Michigan
Illinois
Wolverines to Host No. 15 Illinois in Sunday Afternoon Tilt
2/25/2022 2:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» With four games left in the 2021-22 regular season, Michigan hosts No. 15 Illinois in a Sunday afternoon CBS battle at Crisler Center.
» The game is the second meeting of the regular season between the two programs. Illinois won the first battle, back in mid-January, by a 68-52 score at the State Farm Center.
» Sunday's game will represent the second contest of a four-game home stand for the Wolverines.
» Eli Brooks has had six straight games in double-figure scoring and ranks second on U-M with 12.4 points per game.
NEXT GAME
Sunday, Feb. 27 -- vs. No. 15 Illinois (Crisler Center), 2 p.m.
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Note: Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the University of Michigan has instituted a proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative-test protocol for indoor athletic events. Face masks continue to be required and must be worn during all home indoor athletic events. [ U-M Vaccination Policy ]
Continuing a four-game home stand at Crisler Center, the University of Michigan men's basketball team will host No. 15 Illinois on Sunday (Feb. 27). Tipoff is scheduled for a 2 p.m. with the game broadcast on the CBS with Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery (analyst) on the call.
The Scene Setter
• Sunday's game represents the second meeting between Michigan and Illinois this season. The Maize and Blue lost the first meeting on Jan. 14 at the State Farm Center, 68-53, in a game played without Hunter Dickinson and Brandon Johns Jr. due to after effects from COVID-19.
• Michigan is in the midst of a four-game home stand, which started with a 71-62 win over Rutgers (Feb. 23). It continues with No. 15 Illinois (Feb. 27), Michigan State (March 1) and No. 25 Iowa (March 3). All are Quad 1 opponents.
• Associate head coach Phil Martelli continues to serve as the head coach for the Wolverines, while Juwan Howard continues his suspension.
• Hunter Dickinson, who missed the last Illinois game due to COVID-19 after effects, continues to lead U-M with 18.0 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game.
• Dickinson remains perfect in February from the free throw line, going 27-for-27. He is 81.8% (63-for-77) from the charity stripe on the season.
• After draining five three-pointers against Rutgers (Feb. 23), Caleb Houstan has retaken the team lead with 47. Those five triples against the Scarlet Knights helped him to a career-best 21 points, and when the freshman scores in double figures, U-M is 10-3.
•The experience of DeVante' Jones has played a big role for the Wolverines down the stretch. Over his last six games, he is averaging 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.
• Eli Brooks has had six straight games in double-figure scoring and ranks second on U-M with 12.4 points per game.
Moving Up to One of the Strongest Schedules
• U-M plays one of the nation's strongest schedules: NCAA Net (7th); KenPom (5th); Sagarin (2nd); and ESPN BPI (6th).
• The Wolverines have played 14 away games, going 6-8 in that span. Adding in a preseason scrimmage at DePaul and an exhibition at Wayne State, U-M has had 16 total road trips this season.
• Michigan has a 9-3 home record on the season and has not played more than two straight games at Crisler.
• In U-M's closing four games, all four are return games, three are versus Quad 1 opponents and three are ranked in the top 25 in the nation -- No. 15 Illinois (14), Michigan State (36), No. 25 Iowa (19) and at No. 22 Ohio State (17).
The No. 15 Illinois Fighting Illini
• No. 15 Illinois (19-8, 12-5 B1G) comes to Ann Arbor having lost three of its last five games, while still being in the hunt for the Big Ten regular season title.
• The Illini are a game behind No. 4 Purdue and No. 13 Wisconsin, who both have Big Ten records of 13-4. Illinois closes the regular season with a game at U-M (Feb. 27) before returning home for matchups with Penn State (March 3) and No. 25 Iowa (March 6).
• Two of the Illini's three Big Ten losses have come on the road at No. 3 Purdue (L, 84-68; Feb. 8) and Rutgers (L, 70-59; Feb. 16), with the third against No. 22 Ohio State (L, 86-83; Feb. 24) at home.
• Illinois averages 76.3 points and 39.3 rebounds (tops in Big Ten and 19th nationally) and shoots 45.6 percent from the field.
• Illinois is led by Big Ten and National Player of the Year candidate Kofi Cockburn, who averages 21.2 points (2nd in Big Ten, 7th nationally) and 10.8 rebounds (6th nationally) per game. He has scored in double figures 22 times this year, with 12 games of 20-plus points and two 30-plus efforts, and has 14 double-doubles on the season.
• Super senior Alfonso Plummer has used his Big Ten best 82 three-pointers, including eight triples against Ohio State earlier this week, to average 15.1 points per game. With 18 double-figure games, he has nine 20-plus point efforts including a season-high 30 against Texas-Rio Grande (Nov. 26). He is 63-for-71 (88.7 percent) from the free throw line.
• Fellow super senior Trent Frazier adds 12.4 points per contest with 55 three-pointers, 100 assists (4.0 apg) and a team-best 34 steals (1.4 spg). Senior Jacob Grandison averages 10.6 points and has knocked down 53 threes of his own.
• Illinois has captured 17 Big Ten regular season titles and received an invite to the NCAA Tournament 31 times. The Illini have made five Final Four appearances.
Earlier at Illinois
• Despite a gritty effort, playing for the first time in 10 days and missing two key players, Michigan fell, 68-53, to No. 25 Illinois (Jan. 24) at State Farm Center.
• U-M played without leading scorer Hunter Dickinson and Brandon Johns Jr. due to medical reasons.
• After being held scoreless at Rutgers the game before (Jan. 4), DeVante' Jones bounced back and led the team with 17 points, which tied his season-high, along with six rebounds and three steals.
• Filling in for Dickinson down low, Moussa Diabate had nine points and six rebounds despite battling foul trouble. Eli Brooks had seven points, while Kobe Bufkin chipped in six off the bench.
Up Next
Tuesday, March 1 -- vs. Michigan State (Crisler Center), 8:30 p.m. (TV: FS1) | Tickets
