|
Men's Basketball
Illinois Game Notes vs. Penn State
Feb. 23, 2007 Champaign, Ill. - Illinois Men's Basketball Game Notes vs. Penn State in PDF Format
FIGHTING ILLINI BASKETBALL On the Air Radio Illini Probable Starters Off the Bench Illinois Head Coach Bruce Weber Penn State Head Coach: Ed DeChellis Series Notes: Penn State This is the only game between the two teams this season. The squads also met just once last year, when Illinois had its 33-game homecourt winning streak and six-game series winning snapped with a 66-65 defeat on Feb. 4, 2006. Illini Headlines... • For the second straight year and third time in the last four seasons, Illinois ends its Big Ten schedule with two road games. Following Saturday's game at Penn State, Illinois wraps up the regular season at Iowa on March 3. • With the win over Michigan on Wednesday, Illinois has now reached at least 20 victories for the eighth straight year, which is also the program's 26th all-time 20-win season. • Illinois played its final home game on Wednesday (Feb. 21), marking the earliest time by calendar date that the Illini finished its home schedule in 56 years, since 1951 when Illinois played its last home game on Feb. 19. • Illinois ranks 14th in the NCAA in scoring defense (as of Feb. 18), holding its opponents to an average of just 57.4 points on the season. • Illinois is 7-3 over its last 10 Big Ten games after beginning conference play 1-3. Defense has been the biggest reason for the turnaround. Over the last 10 games, Illinois is allowing an average of 51.6 points (516) on 39.7 percent shooting (190-479) and 23.4 percent 3-point shooting (36-154). Those numbers are a major improvement from the first four league games when the Illini allowed an average of 66.5 points (266) on 43.6 percent shooting (89-204) and 35.5 percent 3-point shooting (22-62). • In conference games, Illinois leads the Big Ten in scoring defense (55.9) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.269), and ranks third in field goal percentage defense (.404). • Rich McBride has averaged 12.8 points (154) over the last 12 games after combining for just 7 points and making one 3-pointer over the previous three games. McBride scored 15 points against Iowa (Jan. 10), had a team-high 12 points at Michigan State (Jan. 14), nine points at Minnesota (Jan. 17), 15 points vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 20), a team-high 15 points vs. Indiana (Jan. 23), nine points at Purdue (Jan. 27), 12 points vs. Michigan State (Jan. 30), a team-high 13 points vs. Minnesota (Feb. 3), 15 points vs. Northwestern (Feb. 7), 13 points at Indiana (Feb. 10), a game-high 15 points vs. Northwestern (Feb. 18) and 11 points vs. Michigan on Wednesday. • McBride is shooting 40.8 percent from 3-point range and is averaging 3.5 treys over the last 12 games (42-103). • McBride ranks second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goals during conference play with an average of 3.1 treys per game. • Shaun Pruitt has averaged 11.2 points (101) and 8.8 rebounds (79) over the last nine games, posting double-doubles in four of those contests. Pruitt tied his career high with 19 points and had 14 rebounds vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 20), had 10 points and 13 rebounds vs. Indiana (Jan. 23), 13 points and 11 boards at Purdue (Jan. 27), 15 points and five boards vs. Michigan State (Jan. 30), 12 points and six boards vs. Minnesota (Feb. 3) and 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Northwestern on Feb. 7. • Brian Randle has shot 65.2 percent from the field (30-46) over the last 10 games in which he has played, after making just 3-16 in the previous three games. • Over his last 22 games, Warren Carter is averaging 14.0 points (309) and 6.5 rebounds (144). Included in that stretch have been three 20+ point performances for the senior power forward. Carter had a career-high 24 points vs. Arizona (Dec. 2), tying the highest point total by UI player this season, and 21 points vs. both IUPUI (Dec. 6) and Belmont (Dec. 17). He had the highest scoring Big Ten game of his career vs. Michigan on Wednesday with 18 points. During this stretch, Carter has been Illinois' leading scorer 10 times and has reached double figures 19 times. • Chester Frazier has averaged 7.3 rebounds (22) over the past three games. • Rich McBride stands in fifth place in Illinois history with 204 career 3-pointers. He needs five treys to tie Luther Head for fourth on the list. • Illinois has started seven different lineups this season. Last season, the Illini started the same lineup in 32 of 33 games and two seasons ago, Illinois had the same starting lineup in all 39 games. • Illinois has had six players miss a combined total of 46 games so far this season due to injury (Richard Semrau-24, Brian Randle-11, Jamar Smith-6, Chester Frazier-2, Brian Carlwell-2, Warren Carter-1). • In seven of its nine losses, Illinois has led during the second half. • Illinois extended its school-record streak of consecutive sell-out crowds at the Assembly Hall (16,618) to 45 against Michigan in the final home game of the season. • Illinois held Northwestern to 37 points on Feb. 18, tying the record for the fewest points scored by a Big Ten team in the 44-year history of the Assembly Hall. • Illinois won its 17th straight game over Minnesota on Feb. 3, a streak that spans the last eight-plus seasons, beginning with the 1999 Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal. It is the longest active winning streak by any Big Ten school over a conference opponent. It also marks the longest winning streak in Illini history over a Big Ten opponent. Illinois' previous best conference winning streaks were a pair of 16-game streaks over Northwestern (1/11/47-3/5/55 & 2/4/84-3/2/91 and one 16-game streak over Wisconsin (2/12/81-1/12/89). • In its victory over No. 23 Indiana on Jan. 23, the Illini held the Hoosiers to a season-low 43 points. It marked the fewest points Illinois has allowed to a ranked opponent in conference play in 22 years, since defeating No. 13 Indiana 52-41 on Jan. 27, 1985. • Illinois is a balanced offensive club, with six players averaging at least 7.5 points and eight members of the roster averaging over points per game. • Seven different players have been Illinois' leading scorer in a game this season (Warren Carter-11, Shaun Pruitt-6, Rich McBride-5, Jamar Smith-5, Chester Frazier-2, Trent Meacham-2, Brian Randle-1). • Shaun Pruitt ranks third in the Big Ten in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and offensive rebounds (3.1 rpg) and is fourth in field goal percentage (.535). • Chester Frazier ranks fourth in the Big Ten in assists with an average of 4.6 apg. He had a career-high 11 assists vs. Bradley (Nov. 25) and again vs. IUPUI (Dec. 6), and also had 10 assists vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 19). • Trent Meacham ranks sixth in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting at 41.9 percent. He had a school-record eight 3-pointers vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 19), which is also the most treys by a Big Ten player this year. • Illinois' leading scorer, Warren Carter ranks 13th in the league with an average of 13.3 points. Carter is also eighth in the conference in rebounding, averaging 6.3 rpg, and 12th in blocks, averaging 1.0 bpg. • Shaun Pruitt has scored in double figures in 19 games this season and is second on the team in scoring at 11.0 ppg. He scored a career-high 19 points vs. Missouri (Dec. 19) and vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 20). • Pruitt leads the Illini with eight double-doubles on the season. • Calvin Brock has scored at least six points in 14 games. • Illinois leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounds (12.9 rpg). • The Illini are third in the Big Ten in 3-pointers, making an average of 7.0 per game. • Illinois has scored over 70 points in 13 games. • Illinois has outrebounded 17 opponents and is outrebounding its opponent by an average of 5.0 boards (fourth in Big Ten). Last Time Out: Michigan Senior Warren Carter led the way with 18 points, recording his career high in conference play. Carter nailed a career-best three 3-pointers and just missed a double-double, collecting a game-high nine rebounds. Fellow senior Rich McBride also finished in double figures with 11. For the second straight game, no player reached double digits against the Illini defense. Ekpe Udoh led the Wolverines with eight points. About the Illini Senior Class Arnold is a two-year letterwinner after transferring from Illinois State following his first two seasons. Arnold has career totals of 780 points and 346 rebounds. He scored a career-high 13 points last year vs. Missouri and had a season-high 12 points at Indiana on Feb. 10. Arnold will graduate in May with a degree in speech communications. Carter is a four-year letterwinner. One of the most improved players in the Big Ten, Carter is Illinois' leading scorer (13.3 ppg) and second leading rebounder (6.3 rpg) this season. He has reached double figures 22 times this season, scoring a career-high 24 points at Arizona on Dec. 2 which is the highest point total by a UI player this year. His career totals are 620 points and 333 rebounds. Carter will graduate in May with a degree in community health. McBride is a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter at shooting guard. He has been Illinois' third leading scorer the past two seasons, averaging 10 points last year and 10.4 points this year. He scored a season-high 18 points vs. IUPUI on Dec. 6 and has reached double figures 13 times on the season. McBride ranks fifth in school history with 204 career 3-pointers, and is the sixth winningest player in Illini history, having played in 101 victories during his career. He owns career totals of 778 points, 198 rebounds and 178 assists. McBride will finish coursework in May and will need only a summer internship to earn a degree in sport management. Over the last four years, Illinois has compiled a record of 109-25 (.813), winning two outright Big Ten championships and one Big Ten Tournament championship, and making three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. This senior class advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2004, the NCAA Championship Game in 2005, and the Second Round last season. Illini Rewrite Attendance Records This year also set a school record for highest total attendance in a season, with a total of 282,506 fans passing through the turnstiles. Illinois tied its record for highest average attendance for a season, with the sell-out average of 16,618 equaling last year's record. Illinois will carry a school-record streak of 45 consecutive sell-outs at the Assembly Hall into next season. Defense Is The Difference Illinois leads the Big Ten in scoring defense (55.9 ppg) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.269) in conference games and ranks third in field goal percentage defense (.404). Illini By the Numbers Under Weber • 109-25: Illinois' overall record under Weber, a winning percentage of .813. • 56-5: Illinois' record at the Assembly Hall under Weber, a winning percentage of .918. • 37-2: Illinois' record in 2004-05, which tied the record for the winningest season in NCAA history. • 26-7: Illinois' record last season as well as Weber's first season (2003-04), which tie the fourth-winningest season in school history. • 20-9: Illinois' record this season. • 47-15: Illinois' record in Big Ten play under Weber - which incudes back-to-back outright championships in 2004 and 2005 - a winning percentage of .758. • 96-20: Illinois' record in regular season games under Weber, a winning percentage of .828. • 49-5: Illinois' record in regular season non-conference games under Weber, a winning percentage of .907. • 22-11: Illinois' record in road games under Weber, a winning percentage of .667. • 30-8: Illinois' record in neutral-site games under Weber, a winning percentage of .789. • 8-3: Illinois' NCAA Tournament record under Weber - which includes a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2004 and the program's first-ever appearance in the national championship game in 2005 - a winning percentage of .727. • 5-2: Illinois' Big Ten Tournament record under Weber - which includes the 2005 tournament title - a winning percentage of .714. • 13-5: Illinois' combined postseason record under Weber, a winning percentage of .722. Carter Aiming High As A Senior Carter has topped the 20-point marker three times on the season, with a game-high 21 points vs. IUPUI (Dec. 6) and another 21-point effort vs. Belmont (Dec. 17). Carter had 17 points vs. Bradley (Nov. 25). He also had eight rebounds vs. the Braves and had eight points, three blocks and three steals vs. Miami (OH) the night before to earn a spot on the Chicago Invitational All-Tournament Team. Carter started strong against Maryland (Nov. 28), scoring all 13 of his points in the first half, while tallying a double-double with 11 boards. Carter suffered a hip injury at the end of the Missouri game and did not play against Idaho State on Dec. 21. He returned to the lineup vs. Xavier (Dec. 29) and scored 14 points with five boards. He again had 14 points with eight boards vs. Michigan (Jan. 3) and had 11 pts-8 reb vs. Ohio State (Jan. 6). Carter had 16 points vs. Iowa (Jan. 10) on 6-7 shooting, had 11 vs. Michigan State (Jan. 14) and reached double figures for the eighth straight game with a team-best 17 points at Minnesota (Jan. 17), also collecting 11 rebounds against the Gophers for his fourth double-double of the season. Carter's double figures streak came to an end vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 20) when he had nine points, but he bounced back with 14 points vs. Indiana (Jan. 23). After scoring 12 points at Purdue (Jan. 27), he had 10 vs. Minnesota (Feb. 3), a game-high 17 vs. Northwestern (Feb. 7), a team-high 14 vs. Indiana (Feb. 10) and 10 vs. Northwestern (Feb. 18). He went out in style on Senior Day at the Assembly Hall Wednesday vs. Michigan, scoring 18 points to mark his highest scoring game of his career in Big Ten play. Carter shot 7-14 and made a career-high four 3-pointers, and just missed a double-double in collecting nine boards. Carter is second on the team in rebounding on the season behind Pruitt, averaging 6.3 rpg to rank eighth in the Big Ten. Over his last 22 games, Carter is averaging 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds. During that stretch, Carter has been Illinois' leading scorer 10 times and has reached double figures 19 times. Pruitt A Consistent Contributor Pruitt leads the Illini and is third in the Big Ten in rebounding with an average of 7.4 boards and has been an efficient scorer, shooting 53.5 percent from the field (130-243) to rank fourth in the Big Ten. He has eight double-doubles on the season to lead all Illini players. Pruitt had 15 points on 7-9 shooting vs. Jackson State (Nov. 15) and recorded the first double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds vs. Savannah State (Nov. 21). He earned Chicago Invitational Challenge All-Tournament Team honors after posting a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards vs. Miami (OH) (Nov. 24) followed by 16 points and nine rebounds vs. Bradley (Nov. 25). Pruitt was at his best vs. Maryland (Nov. 28), scoring 18 points on 7-12 shooting. He tallied his third double-double of the season against the Terrapins, collecting 11 rebounds in addition to his 18 points. Pruitt scored in double figures for the sixth straight game vs. Arizona (Dec. 2), registering 11 points. That streak came to an end with seven points vs. IUPUI (Dec. 6), but Pruitt was back in double figures with 13 points vs. Belmont (Dec. 17). He then scored a career-high 19 points on 8-11 shooting and had a game-high nine boards vs. Missouri (Dec. 19). He finished non-conference play with 11 points and 11 boards vs. Xavier (Dec. 29). Pruitt had 16 points on 7-8 shooting vs. Iowa (Jan. 10) and had 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds at Michigan State (Jan. 14). Pruitt reached double figures in six straight games, a streak that was broken against Indiana on Feb. 10. During that stretch, he recorded double-doubles in four contests. He had the best game of his career vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 20), tying his career high with 19 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. He then had 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds vs. Indiana (Jan. 23) and had 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds at Purdue (Jan. 27). Pruitt had 15 points and five boards vs. Michigan State (Jan. 30), 12 points and six boards vs. Minnesota (Feb. 3) and 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds at Northwestern (Feb. 7). McBride's Experience an Asset After coming off the bench the previous two games, McBride returned to the starting lineup against Iowa on Jan. 10 and made his presence felt, scoring 15 points on a season-high five 3-pointers. He then had a team-high 12 points on four treys at Michigan State (Jan. 14). McBride had nine points at Minnesota (Jan. 17), 15 points vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 20), a game-high 15 points vs. Indiana (Jan. 23) and nine points at Purdue (Jan. 30) He has reached double figures the last six games, with 12 points vs. Michigan State (Jan. 30) a team-high 13 points vs. Minnesota (Feb. 3), 15 at Northwestern (Feb. 7), 13 vs. Indiana (Feb. 10), a game-high 15 vs. Northwestern (Feb. 18) and 11 vs. Michigan on Wednesday. McBride has been Illinois' most consistent player over the past 12 games, averaging 12.8 points (154) while shooting 40.8 percent from 3-point range (42-103). McBride has started 21 of 25 games on the season and ranks third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.4 points. He ranks third in the Big Ten with an average of 2.8 three-pointers per game (70 total) and is also averaging 1.9 assists. In conference play, McBride ranks second in the Big Ten with an average of 3.1 three-pointers. McBride ranks fifth in school history with 204 career 3-pointers. At his current pace, McBride should end his career ranked fourth on the Illini all-time 3-pointers list. McBride has also been credited by the UI coaching staff for improving his defense greatly over the course of his career to the point where he is now considered the Illini's top perimeter defender. He has consistently drawn the assignment of guarding the opposition's top scorer throughout conference play and is a candidate for the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. Frazier On Point Frazier has scored in double figures in 11 games, led by a career-high 17 points vs. Savannah State (Nov. 21) and Michigan State (Jan. 30). He recorded his first career double-double vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 19) with 13 points and 10 assists. Frazier had 10 points vs. Miami (OH) (Nov. 24), hitting a game-winning layup with 18 seconds left. He then recorded his second double-double vs. Bradley (Nov. 25) with 10 points and a career-high 11 assists. Frazier was named MVP of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. He had 11 points and four assists in 39 minutes of action vs. Arizona (Dec. 2) and then tied his career high with another 11-assist effort vs. IUPUI (Dec. 6). Frazier scored 13 points on 4-6 shooting from 3-point range against Idaho State (Dec. 21) and had 11 in the Big Ten opener at Michigan (Jan. 3). One of the toughest players to wear the Illini uniform in recent years, Frazier has battled through a number of injuries during his career. After starting the first 17 games this season, he was finally sidelined against Iowa (Jan. 10) due to a strained groin. He returned to the court against Michigan State on Jan. 10, scoring eight points and collecting four assists and a career-high four steals in 25 minutes of action. Frazier had nine points and five boards vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 20). Frazier was questionable just minutes before the game vs. Michigan State on Jan. 30 due to a turf toe injury, but came off the bench to tie his career-high with 17 points on 6-8 shooting. He also pulled down a game-high six rebounds in 26 minutes. Following that performance, he sat out the game vs. Minnesota on Feb. 3 due to the toe injury. Frazier returned to the court at Northwestern (Feb. 7), scoring six points in 19 minutes. While he did not score at Indiana on Feb. 10, he did pull down a career-high 10 rebounds with five assists and three steals. He bounced back from his latest mishap, a dislocated finger on Saturday, to collect a game-high seven rebounds and six assists vs. Northwestern (Feb. 18). Over the last three games, Frazier is averaging 7.3 rebounds (22). While continuing to rack up the assists this year, Frazier has also done a good job limiting turnovers. After totaling 13 turnovers in the first two games (6.5 avg.), he has combined for just 60 turnovers over his past 25 games (2.4 avg.). He had only one turnover in 35 minutes vs. Bradley compared to 11 assists, and had just one turnover again vs. Maryland (Nov. 28). Randle Battling Through Season of Adversity Randle scored 10 against both Belmont (Dec. 17) and Missouri (Dec. 19) and had 11 points vs. Idaho State on Dec. 21. Randle had a break-out game against Iowa on Jan. 10. He tied his career high with 16 points on 7-9 shooting and dished out a career-high six assists. He had two dunks that brought the Assembly Hall crowd to its feet, one of which made Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day. It marked the third time of his career that a Randle dunk has appeared on ESPN's Top 10 list. After scoring eight at Michigan State (Jan. 14), Randle was back in double figures with 12 points on 5-7 shooting at Minnesota (Jan. 17). He then had eight points vs. Wisconsin on Jan. 20. Randle fought through pain in his foot in January (due to plantar fasciitis) before returning to the sidelines and sitting out two games (Indiana, Jan. 23 and Purdue, Jan. 27). He returned to action vs. Michigan State (Jan. 30), but was limited to just 20 minutes. He had six points and a game-high eight rebounds vs. Minnesota (Feb. 3), eight points at Indiana (Feb. 10), six points and six rebounds vs. Northwestern (Feb. 18) and again had six points vs. Michigan on Wednesday. Over the last 10 games in which he has played, Randle is shooting 65.2 percent from the field (30-46). Randle is averaging 7.6 points (fifth on team) and 4.4 rebounds (fourth on team) on the season and is shooting 54.3 percent from the field. *For complete set of Illinois men's basketball game notes, click on .pdf link at top of this page.
|
