Illinois vs. Arkansas: Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase Preview and Insights
Probable Starters
Table of Contents
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G | 32 | Kasparas Jakucionis | 6-6 | 205 | Fr. | 12.0 | 6.0 | 6.3 | NCAA’s No. 2-ranked freshman in assists/game |
| G | 4 | Kylan Boswell | 6-2 | 205 | Jr. | 8.0 | 3.3 | 3.2 | Season-high 17 points/7 rebounds vs. #8 Alabama |
| G | 22 | Tre White | 6-7 | 210 | Jr. | 8.8 | 6.0 | 0.8 | Season-high 16 points vs. Little Rock |
| F | 3 | Ben Humrichous | 6-9 | 225 | Gr. | 10.3 | 3.5 | 1.2 | .395 3FG%, sixth in the Big Ten |
| C | 13 | Tomislav Ivisic | 7-1 | 255 | So. | 15.5 | 8.7 | 1.2 | 3 double-doubles, 9th in NCAA / 1st in Big Ten |
Off the Bench
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| F | 0 | Carey Booth | 6-10 | 215 | So. | 2.7 | 1.7 | 0.2 | Four of five field goals are 3-pointers |
| G | 2 | Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn | 6-1 | 185 | So. | 7.7 | 2.3 | 0.2 | Career-high 21 points vs EIU |
| G | 5 | AJ Redd | 6-3 | 170 | Jr. | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | Former team manager turned walk-on |
| F | 7 | Will Riley | 6-8 | 195 | Fr. | 17.2 | 5.3 | 1.8 | No. 7 freshman scorer in the NCAA (2nd in B1G) |
| F | 15 | Jake Davis | 6-6 | 205 | So. | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | Season-high 4 rebounds vs. UMES |
| F | 21 | Morez Johnson Jr. | 6-9 | 255 | Fr. | 5.3 | 7.8 | 0.2 | 1st double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) vs. UMES |
| G | 24 | Keaton Kutcher | 6-2 | 195 | r-Jr. | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | Scored first Illinois points vs. SIUE |
Head Coach
Brad Underwood
Career Record: 257-116
At Illinois: 148-89
Big Ten: 80-58
Series History vs. Arkansas
All-Time Record: Illinois leads 5-1
Record at Neutral Sites: Illinois leads 4-1
Last Meeting: Arkansas 73, Illinois 63 (3/16/2023, NCAA Tournament Round 1)
Opening Tips
- Illinois (5-1) plays No. 19 Arkansas (5-1) at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on Thanksgiving Day (3 p.m. CT/CBS).
- The Illini recently recorded two significant wins: 87-40 against UMES and 92-34 against Little Rock.
- Monday’s victory was the 148th for Underwood at Illinois, placing him fifth on the program’s all-time coaching wins list.
- This season, Illinois returns only one rotation player (Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn) from last year.
- Newcomers account for 90.1% of the team’s scoring (484 of 534 total points), with freshmen contributing 38.7% (207 points).
- Illinois leads the Big Ten in multiple categories, including scoring margin (+30.2), 3-point attempts per game (34.3), total rebounds per game (50.2), and rebound margin (+17.3).
- According to KenPom.com, Illinois ranks 21st in adjusted efficiency rating and 17th in defensive efficiency.
- Illinois is ranked sixth in the Big Ten with a 69-31 conference record over the last five seasons.
- Illinois is currently outside the top 25 of the AP poll, previously ranked No. 25.
Illinois-Arkansas Connections
- Tomislav Ivisic of Illinois is the twin brother of Zvonimir Ivisic of Arkansas.
- Orlando Antigua recruited both Tomislav and Zvonimir during his coaching positions.
- Chin Coleman, associate head coach for Arkansas, previously worked on Underwood’s staff at Illinois.
Illinois-Arkansas Series
- Illinois holds a 5-1 record against Arkansas, with most recent victory by Arkansas in 2023 NCAA Tournament.
- Illinois is 4-1 in encounters on neutral floors since 2001.
- Brad Underwood is 1-1 against Arkansas, including earlier victory as head coach at Oklahoma State.
Illini on Thanksgiving
- This is the sixth Thanksgiving Day game for the Illini, with a record of 4-1.
- Past Thanksgiving day games include wins over Wichita State, Penn, and Indiana State.
K.C. Connections
- Brad Underwood grew up in McPherson, Kansas, and has many ties to Kansas City.
- He has previously coached games at T-Mobile Center and attended many events there.
- Underwood plans to attend a Chiefs game after their matchup in Kansas City.
Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)