By Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular
March 5, 2024
(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)
It’s a battle of the top 2 teams in the Big Ten and two of the top teams in the country in Champaign on Senior night. Purdue and Zach Edey will come to Champaign to take on the 3 headed monster of Terrence Shannon, Marcus Domask, and Coleman Hawkins in a battle of Big Ten powers and the two winningest Big Ten programs over the past 5 seasons. Illinois is the Big Ten’s winningest team in conference play since the start of 2019-20. The Illini are 68-30 (.694) in league games over the last five seasons heading into Tuesday's game vs. Purdue. The Boilermakers rank second during that span with 66 victories.
It’s also a battle of offenses. Purdue and Illinois are #2 and #3 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and the Illini are #1 over the past two months. The defense that can get stops has a huge advantage in this one.
Here’s a look at what to expect:
Setting the Stage
#12 Illinois (22-7, 13-5 B1G) vs. #3/3 Purdue (26-3, 15-3 B1G)
March 5, 2024 // 6 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: Peacock – Noah Eagle (Play-by-Play), Stephen Bardo & Robbie Hummel (Analysts)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas
Notable
*Illinois has clinched a Big Ten Tournament double-bye for the fourth time in the last five years. The Illini enter the final week of the regular season with a seed range of 1, 2, or 3 in Minneapolis. Head Coach Brad Underwood has led Illinois to 13+ Big Ten wins in four of the last five years, and five straight winning records in conference play.
*Illinois has won six straight home games and is 15-2 at State Farm Center this season. A victory Tuesday would mark the most single-season home wins since the Flyin' Illini set the program record with a 17-0 mark in 1988-89.
*Illinois has scored at least 80 points in nine straight games, the longest streak since the Flyin’ Illini (12) in 1989. Illinois is averaging 97.0 points per game during its current three-game win streak.
Senior Night Celebration
Illinois basketball will recognize seven players and three senior managers at State Farm Center on Tuesday night in a pregame ceremony approximately 25 minutes before tip-off (beginning at 5:35 p.m.).
Managers John Phalen (Springfield), Macy Misiewicz (Shannon) and Jaden Katz (Wilmette) are all majoring in recreation, sport, and tourism. • Max Williams (Chicago) is in his first year with the Illini after joining the program as a preferred walk-on. He scored the first points of his collegiate career on Feb. 13 with a pair of free throws in a win over Michigan. Williams will graduate with a degree in agricultural and consumer economics.
Luke Goode (Fort Wayne, Ind.) is in his third year with the Illini. After winning a Big Ten championship as a freshman, he returned to action late in the season as a sophomore following a foot injury to help lead Illinois back to the NCAA Tournament. He is averaging 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds this season while shooting 39% from 3-point range. Goode will graduate in just three years from the esteemed Gies College of Business with a degree in finance.
Justin Harmon (Chicago) joined the Illini as a grad transfer and has become one of the most impactful sixth men in the Big Ten Conference. He is averaging 7.0 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 35% from three and better than 90% at the line. Harmon has scored in double figures nine times, led by a season-high 20 points in the Jan. 2 win over Northwestern. He is closing in on 1,000 career points, currently with 950. Harmon is working toward a strategic brand communication graduate certificate.
Quincy Guerrier (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a grad transfer who has started every game this season. He is averaging 10.2 points, is Illinois’ leading rebounder with an average of 6.7 boards, and leads the Illini with eight doubledoubles on the year. Guerrier set his career scoring high with 28 points in the Braggin’ Rights win over Missouri on Dec. 22. In all, he has totaled 1,576 points and 949 rebounds during his five-year career. Guerrier is in the master’s program in recreation, sport, and tourism.
Marcus Domask (Waupun, Wis.) is one of the nation’s top graduate transfers, averaging 16.0 points and 4.9 rebounds while leading the Illini with 3.4 assists per game. He has three 30-point games this season, including a career-high 33 at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 5 in the win over Florida Atlantic and most recently dropping 31 in Saturday’s win at the Kohl Center in the return to his home state of Wisconsin. Domask has eclipsed 2,000 career points, now sitting with 2,080 over his five-year career. Domask is in the master’s program in recreation, sport, and tourism.
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Chicago) is just the fourth player in Illinois history to reach 1,000 points in just two years and is now closing in on 2,000 for his career, just 46 away (1,954 points). He is the nation’s fourth-leading scorer this season at 22.0 points per game, the most by an Illini in the last 51 years. Shannon tallied a career high 35 points Feb. 21 at Penn State and has scored in double figures in 33 straight games overall. Shannon is majoring in sociology.
Coleman Hawkins (Sacramento, Calif.) is the lone four-year member of the Illini roster. He won a Big Ten Tournament championship as a freshman and a Big Ten regular season title as a sophomore. Hawkins has developed into one of the most versatile frontcourt players in the country, averaging 13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists during his senior campaign while also leading the team in blocks and steals. He set his career scoring high with 30 points in the Feb. 24 win over Iowa. Hawkins is majoring in recreation, sport, and tourism.
*Purdue owns a 6-0 record against nationally-ranked squads this year, with all of the wins coming against teams ranked in the top 11 at the time of the contest. In addition, Purdue owns an additional win over Alabama, which is ranked No. 16 in this week's AP Top 25 poll. Over the last three seasons, Purdue is 15-5 against nationally-ranked opponents.
*Purdue has averaged at least 1.27 points / possession in 10 of its 18 Big Ten games, including being over 1.45 three times in league play.
The top-two scoring offenses and two of the top three offensively-efficient squads will face off on Tuesday night. The two teams have combined to score 90 or more points 18 times (Illinois - 9; Purdue - 9). The rest of the Big Ten combined has 28 games of 90 or more points.
Keys to the Game:
