| Illinois Probable Starters (2022-23 stats listed) | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G/F | 20 | Ty Rodgers | 6-6 | 210 | So. | 3.3 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 51.6 FG% (48-93) |
| G | 0 | Terrence Shannon Jr. | 6-6 | 225 | 5th | 17.2 | 4.6 | 2.8 | Unanimous Preseason All-B1G |
| G/F | 3 | Marcus Domask | 6-6 | 215 | Gr. | 16.7 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 1,615 career points at SIU |
| G/F | 10 | Luke Goode | 6-7 | 205 | Jr. | 4.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 42.1% 3FG (8-19) |
| F | 33 | Coleman Hawkins | 6-10 | 230 | Sr. | 9.9 | 6.3 | 3.0 | Karl Malone Award Watch List |
| Off the Bench (2022-23 stats listed) | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G | 1 | Sencire Harris | 6-4 | 170 | So. | 3.7 | 2.1 | 0.9 | Third on UI in steals (27) |
| G | 2 | Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn | 6-1 | 185 | Fr. | – | – | – | 15 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast vs. Ottawa |
| G | 4 | Justin Harmon | 6-4 | 200 | Gr. | 14.0 | 3.8 | 2.9 | Utah Valley leading scorer last year |
| G | 5 | AJ Redd | 6-3 | 170 | So. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Former team manager |
| G | 11 | Niccolo Moretti | 6-1 | 170 | r-Fr. | – | – | – | Joined UI mid-season last year |
| G/F | 13 | Quincy Guerrier | 6-8 | 230 | Gr. | 9.0 | 4.6 | 1.0 | 1,280 career pts at Syracuse & Oregon |
| G | 22 | Keaton Kutcher | 6-2 | 200 | Jr. | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.3 | Transfer from South Dakota |
| G | 25 | Max Williams | 6-2 | 200 | Sr. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Transfer from DePaul |
| F | 35 | Amani Hansberry | 6-8 | 240 | Fr. | – | – | – | 14 pts, 12 reb vs. Ottawa |
| F/C | 42 | Dain Dainja | 6-9 | 255 | r-Jr. | 9.5 | 5.5 | 0.5 | 63.6% FG (131-206) |
Head Coach Brad Underwood
Career Record: 223-106 (.678), 11th year
At Illinois: 114-79 (.591), 7th year
Big Ten: 66-52 (.559)
Series History
All-Time Record vs. Kansas: Tied 3-3
Record in Champaign: 0-0
Last Meeting: #2 Kansas 73, Illinois 59 (2011 NCAA Round of 32, Tulsa, Okla.)
Preview
No. 25 Illinois will host No. 1 Kansas in the Maui Strong Relief Matchup on Sunday at 5 p.m. at State Farm Center.
All proceeds raised from this charity exhibition game will be donated to the Hawai’i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund, providing financial resources to the relief efforts from the devastating Maui wildfires.
Tickets for this event are still available, starting at just $40, and can be purchased online at FightingIllini.com.
Sunday will mark Kansas Coach Bill Self’s return to Champaign, where he led the Fighting Illini program for three seasons (2001, 2002, 2003). While at Illinois, Self won two Big Ten regular season titles, a Big Ten Tournament crown, and advanced to the 2001 NCAA Elite Eight.
Last Time Out | Box Score
No. 25 Illinois defeated Ottawa (Kan.) 116-65 in an exhibition game at State Farm Center on Oct. 20.
Underwood distributed the minutes evenly throughout the roster, with all 15 Illini playing, including 12 players logging double-digit minutes, and 14 entering the scoring column.
Returners Luke Goode, Coleman Hawkins, Ty Rodgers, and Terrence Shannon Jr. all featured in the starting lineup, while newcomer Marcus Domask rounded out the group with his first start with the Orange and Blue.
Seven different scorers registered double-digit points, led by a game-high 18 from Shannon.
Freshmen Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Amani Hansberry both finished in double figures. Gibbs-Lawhorn totaled 15 points while shooting 60%, while Hansberry tallied a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.
Goode knocked down three triples and notched 11 points, while newcomer Justin Harmon finished his Illinois debut with 11 points. Quincy Guerrier and Hawkins both ended their outings with 10 points.
Domask recorded eight points while knocking down two 3-pointers, grabbing four offensive boards, and dishing out a game-high six assists.
‘Now or Never’: Shannon, Hawkins Gear up for Last Dance at Illinois
Now or never. Now or never. Now or never.
Those three words would not leave Coleman Hawkins’ mind. Locked in on pursuing his dreams and taking his game to the next level, Hawkins submitted his name into the 2023 NBA Draft with the intention of hearing his name called on draft night and becoming a professional basketball player…continue reading