Lindenwood @ Illinois preview
State Farm Center
Illinois looks to build off one of its most explosive performances in recent memory when it hosts Lindenwood on Tuesday. The Fighting Illini routed Hampton 120-71 on Saturday to register their most points in a single game since scoring 121 against Chicago State in 1993, and hope to continue their upward trajectory by extending their home winning streak to five games.
"We're all feeling a little bit better about what we're trying to do on the offensive end," Illinois coach Brad Underwood told reporters. "You don't ever plan on having that kind of night, but it goes to show you when you attack the front of the rim there's a lot of easy opportunities there." The Fighting Illini have won their last three games by an average margin of 30 points, and aim for another resounding victory in their first meeting with Division II outfit Lindenwood. Illinois has won 24 of its last 27 non-conference home games and hopes to take care of business against the Lions with a challenging three-game stretch against Miami, No. 8 Maryland and Michigan on deck. Lindenwood suffered its first loss of the season after dropping an 81-73 decision to Bellarmine University on Wednesday and hopes to bounce back by knocking off a Big Ten opponent for the first time in program history.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, No TV
ABOUT LINDENWOOD (3-1): TJ Crockett scored a team-high 23 points to go along with three steals against Bellarmine to register his fourth straight game with 20 or more points. Cameron Scales went 6-of-9 from 3-point range en route to a career-high 20 points while Vijay Blackmon added 11 points and three assists against the Knights, who are the third-ranked team in Division II. "I'm really proud of our guys and our effort against one of the top teams in the nation," Lindenwood coach Kyle Gerdeman told reporters. "I think this was a great learning experience for our team."
ABOUT ILLINOIS (5-1): Kofi Cockburn scored 20 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in the win against Hampton to become the fifth Division I freshman since 2010-11 to register five double-doubles in his first six games. Ayo Dosunmu added 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting while Andres Feliz produced 19 points and five assists to help the Fighting Illini record their largest margin of victory since 2014. Alan Griffin tallied a career-high 19 points and grabbed six rebounds while Giorgi Bezhanishvili finished with 14 points and five boards, as Illinois shot 64.3 percent from the field, which was its highest percentage since 2011.
TIP-INS
1. Cockburn is tied with DePaul's Paul Reed for the most double-doubles in the country.
2. Dosunmu has scored 20 or more points nine times in his career.
3. Illinois has outrebounded its opponents 275-164 this season.
PREDICTION: Illinois 95, Lindenwood 60