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Purdue and Illinois meet for the first time this season after the Illini swept the two-game series last season, including a blowout at the State Farm Center in which the Boilermakers scored just 37 points and set a school record for futility from the field. Purdue's looking for its first road win of the season and second victory over a top-25 foe. Illinois is one of the Big Ten's clear frontrunners, but dropped its first marquee conference game of the season when it lost at Rutgers.

Schedule | Statistics | Roster

The Boilermakers are 2-2 in the Big Ten, 0-2 on the road, finishing up a grueling opening-season stretch that brought three roads games against three of the Big Ten's best teams right off the bat. Purdue's looking for considerable defensive improvement following Tuesday night's loss at No. 14 Rutgers.

C — 50 TREVION WILLIAMS (6-10, 265, Junior)

14.1 PPG • 9.7 RPG • 2.5 APG • 52.3% FG

Coming off an excellent game at Rutgers, Williams now locks horns with Kofi Cockburn, intent to embrace the physical nature of the matchup, keep Cockburn off the offensive glass and make him work on defense. Purdue did not match up great last season with the Illinois glacier but hopes this is a new year in more ways than one.

F — 0 MASON GILLIS (6-6, 230, Redshirt Freshman)

5.5 PPG • 3.4 RPG • 51.1% FG • 36% 3-PT (9-25)

Gillis' toughness, tenacity and IQ have been a really nice combination for Purdue, to the point where he's impacting games without scoring all that much. Some defensive challenges are inevitable at Illinois when they have four guards on the floor, but he'll also be the Boilermakers' chief post doubler.

G — 55 SASHA STEFANOVIC (6-5, 200, Junior)

11.5 PPG • 3.1 RPG • 3.0 APG • 50% 3-PT (31-62)

Stefanovic carried a bit of a rep last season for not shooting well on the road, even though he fared OK later in the season, but he's now 9-of-18 from three in Purdue's last three games away from Mackey Arena and doing more offensively off the dribble than he ever has before. He's already shot more free throws this season than he did all of last season and has been good for a drive-and-dish assist or two per game, it seems like.

G — 2 ERIC HUNTER JR. (6-4, 170, Junior)

12.3 PPG • 32.4% 3-PT (11-34) • 3.3 APG • 1.1 STL

Looking to rebound from a difficult game at Rutgers, Hunter will want to bounce back offensively, but will also have to lead the defensive charge against a pair of really formidable guys in star Ayo Dosunmo and budding standout Andre Curbelo.

G — 5 BRANDON NEWMAN (6-5, 195, Redshirt Freshman)

9.5 PPG • 3.5 RPG • 41.3% 3-PT (19-46)

Also coming off a quiet game at Rutgers, following an excellent game vs. Maryland, Newman might be experiencing some of the natural ups and downs of being young in the Big Ten.

C — 15 ZACH EDEY (7-4, 285, Freshman)

9.3 PPG • 4.1 RPG • 63.8% FG

Cockburn will represent the biggest physical test of the season for the freshman big man.

G — 11 ISAIAH THOMPSON (6-1, 160, Sophomore)

6.2 PPG • 43.3% 3-PT (13-30)

Thompson changed the game for Purdue at Rutgers with his run of scoring. Purdue will hope that's the start of a trend, but Thompson can also make gains defensively as part of the Boilermakers' overall need in that area.

G — 25 ETHAN MORTON (6-6, 215, Freshman)

Matt Painter says he wants to get Morton on the floor more and that he intends to every game, but Purdue has a lot of healthy guards right now, so that makes things difficult, as do the combinations Morton winds up with when he is in the game.

F — 1 AARON WHEELER (6-9, 205, Junior)

4.1 PPG • 5.4 RPG

Wheeler's rebounded well this season and has helped defensively when he's had to go in at the 5, but consistency in all other areas has been fleeting.

G — 23 JADEN IVEY (6-4, 200, Freshman)

6.5 PPG

Ivey's done some really positive things the past few games, but his jumper didn't fall at Rutgers. Good things seem to happen when he attacks off the dribble, though.

C — 4 EMMANUEL DOWUONA (6-10, 245, Sophomore)

Dowuona will take some time to work his way back into shape after missing the whole preseason due to respiratory issues.

Schedule | Statistics | Roster

Tabbed as the Big Ten frontrunner in the preseason, the Illini were ranked as high as fifth this season before dropping games to mighty Baylor, at Missouri and at Rutgers. ... Stocked with one of the most influential big men in college basketball, an elite guard and shooters all around them, Illinois is sixth nationally in offensive efficiency per KenPom, shooting 43 percent from three-point range as a team and averaging more than 87 points per game. ... Opponents are shooting only 30.2 percent vs. Illinois' defense. ... Illinois leads all Big Ten teams in rebounding margin and offensive and defensive rebounding. It's one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the country thus far, recouping nearly 36 percent of its misses.

C — 21 KOFI COCKBURN (7-0, 285, Sophomore)

17.2 PPG • 9.9 RPG • 65.7% FG • 1.2 BLK

The Big Ten's most impactful presence around the rim, Cockburn is a force on the offensive glass, a presence on defense and a handful to guard when he gets the ball deep in the post. Purdue's going to want to make him work on defense by posting him up on the interior and putting him in ball screens away from the basket.

G — 11 AYO DOSUNMO (6-5, 200, Junior)

24.1 PPG • 7.2 RPG • 5.2 AST • 52.4% FG • 44.4% 3-PT (16-36)

Luka Garza gets the most love for Big Ten Player-of-the-Year, but Dosunmo is going to have his say. He's been elite this season, the best and most well-rounded guard in the Big Ten and its most 'clutch' player. He is an absolute killer.

G — 1 TRENT FRAZIER (6-2, 175, Senior)

9.0 PPG • 40.9% 3-PT (18-44)

Frazier's lost some usage to some of the outstanding freshman guards Illinois has added, but he's a dangerous three-point shooter who torched Purdue last season in Mackey Arena.

G— 20 DA'MONTE WILLIAMS (6-3, 215, Senior)

6.6 PPG • 5.2 RPG • 66.7% FG • 69.6% 3-PT (16-23)

One of the Big Ten's top glue guys, Williams doesn't need to score much and doesn't try to. He's a solid defensive player and an offensive opportunist. In years past, he might have been the player opponents cheated off in order to crowd the post. Not this year. Williams has been practically automatic on open looks from three.

G — 44 ADAM MILLER (6-3, 180, Freshman)

8.8 PPG • 34% 3-PT (16-47)

The heralded freshman is just another offensive weapon for a team with a lot of them. He's a better shooter than his numbers.

G — 5 ANDRE CURBELO (6-1, 175, Freshman)

9.9 PPG • 4.4 AST • 52.2% FG

The dynamic young point guard has been one of the league's finest freshmen, a creative playmaker who plays really fast. He will test Purdue off the dribble, as will this whole Illinois team.

F — 15 GIORGI BEZHANISHVILI (6-9, 245, Junior)

7.1 PPG • 3.6 RPG • 2-2 3-PT

The well-established big man is coming off the bench, affording Illinois to go from four-guard lineups to bigger sets. Purdue was willing to let him shoot threes at times last season and he took advantage and made them.

G/F — 3 JACOB GRANDISON (6-6, 205, Senior)

2.6 PPG • 2.7 RPG

Illinois was an atrocious matchup for Purdue last season and is a better team now. This is the Boilermakers' chance to prove they can stack up better, but until they do, the greatest predictor of the future must be considered the past. Defensively, these may be the best guards Purdue sees all season, and it just saw really good ones at Rutgers. Purdue's not doing a great job guarding guards right now, so this is a big test.

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