan junior Danny Wolf. 

  • At 15.3 points per game, Jakucionis is on pace to become the third Illini freshman in program history to average more than 15.0 points per game, and is just shy of the program record for scoring average by a freshman. Kiwane Garris (15.9 in 1993-94), Cory Bradford (15.4 in 1998-99), and Deon Thomas (15.1 in 1990-91) rank 1-3 on that list. 

  • All-time among Illinois freshmen, Jakucionis ranks second in free-throws made (113), fourth in double-doubles (4), tied for sixth in points (413), tied for sixth in assists (129), 10th in rebounds (152), and 10th in field goals made (128). He is also on pace to finish first in free-throw percentage (.850), fourth in assists per game (4.8), and eighth in rebounds per game (5.6). 

  • Jakucionis has earned two Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.

Tomislav Ivisic

  • Tomislav Ivisic is the No. 6 rebounder in the Big Ten at 7.9 rebounds per game and ranks fifth in the league at 6.0 defensive rebounds per contest. 

  • Ivisic has led the Illini rebounding effort in 12 of the 26 games in which he has played, the most on the team. 

  • Ivisic, classified as sophomore in his first season of collegiate competition, has recorded nine double-doubles through 26 games, ranking fourth in the Big Ten, tied for 36th in the NCAA overall, and third among power conference underclassmen. 

  • Ivisic, at 7-1, is one of the nation's top 3-point shooting big men, and has connected on 39 3-pointers this season, tied with will Riley for third on the team behind Ben Humrichous (53) and Kasparas Jakucionis (43). 

  • Nationally, Ivisic ranks as one of just four 7-footers with at least 30+ 3-pointers made this season, trailing only Stanford senior Maxime Raynaud (52), and his brother Zvonimir Ivisic (45) of Arkansas. Ivisic's 39 triples rank third in that group, ahead of Pitt junior Guillermo Diaz Graham. 

  • Ivisic has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 21 games this season, tied with Raynaud for the most games with a triple among 7-footers. 

Kylan Boswell

  • Kylan Boswell recorded the seventh triple-double in Illinois history and fifth of the Underwood era against Chicago State (Dec. 29), tallying 18 points, career-high 10 rebounds, and career-high 10 assists. 

  • Boswell scored in double-figures in 12 of 14 games for the Illini between the Dec. 10 vs. Wisconsin (19 points) and Feb. 2 vs. Ohio State (14), including a career-high 22 points in the Illini win at Indiana on Jan. 14. During that 14-game stretch, Boswell averaged 13.9 points (195), 6.3 rebounds (88), and 4.2 assists (59). 

  • Boswell has recorded six games with 10+ points and 5+ assists. Three have come against Big Ten opponents, including 15 points and seven rebounds in the Illini's last outing vs. Iowa.

Morez Johnson Jr.

  • Over his last 16 games, prior to breaking his wrist vs. Michigan State on Feb. 15, Morez Johnson Jr. averaged 8.9 points (142) and 6.8 rebounds (109), and made eight straight starts.  

  • During that 16-game run, beginning with the Illini's Braggin' Rights win vs. Mizzou on Dec. 22, Johnson has recorded a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double in the win over Penn State (Jan. 8), a 15-point, nine-rebound effort in his second-career start vs. Northwestern on Jan. 26, and 14-point, a 15-rebound double-double in the team's come-from-behind win over Ohio State on Feb. 2, and a 17-point, five-rebound effort vs. #11 Michigan State. 

  • Johnson, at 6.6 rebounds per game, is just short of Deon Thomas (6.8 rpg in 1990-91) for the third-best freshman mark in Illini history. Kofi Cockburn set the record holds the record at 8.8 rpg as a freshman in 2019-20, and Efrem Winters posted an average of 6.9 rpg in 1982-83. 

  • Prior to his injury, Johnson had recorded a team-leading 29 total blocks, tied for fourth in the Illini freshman record book with James Griffin (1978-79). 

Will Riley

  • Will Riley opened his Illini career by breaking the program's scoring record for a freshman debut with 31 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists in the team's season-opening win vs. Eastern Illinois. 

  • Riley has led the Fighting Illini in scoring seven times, all in a reserve role, providing a vital scoring threat off the bench. He scored in double-figures in seven straight games between Jan. 30 at Nebraska and Feb. 18 at #11 Wisconsin, averaging 17.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game during that run. 

  • Riley posted an historic outing in the team's win at Minnesota (Feb. 8), becoming the only freshman in the nation since at least 1996-97 to record a game with 27+ points, 9+ rebounds, and 7+ assists without a turnover.

  • Riley posted an historic outing in the team's win at Minnesota (Feb. 8), becoming the only freshman in the nation

  • Riley has earned three B1G Freshman of the Week awards this season.

Tre White

  • After opening the year averaging 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in eight games, Tre White found a rhythm on the court for the Illini. Beginning with a 23-point, 8 rebound effort vs. #20 Wisconsin on Dec. 10, White averaged 12.1 points (157) and 6.2 rebounds (80) the team's next 13 games, scoring in double figures seven times.  

  • In the Illini's matchup vs. #3 Duke at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 22, White led the Illini with 16 points and added five rebounds. It marked his first game of the season as the Illini's top scorer. 

  • White followed his 16-point effort with 14 in the team's win vs. Iowa on Tuesday, scoring in double-figures in back-to-back games for the first time since a stretch of four straight to open the new year.

Ben Humrichous

  • Ben Humrichous leads the fighting Illini with 55 3-pointers on the season and has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 25 of 29 games. 

  • Humrichous leads the team, averaging 1.9 triples per contest, 18th in the Big Ten. 

  • Humrichous' 55 3-pointer as an Illini have surpassed his total of 53 hit during the 2023-24 season for Evansville.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

  • Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has continued to make a big impact for the Illini in his sophomore season. Over 14 games between Dec. 22 vs. Missouri and Feb. 5 vs. Rutgers, Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 9.3 points (130) while shooting 50.5% (48-95) from the field.

  • Gibbs-Lawhorn made the first start two starts of his collegiate career vs. Ohio State (Feb. 2) and at Rutgers (Feb. 5). Against Ohio State, he was key to the Illini's 87-79 come-from-behind victory, posting 10 points highlighted by a momentum-shifting steal and run-out dunk that capped a 12-2 run to pull the Illini to within one possession after OSU's lead had reached 11 points. 

  • Gibbs-Lawhorn has posted nine double-digit scoring games this season, eight of which have come since Dec. 29: 16 vs. Chicago State (Dec. 29), 11 at Oregon (Jan.2), 11 vs. USC (Jan. 11), 12 at Indiana (Jan. 14), 15 vs. Maryland (Jan. 23), 15 at Nebraska (Jan. 30), 10 vs. Ohio State (Feb. 2), and 17 at #11 Wisconsin (Feb. 18).

Jake Davis

  • Jake Davis has made an impact for the Illini off the bench since just before the New Year. After totaling just eight points and seven rebounds in his first his nine games as an Illini, Davis has averaged 4.3 points (78) and 1.9 rebounds (35) over his last 18 games since Dec. 29 vs. Chicago State. 

  • Davis was vital to the Illini's win at then-No. 9 Oregon on Jan. 2, posting a season-high 12 points and with three rebounds in the road win in Eugene. 

Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

#2 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

G
6' 1"
Sophomore
Keaton Kutcher

#24 Keaton Kutcher

G
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
test
AJ Redd

#5 AJ Redd

G
6' 3"
Junior
Ty Rodgers

#20 Ty Rodgers

G/F
6' 6"
Junior
Jason Jakstys

#31 Jason Jakstys

F
6' 10"
Freshman
Morez Johnson Jr.

#21 Morez Johnson Jr.

F
6' 9"
Freshman
Jake Davis

#15 Jake Davis

F
6' 6"
Sophomore
Ben Humrichous

#3 Ben Humrichous

F
6' 9"
Graduate Student
Tomislav Ivisic

#13 Tomislav Ivisic

C
7' 1"
Sophomore
Kasparas Jakucionis

#32 Kasparas Jakucionis

G
6' 6"
Freshman
Carey Booth

#0 Carey Booth

F
6' 10"
Sophomore
Kylan Boswell

#4 Kylan Boswell

G
6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

#2 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

6' 1"
Sophomore
G
Keaton Kutcher

#24 Keaton Kutcher

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
test
G
AJ Redd

#5 AJ Redd

6' 3"
Junior
G
Ty Rodgers

#20 Ty Rodgers

6' 6"
Junior
G/F
Jason Jakstys

#31 Jason Jakstys

6' 10"
Freshman
F
Morez Johnson Jr.

#21 Morez Johnson Jr.

6' 9"
Freshman
F
Jake Davis

#15 Jake Davis

6' 6"
Sophomore
F
Ben Humrichous

#3 Ben Humrichous

6' 9"
Graduate Student
F
Tomislav Ivisic

#13 Tomislav Ivisic

7' 1"
Sophomore
C
Kasparas Jakucionis

#32 Kasparas Jakucionis

6' 6"
Freshman
G
Carey Booth

#0 Carey Booth

6' 10"
Sophomore
F
Kylan Boswell

#4 Kylan Boswell

6' 2"
Junior
G