Jan. 19, 2005
Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Iowa in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL
Game #19: #1 Illinois (18-0, 4-0) vs. #23/24 Iowa (13-3, 1-2)
Jan. 20, 2005 •6 p.m. CT •ESPN
Champaign, Ill. •Assembly Hall (16,618)
Probable Starters
#1 ILLINOIS (18-0, 4-0)
F - 43 Roger Powell, Jr. (Sr., 6-6, 235, 12.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg)
F - 40 James Augustine (Jr., 6-10, 230, 9.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg)
G - 4 Luther Head (Sr., 6-3, 185, 16.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.4 apg)
G - 5 Deron Williams (Jr., 6-3, 210, 13.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 7.0 apg)
G - 11 Dee Brown (Jr., 6-0, 185, 13.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.2 apg)
Off The Bench ...
G - 15 Calvin Brock (Fr., 6-4, 185, plans to redshirt)
G - 33 Rich McBride (So., 6-3, 215, 3.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
F - 34 Fred Nkemdi (Sr., 6-5, 235, 0.7 ppg, 0.3 rpg)
F - 41 Warren Carter (So., 6-9, 210, 3.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
C - 45 Nick Smith (Sr.-r, 7-2, 250, 4.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
C/F - 50 Jack Ingram (Sr.-r, 6-10, 245, 3.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
F - 55 Shaun Pruitt (Fr., 6-8, 245, 1.4 ppg, 1.0 rpg)
Injured
F - 42 Brian Randle (So., 6-7, 210, 1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg in 2003-04)
Illinois Head Coach: Bruce Weber
Overall Record: 147-61/.707 (7th year)
At Illinois: 44-7/.863 (2nd year)
Big Ten: 17-3/.850
Vs. Iowa: 2-0
Assistant Coaches: Wayne McClain (4th year), Jay Price (2nd year), Tracy Webster (1st year)
Assistant to the head coach: Gary Nottingham (2nd year)
Trainer: Al Martindale (22nd year at Illinois)
Iowa Head Coach: Steve Alford
Overall Record: 258-151/.630 (14th year)
At Iowa: 102-74/.80 (6th year)
Vs. Illinois: 2-6
Assistant Coaches: Craig Neal, Greg Lansing and Brian Jones
On the Air
Television
ESPN: Brent Musburger, play-by-play; Steve Lavin, expert analyst; Erin Andrews, sideline reporter
Radio
Illini Sports Network - 47 stations: Brian Barnhart, play-by-play; Stephen Bardo, expert analyst; Loren Tate, pregame/halftime/postgame interviews.
Series Notes: Iowa
Illinois leads the all-time series 70-64 over Iowa and owns a 54-14 advantage over the Hawkeyes in games played at Champaign. The Illini have won four of the last five meetings and 15 of the last 16 at the Assembly Hall. Illinois posted 88-82 (1/17/04) and 78-59 (2/25/04) wins over the Hawkeyes last season.
Undefeated Illini
Illinois is one of only four teams in the country to boast a perfect record, and with 18 victories has the most wins in the nation. The following is a list of the remaining undefeated teams in Div. I.
Illinois 18-0 (next; Thurs. vs. Iowa)
Kansas 13-0 (next; Wed. vs. Nebraska)
Duke 13-0 (next; Wed. at Miami)
Boston College 14-0 (next; Wed. vs. Villanova)
Hot Start
Illinois' current 18-0 record has set a school record for the best start to a season in the 100-year history of Fighting Illini basketball, and also ranks as the longest single-season winning streak in school history. The 18 straight wins also stands as the second longest winning streak in school history. Only the 25-game winning streak that included parts of three seasons from Feb. 21, 1914, through Feb. 9, 1916, bests the Illini's current string of victories.
Big Ten Streakin'
Illinois has won 14 straight Big Ten games - its final 10 conference games last season and the first four this season. This is Illinois' longest conference winning streak since 1951 and 1952 when the Illini won 15 straight from Jan. 20, 1951 through Feb. 2, 1952.
Illinois' 14-game Big Ten winning streak ties the third-best conference run in school history. The following are the Illini's all-time best Big Ten winning streaks:
•17 - Feb. 21, 1914 through Feb. 9, 1916
•15 - Jan. 20, 1951 through Feb. 2, 1952
•14 - Feb. 3, 2004 - CURRENT
•14 - March 7, 1942 through Jan. 3, 1944
•13 - Feb. 26, 1955 through Feb. 20, 1956
•13 - Feb. 23, 1924 through Feb. 21, 1925
Illinois has also tied a school record with its current streak of eight straight Big Ten road victories - its final six conference away games last season and its first two road games this season. This ties the school-record streak of eight straight Big Ten road wins, which has now happened three times. The Illini first accomplished the feat with eight straight conference road wins from Feb. 21, 1914 through Feb. 9, 1916 and most recently won eight straight Big Ten road games from Feb. 5, 1951 through Feb. 2, 1952.
Hot Big Ten Start
At 4-0 in conference play, Illinois is off to its best Big Ten start in 10 years, since winning its first four Big Ten games in 1995. This is the 17th time in school history that Illinois has won at least its first four games to open conference play. The following are the Illini's all-time best Big Ten starts:
Rank Start Year
T1. 12-0 * 1942-43
T1. 12-0 * 1914-15
3. 10-0 1955-56
T4. 7-0 1941-42
T4. 7-0 1924-25
T6. 6-0 1962-63
T6. 6-0 1951-52
T8. 5-0 1969-70
T8. 5-0 1919-20
T10. 4-0 (eight times; most recently this season)
*Illinois went unbeaten in Big Ten play during the 1942-43 and 1914-15 seasons.
Illini Remain No. 1
For just the third year in school history - and for the seventh straight week - Illinois is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. This marks the first time in school history that the Illini have been ranked first for more than one week in the same season. Illinois' first tenure at No. 1 came the final week of January, 1952. Illinois' seven straight weeks at No. 1 is the longest streak by any team since Duke owned the top spot the first eight weeks of the 2001-02 season.
Prior to this year, the last time Illinois was ranked No. 1 was the week of Jan. 23-29, 1989. The UI was also ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for a week during the final week in January, 1952. In each of the previous two seasons when the Illini achieved a No. 1 ranking, they went on to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
Head Named Big Ten Co-POTW
Luther Head was the driving force behind two more wins to lead Illinois to its best start in school history at 18-0. Head averaged 22.5 points on 61.5 percent shooting from the field, while also going 9-of-18 from 3-point range (.500). He also averaged 4.5 rebounds, three assists and 2.5 steals per game. Head scored a game-high 19 points in the win over Penn State, tallying five three-pointers, while also adding a game-high seven rebounds and three assists. He then posted a season-high 26 points against Northwestern, just three off his career best. His 26 points and nine field goals vs. the Wildcats are the most by an Illinois player this season. Head added three assists and a game-high three steals against NU.
This is the first Big Ten weekly honor of Head's career. He shares this week's honor with Wisconsin's Mike Wilkinson.
Illinois has now set a Big Ten record by having four different players named Player of the Week during the same season:
Luther Head - Jan. 17
James Augustine - Jan. 10
Roger Powell - Dec. 6
Dee Brown - Nov. 22
Home Cookin'
The Illini have a 15-game winning streak at the Assembly Hall ...Illinois is 60-2 (.968) at the Assembly Hall over the last four-plus years, with the only losses coming to Michigan State on Feb. 3, 2002 and to Purdue on Jan. 10, 2004 ... The Boilermakers broke a 23-game Illini winning streak at the Hall that at the time ranked fourth in the nation ... Illinois is 72-3 (.960) at the Assembly Hall over the past five-plus seasons, the best home mark in the nation over that period ...The Illini have also won 38 in a row at the Assembly Hall against non-conference opponents ... Illinois has won 37 of its last 39 (.949) Big Ten games at the Assembly Hall ... Below is a look at Illinois' home record the past five-plus seasons:
Year Overall Big Ten
2004-05 9-0 2-0
2003-04 12-1 7-1
2002-03 14-0 7-0
2001-02 13-1 7-1
2000-01 12-0 8-0
1999-2000 12-1 7-1
Total 72-3 (.960) 38-3 (.927)
3-Point Attack
With the outstanding play of the Illini guards this year, it's no surprise that Illinois is enjoying one of its best seasons ever from behind the arc. The Illini rank second in the Big Ten and 10th in the NCAA with 9.0 three-pointers per game. The Illini have made 10 or more threes in seven games this season (12 vs. Delaware State, 12 vs. Oakland, 14 vs. Gonzaga, 11 vs. Wake Forest, 10 vs. Longwood, 11 vs. Purdue and 15 vs. Penn State), highlighted by a school-record 15 treys vs. Penn State on Jan. 15. Illinois' average of 9.0 three-pointers per game is on pace to set a school record, with the current record of 7.5 per game set during the 1995-96 season.
The Illini have been accurate as well as prolific from behind the arc, ranking second in the Big Ten and 20th in the nation with a 3-point field goal percentage of 40.7 percent. This is the first time in 13 years that Illinois has shot 40 percent or better from 3-point range - since 1991-92, when the Illini shot 41.4 percent from the arc.
Luther Head leads the way with a Big Ten-leading 3.1 treys per game on 45.8 percent accuracy from 3-point range (T-5th in Big Ten). Dee Brown is next with 2.4 threes per game (5th in Big Ten) on 45.8 percent accuracy (T-5th in Big Ten). Deron Williams is averaging 1.7 threes per contest. Illinois' three starting guards have accounted for 80.2 percent of Illinois' 3-pointers this season (130-of-162).
Illini in Control
Illinois has trailed in the scoring column for just 51:24 out of 720 minutes of play this year, meaning Illinois has held the lead in 92.9 percent of the minutes played to date in the 2004-05 season. The Illini have also held the lead the entire second half in 17 of 18 games this year. The Jan. 8 game at Purdue has marked the only time all season that Illinois trailed entering the second half of play. Illinois has never trailed by double figures at any point this season. Its largest deficit - nine points - came at Purdue on Jan. 8. The Illini have held the lead the entire way in nine of 18 games this year (Oakland, vs. Gonzaga, Wake Forest, vs. Oregon, Valparaiso, vs. Missouri, Longwood, vs. Northwestern State and vs. Cincinnati), which included a streak of six straight games from Dec. 11 (Oregon) through Dec. 31 (Cincinnati) that was broken against Ohio State in the Big Ten opener on Jan. 5. Following is a list of time that Illinois has been behind this season:
Opponent Time Trailed
Delaware State 7:01
Florida A&M 0:50
vs. Arkansas 1:34
Chicago State 0:47
at Georgetown 11:20
Ohio State 7:11
at Purdue 21:46
Penn State 0:33
at Northwestern 0:22
TOTAL 51:24
*For complete set of Illinois men's basketball game notes, click on the .pdf link at the top of this page.
