1/22- #25 Illini Set For Badgers

Series Notes: Wisconsin Illinois leads the all-time series 106-73 over Wisconsin, and the UI owns a 66-19 advantage in games played at Champaign. The Badgers, however, carry a five-game winning streak over the Illini into Saturday’s contest. Wisconsin won all three match-ups last season, 70-60 in Madison on Jan. 10, 71-57 at the Assembly Hall on Feb. 20, and 61-48 in the Big Ten Tournament Championship on March 16. The teams will meet again at Wisconsin on Feb. 5. Illini Enter Top 25 Illinois appears in both Top 25 polls this week, ranked No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Poll. This is the first time Illinois has been ranked since the final polls of the 2005-06 season. Opening Tips • With assists on 71.1 percent of its baskets this season, Illinois leads the nation in assist percentage. The Illini rank third in the NCAA in assists, averaging 19.2 assists per game. Illinois, meanwhile, ranks fifth nationally with a team assist-to-turnover ratio of +1.5. • Illinois recorded its 16th victory of the 2008-09 season vs. Ohio State on Tuesday, equaling its win total from last season. • After opening league play with two road games, Illinois is now concluding a stretch of having four out of five games at home. The run began with Illinois’ win over Indiana (Jan. 10) and continued with the victory over Michigan (Jan. 14). Following last Saturday’s loss at Michigan State, the Illini returned to the Assembly Hall to defeat Ohio State on Tuesday and hosts Wisconsin on Saturday. • Illinois has won 20 of its last 24 games dating back to the end of last season. • Illinois is 3-2 vs. ranked teams this season. • Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 56.6 ppg. • Clemson (Dec. 2) and Michigan (Jan. 4) are the only two teams to top 70 points and shoot better than 46 percent against the Illini this season. • Illinois leads the Big Ten and is 25th in the NCAA in field goal percentage, shooting 47.9 percent on the year. • Illinois ranks second in the conference and 29th in the NCAA in scoring margin at +13.4 ppg. • Four Illini are scoring in double figures, while eight players are averaging more than five points per game. • Illinois’ top four scorers are separated by a total of only 15 points after 19 games. • Illinois is the only Big Ten team with four players among the league’s Top 25 scorers. • Eight different players have been the Illinis leading scorer in a game this season. • Illinois’ top three scorers, and four of its top five, are sophomores. In all, the UI sophomore class has scored 58.6 percent of the team’s points on the season (779 of 1,329 pts). • Illinois has trailed at halftime in only one game this season -- vs. Michigan on Jan. 14 -- and that deficit was only one point. • Illinois has scored more bench points than the opposition in 15 of 19 games. • In the latest NCAA statistical rankings released on Jan. 19, Chester Frazier ranks 27th in the nation in assists and 22nd in assist-to-turnover ratio. He leads the Big Ten in assists, averaging 5.7 apg, and is fourth in the league with an a/to ratio of 2.4. • In Big Ten games only, Demetri McCamey leads the conference in both assists (6.0 apg) and assist/ turnover ratio (4.0). • Mike Davis ranks third in the Big Ten in double-doubles this season with four, and is the leagues No. 5-ranked rebounder, averaging 7.3 boards. Davis has been the Illini’s top rebounder in 13 games. • Mike Tisdale ranks fifth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, shooting 54.4 percent. Mike Davis, meanwhile, is sixth in the league at 53.6 percent. • Trent Meacham has committed just two turnovers through 168 minutes of Big Ten play. • In five of the last seven games, including each of the last four games at Assembly Hall, Illinois’ first basket has been a 3-pointer by Demetri McCamey. Last Time Out: Ohio State Pressure defense spearheaded the Illini to a convincing 67-49 victory over Ohio State on Tuesday night at the Assembly Hall. Illinois held Ohio State to its second-lowest point total of the season and forced the Buckeyes into a season-high 20 turnovers. Chester Frazier’s defense on OSU leading scorer Evan Turner was impressive. Turner, who entered the game averaging 15.9 points, was held to a season-low four points on 2-of-7 shooting. Offensively, Illinois was balanced once again with four players scoring in double figures. Mike Tisdale scored a game-high 15 points while Demetri McCamey had 13 with a game-high seven assists. Dominique Keller came off the bench to add 12 while Chester Frazier scored 10, his first game Big Ten game in double figures this season. Offensive Turnaround To better illustrate why Illinois is one of the nation’s most improved teams compared to one year ago, the UI’s improvement in a number of offensive statistics is staggering. Below is a list of Illinois’ all-games stats this season compared to last season, with the Illini’s Big Ten rank in each stat listed in parenthesis: Category 2008-09 2007-08 FG Pct. 47.9 (1) 43.5 (7) 3FG Pct. 37.1 (6) 31.9 (10) FT Pct. 72.2 (3) 60.8 (11) Assists/Game 19.2 (1) 13.8 (5) A/TO Ratio 1.48 (1) 1.01 (8) Points/Game 69.9 (6) 63.6 (8) Scoring Margin +13.4 (2) +2.5 (7) Wins 16 (1) 16 (7) Big Ten Wins 4 (2) 5 (9) Jordan Earns Scholarship Sophomore Jeff Jordan came to Illinois last year as a recruited walk-on. To reward his hard work and expanded role with the Illini, Weber placed Jordan on athletic scholarship for spring semester classes, which began on Tuesday. Jordan has appeared in 18 games this season, averaging 1.3 points and 1.2 assists. Notes From Michigan State (Jan. 17) • Illinois led by seven points at halftime and held the lead for the majority of the second half. Trailing 54-51, Michigan State outscored the Illini 12-3 over the final six minutes for the victory. • Alex Legion scored a career-high 15 points, becoming the eighth different player to lead the Illini in scoring in a game on the season. • Calvin Brock tied his season high with 13 points. Illini No. 20 in Latest ESPN.com Power Rankings Following the rout of Missouri on Dec. 23, Illinois made its first appearance in ESPN.com’s weekly Power Rankings, which compiles the lists from nine voters affiliated with the network. The Illini checked in at No. 25 in the Dec. 26 rankings and moved up to No. 17 in the Jan. 2 rankings following the road victory at Purdue. The UI was No. 22 in the Jan. 9 rankings. Illinois is now listed at No. 20 in the latest rankings, released last Friday. Eight of the nine voters have Illinois in their Top 25, led by Pat Forde, who ranks the Illini at No. 15. Assisting The Offense Illinois’ ball movement has been very effective this season. Illinois also leads the nation in assist rate, recording assists on 71.1 percent of its baskets (364 assists on 512 field goals). The Illini rank third in the NCAA in assists, averaging 19.2 assists per game. Illinois has totaled 20+ assists in nine games and recorded a season-high 25 assists vs. Jackson State on Nov. 23, the most by a Big Ten team this year. Here is a game-by-game look at Illinois’ assists-to-field goals percentage this season: Game A FG Pct. E. Washington 14 24 58.3 Texas A&M-CC 22 27 81.5 at Vanderbilt 18 24 75 Jackson State 25 31 80.6 vs. Kent State 23 25 92 vs. Tulsa 13 23 56.5 Clemson 19 31 61.3 vs. Georgia 23 33 69.7 Hawaii 16 27 59.3 Chicago State 24 32 75.0 Detroit 20 29 69.0 vs. Missouri 22 29 75.9 Eastern Michigan 18 22 81.8 at Purdue 21 30 70.0 at Michigan 23 28 82.1 Indiana 17 26 65.4 Michigan 12 22 54.5 at Michigan State 19 22 86.4 Ohio State 15 27 55.6 Total 364 512 71.1 Hot Shooting Illini Illinois is the Big Ten’s top-ranked team and No. 25 in the NCAA in field goal percentage at 47.9 percent on the season. The Illini have shot better than 45 percent in 12 games, including better than 50 percent in six of those contests. Against Detroit on Dec. 20, Illinois lit up the nets for 64.4 percent accuracy (29-45), the UI’s highest field goal percentage of the Weber era. The Illini most recently topped 50 percent vs. Indiana on Jan. 10, shooting 51.0 percent. Davis Enjoying Breakout Sophomore Campaign Sophomore forward Mike Davis has been very productive to start the season. Davis is third on the Illini in scoring (11.1 ppg) and ranks fifth in the Big Ten in rebounding, averaging 7.3 boards. He also ranks sixth in the league in field goal shooting at 53.6 percent. Davis has scored in double figures 13 times, with three games of 20 or more points. He also has been the Illini’s top rebounder in 13 games. Davis has improved his scoring average by 8.3 points this year and has already scored more than twice as many points at this point in his sophomore campaign -- 211 total -- than he did all of last season as a freshman (87). Davis had a spectacular performance vs. Clemson on Dec. 2, scoring a career-high 28 points. He made 12-of-19 shots against the Tigers, with his 12 field goals ranking as the most by a Big Ten player this season. Davis has posted four double-doubles this season, tied for third among Big Ten players. He had 20 points and 14 rebounds vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nov. 16), 11 points and 12 rebounds at Vanderbilt (Nov. 20), 17 points and 13 rebounds vs. Kent State (Nov. 28) and most recently 11 points and 12 rebounds vs. Chicago State (Dec. 10). Davis also had a 20-point outing vs. Jackson State (Nov. 23), hitting 9-of-10 shots. McCamey Emerging Like Mike Davis, Demetri McCamey is another Illini sophomore who has increased his production. McCamey is tied for the team lead in scoring with an average of 11.8 points, nearly a 4-point improvement from his 8.2 scoring average as a freshman. McCamey has scored at least eight points in all but three games and has reached double figures 12 times, with three 20+ point games. He scored a season-high 23 points at Vanderbilt and added 20 vs. Clemson (Dec. 2) and Missouri (Dec. 23). He also 19 vs. Georgia (Dec. 6). In four non-conference games vs. BCS opponents, McCamey averaged 20.5 points. In addition to his scoring, McCamey is fifth in the Big Ten in assists, averaging 5.0 apg. He tied his career high with 11 assists vs. Hawaii on Dec. 8 and had 10 assists vs. Michigan on Jan. 4. McCamey also ranks seventh in the Big Ten in assist/turnover ratio at 2.1. In Big Ten games only, McCamey leads the Big Ten in assists (6.0 apg) and assist/ turnover ratio (4.0). Tisdale Gaining Consistency in the Post Center Mike Tisdale is another sophomore starter who is coming on strong for the Illini. Tisdale is tied with McCamey for the team lead in scoring, averaging 11.8 points, and is third on the team in rebounding with an average of 4.1 boards. He also leads the UI in field goal percentage at 54.4 percent (fifth in Big Ten) and in blocked shots with 23 (eighth in Big Ten). Tisdale has improved his scoring average by 8.2 points from his freshman season and like Davis, has already exceeded his point total this year (225 pts) from all of last season (127 pts). Tisdale has scored in double figures 11 times this season, led by career-high 25-point outings vs. Eastern Michigan (Dec. 28) and Chicago State (Dec. 10). He had 24 points vs. Michigan on Jan. 10 on 10-of-12 shooting. He has been the UI’s leading scorer in a team-high eight games on the year. In Big Ten play, he ranks second in the league in field goal shooting at 62.5 percent. Frazier In Control Chester Frazier is Illinois’ floor leader and has played the best basketball of his career in this his senior season. Frazier leads the Big Ten and ranks 27th in the nation in assists, averaging 5.5 apg. And despite playing nearly 32 minutes per game, Frazier ranks fourth in the conference and 22nd in the NCAA with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.4. Frazier recorded a career-high 12 assists vs. Clemson, dished out nine assists vs. Detroit and has had eight assists five times (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Vanderbilt, Kent State, Tulsa and Missouri). Frazier controlled the tempo in the win over Missouri (Dec. 23). In 35 minutes at the point against Mizzou’s press, Frazier had a game-high eight assists while committing just two turnovers. He also had six rebounds and a game-high three steals. He had another strong floor game at Purdue on Dec. 30, recording a game-high seven assists compared to only one turnover in 41 minutes of play. Frazier also is the Illini’s second-leading rebounder on the year, averaging 4.5 boards. He had a season-high 11 boards against Eastern Michigan (Dec. 28) and led the Illini in rebounding at Purdue and at Michigan State with seven boards apiece. He continues his reputation as Illinois’ top defender and is on his way to becoming a contender for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Frazier has been assigned to guard all but the center position and has held a number of the league’s top offensive players below their scoring average including Robbie Hummel of Purdue, Kalin Lucas of Michigan State, and Evan Turner of Ohio State. Meacham Comfortable With New 3-Point Line Senior Trent Meacham, the Illini’s top 3-point marksman last season, is shooting it well once again from behind the arc. He is 41-of-96 on the year from the land of three, a 42.7 percent clip, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten. Meacham also stands fourth in the conference with an average of 2.3 treys per game. Meacham is fourth on the Illini in scoring on the season, averaging 11.1 points. He has scored in double figures 11 times, led by a season-high 23 points vs. Missouri (Dec. 23). Meacham had 21 points vs. Indiana on Jan. 10, connecting on a season-high seven 3-pointers. He shot 77.8 percent from behind the arc against the Hoosiers (7-9), the best 3-point field goal percentage by a Big Ten player this season. Legion Makes Illini Debut After sitting out the majority of last season and the first 10 games of this season per NCAA transfer rules, sophomore Alex Legion made his Illini debut on Dec. 20 vs. Detroit. Legion entered the game with 12:57 remaining in the first half and made his first field goal attempt -- a 3-pointer -- 29 seconds later. Legion finished with six points, two rebounds and one steal in 18 minutes. Legion had a breakout game at Purdue on Dec. 30, scoring 12 points with five rebounds in 24 minutes. He was in double figures again at Michigan on Jan. 4, scoring 10. Legion had a season-high 15 points at Michigan State last Saturday, leading the Illini in scoring for the first time in his career. Legion is Illinois’ fifth-leading scorer, averaging 6.1 points through nine games this season. Matto Season Leaders The “Matto” play hard chart is a statistical ranking that is very important to the Fighting Illini program. The name Matto is a tribute to former Illini Matt Heldman, the point guard on Illinois’ 1998 Big Ten Championship team that was tragically killed in a car accident in 1999. A team manager keeps the chart and Illini players are awarded points for making the following hustle plays: passes deflected (+1), blocked shots (+1), steals (+1), dives (+1), loose balls (+1), charges taken (+2) and 5-second violations drawn (+2). The points are accumulated throughout the season, and the player with the highest total at the end of the year will be presented the Matto Award at the team banquet. Here is a look at the current top five players in the race for the Matto Award, along with team and opponent totals: 1. Chester Frazier 131 2. Trent Meacham 100 3. Demetri McCamey 86 4. Calvin Brock 79 5. Mike Tisdale 77 Illinois Season Total 674 Opponent Season Total 525 Illinois’ Matto Record 15-3-1 Illinois’ Record When Winning Matto 14-1 Illinois’ Record When Losing/Tying Matto 2-2 Individual Season-High 13 (twice) Trent Meacham vs. Texas A&M-CC (Nov. 16) Chester Frazier vs. Michigan (Jan. 14) Team Season-High 52 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nov. 16) Team Largest Margin +19 (three times) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Nov. 16) vs. Georgia (Dec. 6) vs. Indiana (Jan. 10) Assembly Hall: The House of ’Paign The Illini have put together one of the best homecourt records in the nation over the last nine-and-a-half years, owning a record of 124-16 (.886) at the Assembly Hall this decade. The Illini are also 73-14 (.839) at The Hall during Bruce Weber’s tenure. Below is a look at Illinois’ record at the Assembly Hall this decade: Year Overall Big Ten 2008-09 10-1 3-0 2007-08 7-8 3-6 2006-07 14-3 6-2 2005-06 15-1 7-1 2004-05 15-0 8-0 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 124-16 (.886) 63-12 (.840) Illini Nation’s Seventh-Winningest Team Under Weber Illinois has won a total of 144 games during Bruce Weber’s tenure in Champaign. Illinois currently ranks as the seventh-winningest team in the nation over the last five-and-a-half seasons. The Illini were tied with Duke and Florida for the most wins nationally at 112 each over a four-year period from 2004-07. Illinois recorded 26 wins in 2003-04, an NCAA record-tying 37 victories in 2004-05, 26 wins in 2005-06, 23 wins in 2006-07, 16 victories last year and 16 wins so far this season. The following ranking is the top teams in the NCAA by total wins over the last five-and-a-half seasons (since beginning of the 2003-04 season): School Wins Next Game 1. Memphis 163 Jan. 24 2. North Carolina 159 Jan. 28 3. Duke 157 Jan. 24 4. Kansas 156 Jan. 24 5. Florida 152 Jan. 25 6­. Pittsburgh 149 Jan. 25 T7. ILLINOIS 144 Jan. 24 T7. Texas 144 Jan. 24 T9. Wisconsin 142 Jan. 24 T9. Gonzaga 142 Jan. 22