Wolverines to Return to Action With Matchup at No. 25 Illinois

» After two games postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, Michigan returns to play Friday (Jan. 14) at No. 25 Illinois.
» Illinois is atop the Big Ten (5-0) and is on a five-game winning streak.
» Hunter Dickinson leads U-M in scoring (16.1) and rebounding (8.0).
» DeVante' Jones has made seven of his 11 three-pointers over his last three games.

• Complete Game Notes (PDF)

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The University of Michigan men's basketball team (7-6, 1-1 Big Ten) returns to action after its last two games were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Wolverine program. U-M heads to No. 25 Illinois (12-3, 5-0 Big Ten) and the State Farm Center on Friday (Jan. 14). Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST (9 p.m. EST) on FS1 with Joe Davis (play-by-play) and Jim Jackson (analyst) on the call remotely.

The Scene Setter

• Michigan had its last two home games postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within its program.

• U-M was scheduled to face No. 10 Michigan State (Jan. 8) and No. 7 Purdue (Jan. 11), however, the Wolverines did not have enough scholarship players to meet the Big Ten's requirement of seven. The conference is working to reschedule both games.

• U-M's game at Illinois will be the Wolverines' eighth away from Ann Arbor.

• Michigan faces its first nationally ranked opponent at No. 25 Illinois.

• A victory for U-M would give Juwan Howard his 50th win and would be the fastest a U-M coach reached the milestone (73 games).

Breaking Down the Wolverines

• For a second straight season, Hunter Dickinson is leading Michigan in scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.0). Last season as a freshman, he led U-M with 14.1 points (first frosh since 2018-19; Ignas Brazdeikis) and 7.4 rebounds (first frosh since 2012-13; Mitch McGary).

• Dickinson has 11 double-figure scoring games with a team-best four 20+ point games, including a season-best 27 in the season opener against Buffalo (Nov. 10).

• Hunter Dickinson has a team-best six games of 10+ rebounds, which has led to a team-best five double-doubles.

• In 28 games last season, Dickinson had 25 total assists. Through 13 games, he has matched that total, including a career-best-tying four against Seton Hall (Nov. 16). He has six games of 3+ assists.

• Hunter Dickinson has posted a team-best four games with 10+ field goals and is shooting 59.1 percent from the field. He had 11 (vs. Buffalo), 10 (vs. San Diego State), 11 (vs. Southern Utah) and 10 (at Rutgers).

• Eli Brooks is second on the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game, posting double figures in 12 of 13 games.

• DeVante' Jones has made seven of his 11 three-pointers over his last three games.

• Eli Brooks (24), Caleb Houstan (20) and DeVante' Jones (11) have accounted for 55 of U-M's 87 three-pointers (63 percent).

• Caleb Houstan (4.5 rpg) has grabbed 44 of his 59 rebounds over his last seven games.

• This season, Eli Brooks has gone 24-for-27 (88.9 percent) from the free-throw line. He is 64-for-71 (90.1 percent) over over his last two seasons, and for his career he is shooting 80.8 percent (110-for-136).

• Right behind Brooks from free throw line is Caleb Houstan, who is 24-for-30 (80 percent) .

• DeVante' Jones leads U-M with 50 assists (3.8 apg). He had a season-best eight assists at Nebraska (Dec. 7) and versus UNLV (Nov. 19) at the Roman Main Event in Las Vegas, and has five games of 5+ assists.

• Moussa Diabate, who is second on the team with 6.1 boards per game, has nine games of 5+ rebounds -- including his last four, which included his first 10+ board game (13 against Minnesota on Dec. 11).

• Hunter Dickinson (13) and Moussa Diabate (10) have 23 of Michigan's 39 blocks (59 percent).

The Illinois Fighting Illini

• Currently on a five-game winning streak, Big Ten-leading Illinois hosts Michigan with a 12-3 overall record and an undefeated 5-0 conference mark. During their win streak, the Illini have won three road games -- vs. Missouri (88-63), at Minnesota (76-53) and at Nebraska (81-71). Illinois holds a 7-1 home record with a 5-2 mark on the road.

• Illinois averages 80.5 points (24th nationally) and 43.7 rebounds (second nationally).

• Illinois is led by junior and Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Kofi Cockburn, who averages 22.0 points (fifth nationally) and 12.5 rebounds (third nationally) per game. He has 10 double-doubles (fourth nationally) in his 12 starts, including his last eight games. He is shooting 60.1 percent from the field and has 13 blocks.

• Super senior and Utah transfer Alfonso Plummer has used his Big Ten- and team-best 45 three-pointers to average 15.9 points per game. With 10 double-figure games, Plummer has a team-best seven 20+ point games, with a season-high 30 against Texas-Rio Grande. He has missed one free throw this season (42-for-43, .977).

• Fellow super senior Trent Frazier adds 12.8 points, in part due to 33 three-pointers, and 40 assists (3.1 apg) and a team-best 20 steals (1.4 spg). After transferring from Holy Cross, senior Jacob Grandison has posted 12.1 points, including 31 three-pointers. Super senior Da'Monte Williams has averaged 7.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and a team-best 3.2 assists.

• Head coach Brad Underwood guided Illinois to a No. 3 AP Top-25 ranking and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season. It was the team's first tournament appearance since 2013 and the first time the Fighting Illini ended the season ranked in the Top 20 by the AP since 2006. Underwood carries a 192-85 career record and an 83-58 record in Champaign during nine years on the sidelines -- Stephen F. Austin (three years), Oklahoma State (one year) and Illinois (five years).

• Illinois has captured 17 Big Ten titles and received an invite to the NCAA Tournament 31 times, in which they made five Final Four appearances.

The Michigan-Illinois Series

• Michigan and Illinois have played 175 games, with the Wolverines trailing 90-85.

• U-M has a 28-58 record in Champaign, but the Wolverines have won five of their last eight at the State Farm Center.

• U-M had eight games (4-4) vacated due to NCAA Sanctions -- giving U-M an NCAA recognized 81-85 record.

• There have been 32 games decided by fewer than three points, with U-M leading 18-14 in those games. The last narrow-margin game (Jan. 25, 2020), U-M lost 64-62 to Illinois after Ayo Dosunmu made a free-throw line jumper as time expired at Crisler Center.

• There have been 10 games decided by one-point, with U-M leading 7-3. In the last one-point game (March 14, 2014), U-M won 64-63 at the Big Ten Tournament when Jordan Morgan made a layup as time expired after an Illinois miss.

• There have been nine overtime games, with U-M leading 5-4 -- including the longest game in U-M history, four-overtime loss (75-66; Jan. 28, 1984) in Champaign. In the last overtime game (Feb. 12, 2015), Illinois won 64-52 at Assembly Hall.

• Longest U-M win streak: nine games (Jan. 18, 1992 to Jan. 9, 1996).
• Longest U-M losing streak: 11 games (Feb. 9, 2000 to Jan. 14, 2006)
• Largest U-M win: 31 points (84-53) at Illinois on March 4, 2014
• Largest U-M loss: 30 points (twice) -- at U-M (92-62; Feb. 9, 1953) and at Illinois (96-66; Dec. 15, 1952)
• Most U-M points: 107 (Feb. 23, 1978; W, 107-93 in Ann Arbor)
• Most Illinois points: 100 (Feb. 22, 1969; W, 100-92 in Champaign)
• 10+ point victories: 31 | 10+ point losses: 46
• Series points: U-M: 10,644 (60.8) | Illinois: 10,925 (62.4)

Up Next

Tuesday, Jan. 18 -- vs. Maryland (Crisler Center), 7 p.m.