IlliniGuys Staff and Sports Information Director
December 17, 2022
#18 ILLINOIS (7-3) Basketball Game Notes
vs Alabama A&M (3-6)
Dec. 17, 2022 | 3 p.m. CT | BTN | Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
#18 ILLINOIS (7-3) vs. Alabama A&M (3-6) | |
Date | Time | Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 | 3 p.m. CT |
Location | Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center |
Tickets | FightingIllini.com |
Television | BTN (Jason Ross Jr. & Trent Meacham) |
Live Stream | foxsports.com/live/btn | FOX Sports App |
Radio | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 135/196, SXM App 958 |
Illinois Probable Starters | |||||||||
Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
G | 1 | Skyy Clark | 6-3 | 200 | Fr. | 8.1 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 11 pts, career-high 7 reb vs Penn St. |
G | 0 | Terrence Shannon Jr. | 6-6 | 225 | Sr. | 17.8 | 5.8 | 2.8 | 2nd in B1G in FT (44) & FTA (57) |
G | 15 | RJ Melendez | 6-7 | 205 | So. | 8.8 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 60.6% FG (20-33) last 5 games |
G/F | 24 | Matthew Mayer | 6-9 | 225 | Gr. | 8.0 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 17.5 ppg last 2 games (35) |
F | 33 | Coleman Hawkins | 6-10 | 225 | Jr. | 9.6 | 6.2 | 4.2 | 11.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 5.3 apg last 4 games |
Off the Bench | |||||||||
Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
G | 1 | Sencire Harris | 6-4 | 160 | Fr. | 4.4 | 1.2 | 0.7 | +13 in 18 minutes vs #2 Texas |
F | 2 | Connor Serven | 6-9 | 235 | Jr. | 0.2 | 0.8 | 0.0 | Academic All-Big Ten |
G | 3 | Jayden Epps | 6-2 | 190 | Fr. | 9.3 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 11+ points in 5 of last 7 games |
G | 10 | Luke Goode | 6-7 | 200 | So. | 2.0 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 2021-22 stats; sidelined (foot surgery) |
C | 12 | Brandon Lieb | 7-0 | 220 | Jr. | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | Academic All-Big Ten |
G/F | 20 | Ty Rodgers | 6-6 | 200 | Fr. | 2.1 | 3.0 | 1.3 | Career-high 6 points vs Penn St. |
G | 22 | Paxton Warden | 6-4 | 180 | Fr. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Illinois state champion |
F | 42 | Dain Dainja | 6-9 | 270 | r-So. | 10.4 | 5.7 | 0.4 | 72.6% FG (45-62) |
Career Record: 210-96 (.686), 10th year
At Illinois: 101-69 (.594), 6th year
Big Ten: 55-44 (.556)
All-Time Record: First meeting
Underwood vs. Alabama A&M: First meeting
The Illini look to get back in their groove after a disappointing 74-59 loss at home to Penn State. After the team's leadership was questioned by head coach Brad Underwood, key players like Coleman Hawkins and Terrence Shannon Jr have resolved to improve their game both on and off the court.
Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier are gone. The two most vocal player leaders of Illini men's basketball will need to have their leadership roles filled. Will it be by Coleman Hawkins or Terrence Shannon, Jr.? Luke Goode is another candidate but he's still not ready to make it back to the court from his foot injury. The best teams are led by players and Shannon is looking to bounce back from a poor outing against Penn State.
Alabama A&M (3-6) should not be a stern test, but the Illini don't want to fall victim to a second upset in a row, especially with the Braggin' Rights game looming large on the horizon. The Illini play the 9-1 Missouri Tigers on Thursday night at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis at 8 pm. The Bulldogs come into the game off of a loss to South Alabama. The Bulldogs have not faced a team as highly ranked as the Illini and the Illini are the first P2 conference opponent for the Bulldogs.
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