Illinois (13-7, 3-4 B1G)
- The Illini come into tomorrow’s game following a solid win over Purdue on Wednesday night, winning 66-57. Senior Nnanna Egwu etched his name into the record book that night as he passed former Illini player Deon Thomas to become the all-time leader in blocks in U of I history with 179.
Minnesota ( 12-8, 1-6 B1G)
- Minnesota hosts Illinois on Saturday afternoon, starting a stretch of three of the next four games at home. The Gophers earned their first Big Ten win last Saturday at home, defeating Rutgers 89-80 but fell at Nebraska 52-49 on Tuesday in Lincoln.
Last time these two teams met:
Illinois 62, Minnesota 49 (Feb. 19, 2014 at Minneapolis)
Illinois continued its success in Minneapolis, winning for the 11th time in its last 13 visits to Williams Arena with a 13-point victory over the Gophers. The Illini survived a slow start in which they found themselves trailing 14-3 after eight minutes of play. UI climbed to within one and trailed by three at intermission.
The game’s critical run came early in the second half. Trailing 35-34 with 15 minutes remaining, the Illini scored 12 unanswered points to take a 46-35 lead at the eight-minute mark. Kendrick Nunn accounted for eight points during the 12-0 spree, scoring on consecutive three-pointers and finishing the run with a steal and breakaway dunk. The Gophers later drew within six, but Egwu hit a jumper on the following possession to push it back to eight, and Tracy Abrams closed out the game with a layup followed by 8-for-8 shooting from the free throw line.
Players to watch:
Illinois-
Ryan Schmidt- Schmidt joined the Illini basketball team as a player on January 23, 2015. Schmidt served as an on-court manager for the past four years, and he officially joined the roster on Friday. He is practicing with the team and will travel with the team for the game. John Groce said that Schmidt will be dressed in uniform, and if all goes well, we might see him play. Schmidt played high school basketball at Bloomington Central Catholic High School in Bloomington, Illinois, and he was named the team’s MVP in 2011.
Kendrick Nunn- Nunn has been the Illini’s leading scorer in three of the last four games, averaging 18.8 points (75 total). Nunn has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, averaging 15.3 points (92). Nunn has increased his scoring average to 10.6 points (third on team) after averaging 6.2 points as a freshman. Nunn is currently shooting 43.6 percent from three-point range (sixth in Big Ten) after shooting 38.8 percent from behind the arc last season.
Minnesota-
Andre Hollins- Hollins broke out for 31 points in the win over the Scarlet Knights, tying a career-high with seven three-pointers. It is his second-highest career scoring game (41 vs. Memphis) and the highest in B1G play. He followed it up Wednesday with his second career double-double (21 pts., 11 reb.). He is the only Gopher with over 1,500 career points and 300 career assists.