Illini Close Regular Season on Senior Night vs. #18 Purdue
Men’s Basketball March 6, 2025
Career Record: 271-126 (.683), 12th year
At Illinois: 162-99 (.621), 8th year
Big Ten: 91-66 (.580)
All-Time Record / Streak: Purdue leads 107-90 / Purdue W-5
Last Meeting: #3 Purdue 77, #12 Illinois 71 (3/5/2024 in Champaign)
Record at Champaign / Streak: Illinois leads 59-38 / Purdue W-2
Underwood vs. Purdue: 3-7
Illinois plays its final regular season game on Friday, hosting #18 Purdue at sold-out State Farm Center (7 p.m. CT, FOX).
The Illini will honor two players and six managers in a pregame Senior Night ceremony.
With a win, Illinois would join Houston, Gonzaga and San Diego State as the only programs in the nation to record 20-win regular seasons in each of the last six years.
Friday’s matchup features the Big Ten’s two winningest programs over the last six seasons. Since the 2019-20 season, Illinois has compiled 80 victories in B1G play, one behind Purdue for the league lead during that span.
With 11 league wins, Illinois has secured a winning record in Big Ten play for the sixth consecutive season.
The Illini are the only Big Ten team to finish .500 or better in the league standings each of the last six seasons.
Illinois’ run of six straight seasons with at least 11 Big Ten wins is the program’s longest streak since doing so for seven years in a row from 2000 through 2006.
Illinois has secured a Round 1 bye in the 2025 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, with a possible seed range of 6, 7, or 8 entering the conference slate’s final weekend.
Illinois boasts the Big Ten’s highest scoring offense, averaging 83.6 points per game (11th in NCAA).
Illinois is 18-1 this season when scoring 80+ points, including 11-0 in Big Ten play
Illinois is one of the nation’s top rebounding teams, ranking second in the NCAA in total rebounds per game (42.9) and defensive rebounds per game (29.7), and eighth in rebound margin (+8.7 rpg).
Illinois has won 11 games by 20+ points this season. Six of those blowout wins have come against Big Ten opponents, including the team’s last two victories vs. Iowa (81-61) and at #15 Michigan (93-73).
Illinois’ six B1G wins by 20+ points are its most in the modern era, and the most since 1942-43 (7).
Illinois basketball will recognize two players and six senior managers at State Farm Center on Friday night in a pregame ceremony, approximately 25 minutes before tipoff (beginning at 6:35 p.m. CT).
Managers
Silas Gudina (Stickney, Ill.) is a two-year manager double majoring in finance & information systems.
Lawson Sizemore (Joliet, Ill.) is a two-year manager majoring in journalism.
Noah McElravy (Fairfield, Ill.) is a three-year manager majoring in kinesiology.
Tyler Olsen (Elmhurst, Ill.) is three-year manager majoring in special education.
Tommy Gikas (Lockport, Ill.) is a four-year manager majoring in agricultural finance.
Andrew Bittle (Harrisburg, Ill.) is a four-year manager majoring in business management
Players
Keaton Kutcher (Mount Vernon, Iowa) is in his second year at Illinois, joining the program after two seasons at South Dakota. He helped the Illini to a Big Ten Tournament Championship as a key member of the Illini’s scout team in 2023-24. This season he has played in 12 games, scoring his first Illinois points in a win over SIUE and knocking down his first 3-pointer as an Illini in the team’s victory over Chicago State. Kutcher is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communication.
Ben Humrichous (Tipton, Ind.) joined the Illini as a grad transfer, making an immediate impact as one of the top 3-point threats in the Big Ten. He is averaging 8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 35% from 3-point range. Humrichous has hit at least one 3-pointer in 26 of 30 games this season and his 58 total triples are first in the nation among power conference players 6-9 or taller. He has scored in double figures 10 times, led by a season-high 21 points in the Jan. 8 win over Penn State. Humrichous is working toward a master’s degree in recreation, sports, & tourism.
Illinois is No. 17 in the latest NCAA NET rankings, one of nine Big Ten teams in the top 40.
Illinois has seven Quad 1 wins, tied for 10th nationally and fourth in the B1G.
Illinois has played 16 Quad 1 games, tied for sixth in the NCAA and second in the B1G. The Purdue game is Illinois’ 17th Quad 1 game, which will move the Illini to third-most nationally.
Illinois has played a combined 24 Quad 1/2 games, which will grow to 25 vs. Purdue, most in the nation.
Illinois has a combined 13 Quad 1/2 wins, tied for 13th in the NCAA.
Illinois has only played a combined six Quad 3/4 games, tied for the fewest in the NCAA.
Every Illinois loss has been Quad 1 (9) or Quad 2 (2).
Illinois has navigated the majority of Big Ten play with numerous different lineups due to illness and injuries. After starting the same five from the season opener through Jan. 5 (11-3 record), Illinois has started seven different lineups since Jan. 8 (8-8 record).
Three different starters have combined to miss nine total games, while five players have combined for an additional 16 games with limited minutes due to illness/injury.
The Big Ten Tournament will be held March 12-16 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Illinois will open play in Thursday’s second round and enters the final weekend of the regular season with a seed range of 6, 7, or 8.
With an Illinois win over Purdue, Illinois would be the 6 seed with a UCLA loss to USC, or the 7 seed with a UCLA win.
With an Illinois loss to Purdue, Illinois would be the 7 seed with an Oregon loss to Washington, or the 8 seed with an Oregon win.
Illinois leads the Big Ten in five team statistical categories, with the following NCAA rankings: total rebounds per game (2nd in NCAA; 42.9), defensive rebounds per game (2nd; 29.7), 3-point attempts per game (4th; 30.3), scoring offense (11th; 83.6), and offensive rebounds per game (25th; 13.2).
Illinois is 18-1 on the season when scoring at least 80 points. The Illini’s 19 games with 80+ points are the most in the Big Ten, and tied for 10th nationally. Among teams with at least 15 80-point games, Illinois’ .947 win percentage ranks fifth in the nation behind Arkansas State at 18-0 (1.000), Duke at 18-0 (1.000), Auburn at 21-1 (.952), and Akron at 19-1 (.947).
The Illini secured their 12th home win of the season vs. Iowa (Feb. 25). It marks the team’s sixth straight season with at least 10 home wins at State Farm Center under Brad Underwood.
Since 2019-20, the Illini are 81-17 (.827) at State Farm Center, one win behind Purdue and Iowa for the most by a Big Ten team over the last six seasons behind. Nationally, the Illini’s 81 home wins rank tied for 20th, overall, and tied for 12th among teams that have played each of the last six seasons in a power conference.
Illinois is 7-7 away from State Farm Center this season, with a 5-5 mark in true road contests, and a 2-2 mark in neutral site games.
Illinois is 34-26 (.567) in Big Ten road games since the start of the 2019-20 season, the best mark in the league over the last six seasons. The Illini have finished .500 or better on the road in league play in five of the last six seasons.
Under Brad Underwood, Illinois has finished in the top 40 in KenPom adjusted efficiency for both offensive and defensive in four of the last six seasons. The Illini offense is currently No. 14 (121.8), while the team is 32nd on defense (97.4).
Illinois is No. 21 nationally in KenPom’s effective field goal percentage defense (.464), including a No. 11 ranking (first in the Big Ten) in 2-point defense (.454).
According to KenPom, the Illini rank No. 30 nationally, and sixth among Power Conference programs, with a 3-point attempt rate (3-point attempts/total field goal attempts) of 47.1%. Among major conference teams, Illinois ranks first nationally with five games of 15+ made 3-pointers.
Illinois is averaging a Big Ten-leading 83.6 points per game, just ahead of the pace of last year’s team that averaged 83.4 points per contest en route to a Big Ten Tournament Championship and Elite Eight run. The Illini are on pace for the program’s top team scoring average in 31 seasons since 1993-94 (84.0 ppg).
Illinois has won 11 games by 20+ points, with six coming against Big Ten Opponents, and four of those games coming on the road. The Illini defeated Eastern Illinois, 112-67 (+45); Oakland, 90-58 (+32); UMES, 87-40 (+47); and Little Rock, 92-34 (+58) all within the first month of the season. Illinois then defeated Chicago State, 117-64 (+53); recorded an historic 109-77 (+32) victory at No. 9 Oregon; earned a 91-52 (+39) home win over Penn State; rolled to a 94-69 (+25) victory at Indiana; posted 95-74 (+21) win at Minnesota; notched an 81-61 (+20) victory over Iowa, and rolled to a 93-73 (+20) road win at #15 Michigan.
Illinois is second nationally in rebounding at 42.9 boards per game, on pace for the program’s best average in 52 seasons (44.4 rpg in 1972-73). The Orange and Blue have outrebounded their opponent in 23 of 30 games this season, going 18-5 in those contests.
Illinois is 4-6 against Top-25 ranked teams this season with wins over No. 19 Arkansas, No. 20 Wisconsin, at No. 9 Oregon, and at No. 15 Michigan. The Illini’s four ranked wins are tied for 13th nationally.
Brad Underwood has led the Illini program to Top-25 rankings in seven consecutive seasons. Illinois has been ranked for a total of nine weeks this season and is receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25 and coaches poll. Illinois was ranked for seven consecutive weeks this season, and has reached as high as 13th.
Illinois has registered 80 wins in league play since the start of the 2019-20 season, one behind Purdue for the most in the conference over the last six seasons. When including the conference tournament, the Illini’s 86 wins over Big Ten teams during that time span also are one behind the Boilermakers.
The Illini won the 2024 Big Ten Tournament championship as the #2 seed, captured the regular season championship in 2022, and led the conference in wins while adding a B1G Tournament crown in 2021, and the team’s three total championships during that span are tied with Purdue for the most in the Big Ten.
Following the 2024 Elite Eight appearance and Big Ten Tournament Championship, Illinois has a dramatically different roster this season. The program returns just one rotation player – last year’s ninth-leading scorer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn – and returns just 2.9% of its minutes, 2.2% of its points, and 2.0% of its rebounds overall.
Newcomers to the Illini roster have accounted for 91.7% of the team’s scoring so far (2,299 of 2,507 total points), with UI freshmen accounting for 42.4% of those points (974).
Illinois’ top three scorers, and top three rebounders are all in their first year of collegiate basketball. Freshman G Kasparas Jakucionis ranks first in scoring (15.4 ppg) and third in rebounding (5.6 rpg). Sophomore C Tomislav Ivisic averages 12.6 points (second on team) and team-leading 7.7 rebounds. Freshman F Will Riley is the Illini’s No. 3 scorer at 11.9 points per game. And Freshman F Morez Johnson Jr. ranks second on the team at 6.6 rebounds per game with a team-leading 70 offensive boards (2.7 per game).
Eight different Illini players have recorded a 20-point game this season, tied for the top mark in the NCAA, and the most by any Big Ten program since at least 2004-05.
Three Illini scored 20+ points vs. Penn State – Ben Humrichous (21), Morez Johnson Jr. (20) and Tre White (20). It marked just the third time in the last 35 seasons that Illinois had a game featuring a trio of 20-point scorers.
Illinois’ 32-point road win over #9 Oregon was the largest margin of victory ever by a road team over an AP Top-10 opponent, and the largest road win in Illinois program history against any top-25 opponent.
In their 109-77 win at #9 Oregon, Illinois became the first Big Ten team since Feb. 9, 1989, to record 100+ points in a Top-10 road win (No. 10 Michigan defeated No. 8 Iowa, 108-107).
Illinois also posted a dominant 94-69 win at Indiana on Jan. 14. The 25-point margin of victory was the second-largest for a Hoosiers’ opponent in Assembly Hall history, while Illinois’ 94 points marked the most ever scored by a visiting team in a regulation game at Assembly Hall.
With the Illinois’ 93-73 road win at #15 Michigan (March 2) and the team’s 109-77 win at #9 Oregon (Jan. 2), Illinois became just the fourth program since 1950 with multiple 20+-point ranked road wins, joining 1997 Kentucky, 2004 Pitt, and 2007 North Carolina.
Kasparas Jakucionis
Kasparas Jakucionis has been named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List, a Top-10 candidate for the Jerry West Award, a unanimous selection to the five-player Freshman All-America Team by The Athletic, a Midseason All-America third team selection by The Sporting News, a John R. Wooden Award Late Midseason Watch List (top 20) selection, and a Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year Midseason Team selection.
Jakucionis has 10 20-point games this season, setting the Illini all-time record for 20-point games by a freshman previously held by Cory Bradford who had eight 20-point games as a redshirt freshman in 1998-99.
Jakucionis scored 20+ points in six straight games from Nov. 25-Dec. 22, shattering the Illini freshman record for consecutive 20-point games (previous record was two).
Jakucionis became the fourth Big Ten freshman since 1996-97 with at least six-straight 20-point games, and the first to do so since Indiana’s Eric Gordon had seven in a row in 2007.
Jakucionis has posted four game of 20+ points, 6+ rebounds and 5+ assists, tied for sixth nationally, and tied for first among freshmen with Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Howard’s Blake Harper. He trails only Colorado State fifth-year senior Nique Clifford (8), Northwestern senior Brooks Barnhizer (6), UAB senior Yaxel Lendeborg (6), Princeton junior Xavian Lee (5), and Purdue junior Braden Smith (5).
At 15.4 points per game, Jakucionis is on pace to become the third Illini freshman in program history to average more than 15.0 points per game, and is just shy of the program record for scoring average by a freshman. Kiwane Garris (15.9 in 1993-94), Cory Bradford (15.4 in 1998-99), and Deon Thomas (15.1 in 1990-91) rank 1-3 on that list.
All-time among Illinois freshmen, Jakucionis ranks second in free-throws made (117), fourth in double-doubles (4), fifth in total points (430), fifth in total assists (133), ninth in rebounds (158), and tied for ninth in field goals made (133). He is also on pace to finish first in free-throw percentage (.836), fourth in assists per game (4.8), and eighth in rebounds per game (5.6).
Jakucionis has earned two Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
Tomislav Ivisic
Tomislav Ivisic is the No. 7 rebounder in the Big Ten at 7.7 rebounds per game and ranks sixth in the league at 5.9 defensive rebounds per contest.
Ivisic has led the Illini rebounding effort in 12 of the 27 games in which he has played, the most on the team.
Ivisic, classified as sophomore in his first season of collegiate competition, has recorded nine double-doubles through 27 games, ranking fifth in the Big Ten, tied for 41st in the NCAA overall, and fourth among power conference underclassmen.
Ivisic, at 7-1, is one of the nation’s top 3-point shooting big men, and has connected on 40 3-pointers this season, third on the team behind Ben Humrichous (58) and Kasparas Jakucionis (47).
Nationally, Ivisic ranks as one of just four 7-footers with 30+ 3-pointers made this season, trailing only Stanford senior Maxime Raynaud (54), and his brother Zvonimir Ivisic (47) of Arkansas. Ivisic’s 40 triples rank third in that group, ahead of Pitt junior Guillermo Diaz Graham (35).
Ivisic has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 22 games this season, tied with Raynaud for the most games with a triple among 7-footers.
Kylan Boswell
Kylan Boswell has recorded 11 games in double-figures scoring with at least five rebounds, and has dished out at least four assists in seven of those contests. In the team’s most recent win at #15 Michigan on Sunday, he posted 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while adding a career-high two blocks.
Boswell recorded the seventh triple-double in Illinois history and fifth of the Underwood era against Chicago State (Dec. 29), tallying 18 points, career-high 10 rebounds, and career-high 10 assists.
Boswell scored in double-figures in 12 of 14 games for the Illini between the Dec. 10 vs. Wisconsin (19 points) and Feb. 2 vs. Ohio State (14), including a career-high 22 points in the Illini win at Indiana on Jan. 14. During that 14-game stretch, Boswell averaged 13.9 points (195), 6.3 rebounds (88), and 4.2 assists (59).
Boswell has recorded six games with 10+ points and 5+ assists, including three against Big Ten opponents.
Morez Johnson Jr.
Over his last 16 games, prior to breaking his wrist vs. Michigan State on Feb. 15, Morez Johnson Jr. averaged 8.9 points (142) and 6.8 rebounds (109), and made eight straight starts.
During that 16-game run, beginning with the Illini’s Braggin’ Rights win vs. Mizzou on Dec. 22, Johnson has recorded a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double in the win over Penn State (Jan. 8), a 15-point, nine-rebound effort in his second-career start vs. Northwestern on Jan. 26, and 14-point, a 15-rebound double-double in the team’s come-from-behind win over Ohio State on Feb. 2, and a 17-point, five-rebound effort vs. #11 Michigan State.
Johnson, at 6.6 rebounds per game, is just short of Deon Thomas (6.8 rpg in 1990-91) for the third-best freshman mark in Illini history. Kofi Cockburn set the record holds the record at 8.8 rpg as a freshman in 2019-20, and Efrem Winters posted an average of 6.9 rpg in 1982-83.
Prior to his injury, Johnson had recorded a team-leading 29 total blocks, tied for fourth in the Illini freshman record book with James Griffin (1978-79).
Will Riley
Will Riley enters the regular-season finale vs. Purdue on Friday having scored in double-figures in nine of his last 10 games. He is averaging 15.4 points, 4.8, and 3.3 assists per game during that span.
Riley opened his Illini career by breaking the program’s scoring record for a freshman debut with 31 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists in the team’s season-opening win vs. Eastern Illinois.
Riley has led the Fighting Illini in scoring seven times, all in a reserve role, providing a vital scoring threat off the bench. He scored in double-figures in seven straight games between Jan. 30 at Nebraska and Feb. 18 at #11 Wisconsin, averaging 17.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game during that run.
Riley posted an historic outing in the team’s win at Minnesota (Feb. 8), becoming the only freshman in the nation since at least 1996-97 to record a game with 27+ points, 9+ rebounds, and 7+ assists without a turnover.
Riley has made four starts on the season, the first two in place of an injured Kasparas Jakucionis on Jan. 8 vs. Penn State and Jan. 11 vs. USC, and has earned a starting nod in each of the Illini’s last two victories over Iowa on Feb. 25, and March 2 at #15 Michigan.
Riley has earned three B1G Freshman of the Week awards this season.
Tre White
After opening the year averaging 7.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in eight games, Tre White found a rhythm on the court for the Illini. Beginning with a 23-point, 8 rebound effort vs. #20 Wisconsin on Dec. 10, White averaged 12.1 points (157) and 6.2 rebounds (80) the team’s next 13 games, scoring in double figures seven times.
Against #3 Duke at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 22, White led the Illini with 16 points and added five rebounds. It marked his first game of the season as the Illini’s top scorer. He then scored 14 in the team’s win vs. Iowa Feb. 25. Most recently, White posted a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double (both team highs) in the Illini’s 93-73 win at #15 Michigan on March 2.
Over his last three games – vs. #3 Duke, vs. Iowa and at #15 Michigan – White is averaging 16.3 points and 6.0 rebounds, while shooting 62.9% (17-27) from the field and 60% (6-10) from 3-point range.
Ben Humrichous
Ben Humrichous leads the fighting Illini with 58 3-pointers on the season and has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 26 of 30 games.
Humrichous leads the team, averaging 1.93 triples per contest, 16th in the Big Ten (among players who have appeared in 75% of their team’s games).
Humrichous’ 58 3-pointer as an Illini have surpassed his total of 53 hit during the 2023-24 season for Evansville.
Since 1986-87 (3-point era), Humrichous is the 20th Big Ten player with listed 6-9 or taller to hit at least 50 3-pointers in a season. He is the third Illini to do so in as many seasons joining Matthew Mayer (67 in 2022-23) and Coleman Hawkins (59 in 2023-24).
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has continued to make a big impact for the Illini in his sophomore season. Over 14 games between Dec. 22 vs. Missouri and Feb. 5 vs. Rutgers, Gibbs-Lawhorn averaged 9.3 points (130) while shooting 50.5% (48-95) from the field.
Gibbs-Lawhorn made the first start two starts of his collegiate career vs. Ohio State (Feb. 2) and at Rutgers (Feb. 5). Against Ohio State, he was key to the Illini’s 87-79 come-from-behind victory, posting 10 points highlighted by a momentum-shifting steal and run-out dunk that capped a 12-2 run to pull the Illini to within one possession after OSU’s lead had reached 11 points.
Gibbs-Lawhorn has posted nine double-digit scoring games this season, eight of which have come since Dec. 29: 16 vs. Chicago State (Dec. 29), 11 at Oregon (Jan.2), 11 vs. USC (Jan. 11), 12 at Indiana (Jan. 14), 15 vs. Maryland (Jan. 23), 15 at Nebraska (Jan. 30), 10 vs. Ohio State (Feb. 2), and 17 at #11 Wisconsin (Feb. 18).
Jake Davis
Jake Davis leads the Illini shooting 36.1% (22-61) from 3-point range.
Davis has made an impact for the Illini off the bench since just before the New Year. After totaling just eight points and seven rebounds in his first his nine games as an Illini, Davis has averaged 4.5 points (86) and 1.9 rebounds (36) over his last 19 games since Dec. 29 vs. Chicago State.
Davis was vital to the Illini’s win at then-No. 9 Oregon on Jan. 2, posting a season-high 12 points and with three rebounds in the road win in Eugene.
03.06.25
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02.28.25
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PREVIEW
Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)
PLAYERS MENTIONED
HEAD COACH BRAD UNDERWOOD
SERIES HISTORY VS. PURDUE
OPENING TIPS
SENIOR NIGHT CELEBRATION
ILLINI NCAA TOURNAMENT RESUME
LOOKING AHEAD
ILLINI TEAM NOTABLES
ILLINI PLAYER NOTABLES
#33 COLEMAN HAWKINS
#2 DRA GIBBS-LAWHORN
#24 KEATON KUTCHER
#5 AJ REDD
#20 TY RODGERS
#31 JASON JAKSTYS
#21 MOREZ JOHNSON JR.
#15 JAKE DAVIS
#3 BEN HUMRICHOUS
#13 TOMISLAV IVISIC
#32 KASPARAS JAKUCIONIS
#0 CAREY BOOTH
RELATED VIDEOS
RELATED STORIES
| ILLINOIS (19-11, 11-8 B1G) vs. #18 Purdue (21-9, 13-6 B1G) | |
|---|---|
| Date | Time | Friday, March 7, 2025 | 7 p.m. CT |
| Location | Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center |
| Buy Tickets | Sold Out | Purchase on SeatGeek |
| TV | FOX (Jason Benetti & Bill Raftery) |
| Live Stream | FoxSports.com/live | Fox Sports App |
| Radio | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 380, SXM App 970 |
| National Radio | Compass Media Networks (Wayne Larrivee & Danny Green) | SiriusXM 382, SXM App 972 |
| Live Stats | Statbroadcast.com |
| Printable Notes | Illinois | Purdue |
| Pregame Press Conferences | Coach Underwood (March 6) |
| 2024-25 Stats | Illinois | Purdue |
| Record Book | Illinois |
| Shop | Online Store | Auctions |
| Social Media | @IlliniMBB  | #Illini | @IlliniMBB  | Facebook  | YouTube  |
| PROBABLE STARTERS (Based on previous game) | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G | 32 | Kasparas Jakucionis | 6-6 | 205 | Fr. | 15.4 | 5.6 | 4.8 | Illini freshman record 10 20-point games |
| G | 4 | Kylan Boswell | 6-2 | 205 | Jr. | 11.3 | 5.0 | 3.3 | 17 pts, 9 rebs, & 4 ast at #15 Michigan |
| F | 7 | Will Riley | 6-8 | 195 | Fr. | 11.9 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 15.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.3 apg over last 10 games |
| G | 22 | Tre White | 6-7 | 210 | Jr. | 10.0 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 16.3 ppg & 6.0 rpg over last 3 games |
| C | 13 | Tomislav Ivisic | 7-1 | 255 | So. | 12.6 | 7.7 | 2.2 | 9 double-doubles (4th in B1G) |
| OFF THE BENCH | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| F | 0 | Carey Booth | 6-10 | 215 | So. | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.0 | Six of nine field goals are 3-pointers |
| G | 2 | Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn | 6-1 | 185 | So. | 6.9 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 17 points & 5 assists at #11 Wisconsin |
| F | 3 | Ben Humrichous | 6-9 | 225 | Gr. | 8.3 | 3.9 | 1.0 | Team-leading 1.93 3-pointers per game |
| G | 5 | AJ Redd | 6-3 | 170 | Jr. | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | Former team manager turned walkon |
| F | 15 | Jake Davis | 6-6 | 205 | So. | 3.4 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 8 points (3-3 FGs, 2 3-pointers) at #15 Michigan |
| F | 21 | Morez Johnson Jr. | 6-9 | 255 | Fr. | 7.2 | 6.6 | 0.2 | 2.7 offensive rebounds/game (4th in B1G) |
| G | 24 | Keaton Kutcher | 6-2 | 195 | r-Jr. | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | First Illini 3-pointer vs. Chicago State |
| REDSHIRT (Averages from 2023-24 season) | |||||||||
| Pos. | No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG | APG | Note |
| G/F | 20 | Ty Rodgers | 6-6 | 210 | Jr. | 6.2 | 5.3 | 2.0 | Started all 38 games last season |
| F | 31 | Jason Jakstys | 6-10 | 210 | Fr. | — | — | — | Third-Team All-State |
How to Watch #18 Purdue (21-9, 13-6) at Illinois (19-11, 11-8) & Open Thread
FILED UNDER:
The final regular season home game is less than 24 hours away.
Purdue heads to Illinois with more than just a regular season win on the line, seeding in the Big Ten Tournament can change based on the impact of this game, and Purdue will also be heading to the Beefhouse on the way home but will it be to celebrate a victory or to drown their sorrows? Only time will tell. This is a dangerous Illinois team that has had some injury trouble and hasn’t lived up to their lofty preseason expectations.
Purdue is coming off a victory over Rutgers where they rained down three pointers on the visitors from New Jersey. They’ll be facing an Illinois team that is near the top of the nation three point attempts but shoots only 30% from deep. Which team makes their threes might be the deciding factor in the game.
Who: #18 Purdue (21-9, 13-6) vs. llinois (19-11, 11-8)
When: Friday, March 7, 2025 | 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT
Where: Champaign, Illinois | State Farm Center – Capacity – 15,500
TV: FOX (Jason Benetti, Robbie Hummel)
Radio: Purdue Global Radio Network (Rob Blackman, Bobby Riddell)
Join us tomorrow in the open thread as we talk about the final regular season home game.
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Illini MBB notebook: Preparing for ‘Stockton-like’ PG in Smith; Cast off for Johnson; Humrichous return?
PREPARING FOR ‘STOCKTON-LIKE’ PG IN PURDUE’S BRADEN SMITH
CHAMPAIGN — Braden Smith will walk into State Farm Center with some villain vibes after last season’s dagger three and an ensuing Steph Curry ‘night night’ gesture to the crowd.
Illinois trailed the third-ranked Boilers by three in the closing moments of last year’s March meeting, but Smith buried a triple with 19 seconds remaining to put the game on ice. The Illini’s cold streak in the series remains going into Friday night’s clash, as they’ve lost five straight to Purdue.
The junior Smith (3-0 vs. Illinois) is now a year older, while still sporting what looked to be a Connor McGregor-esque beard back at Big Ten Basketball Media Days in the fall when he was named the conference’s Preseason Player of the Year. He’s looked the part, as he’s averaged 16.3 points, 8.7 assists (2nd in the nation) and 4.5 rebounds per game this season, while shooting 45 percent from the field and 41 percent from three.
Purdue (21-9, 13-6) has taken an inevitable step back without Zach Edey, and last month, the Boilers went through the program’s first four-game losing streak in five seasons. However, Matt Painter’s squad has responded with a pair of double-digit wins over UCLA and Rutgers. They exploded with 18 threes in a 100-point effort on Tuesday against the Scarlet Knights.
“Obviously, a team that was picked to win the league or close coming off a Final Four season. Matt’s done just an incredible job of a lot of veterans, keeping that team together led by a guy who arguably could or will be the Player of the Year in Braden Smith,” Brad Underwood said on Thursday. “High-usage guy who shoots it extremely well. They’re coming in very hot. They made 18 threes in their last game. But a backcourt of he and Fletcher (Loyer) that proved to be one of the best in the Big Ten. (Trey) Kaufman-Renn is having a great, great year. Recipient of so many great, great passes from Braden in ball screens. And then, they’ve filled in very nicely with some other guys who are key role players. A team that can really shoot it. They’re great offensively. Matt’s teams always are.”
Purdue is eighth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency this season, according to KenPom. Interestingly enough, if you look over the last month, the Boilers are eighth nationally and the Illini are ninth. Both teams have been subpar defensively during that stretch, with Purdue at 123rd and Illinois at 127th.
The Illini have taken a step forward at the defensive end of late, first by limiting Iowa to 61 points and then containing Danny Wolf (9 points & 5 turnovers) and Michigan in Ann Arbor. Smith is a heck of a challenge, though. Over his last two outings, he’s gone 13-for-23 from three, while racking up 17 assists compared to just six turnovers.
“I think Braden’s seen just about every coverage you could see. That’s the advantage of having a John Stockton-like point guard,” Underwood said. “He’s seen it all. He’s gonna handle. He’s gonna adjust… He’s one of the best players I’ve seen at late dump-offs in ball screens in the paint. He’s got a never-ending dribble. When he’s making shots, all I can say is you’ve got to fight for everything against him. You’ve got to make it as tough as you can for him and know that he’s gonna score, he’s gonna make some, he’s gonna have a few assists. That’s what good point guards look like and he’s one of those for sure.”
Meanwhile, the Illini have been very encouraged by what they’ve seen from Kylan Boswell recently. The junior guard has seemed to regain his lockdown defender ways, starting with an admirable effort against Duke’s Cooper Flagg then to Iowa’s Payton Sandfort and most recently against a skilled 7-footer in Wolf. We’ve seen him have stellar defensive showings against guards as well, most notably Alabama’s Mark Sears and Arkansas’ Boogie Fland earlier this season.
In Friday’s clash, Boswell (6’2″, 205 lbs.) would actually have a bit of a size advantage on Smith (6’0″, 170 lbs.). Surely, that’s the matchup, right?
“Who says he’s guarding him?,” Underwood asked with a smirk. “That’s the one thing I like about Kylan Boswell. Kylan Boswell’s incredibly strong. Incredibly strong. His lower half is as strong as anybody I’ve coached. You never know, he may be a Caleb Furst (6’10”, 235 lbs.) matchup. You never know. We’ll see how the game goes.”
Oh, I think we know.
Less than three weeks after fracturing his left wrist during a fall against Michigan State, Illini freshman Morez Johnson Jr. is now out of his cast and gearing up for a push to return.
Underwood has repeatedly targeted the Big Ten Tournament, which starts next week in Indianapolis, as the spot to hopefully get him back. What needs to happen between now and then to accomplish that?
“Right now, everything is conditioning. He didn’t do anything for 10 days. They didn’t allow him to do any movement really to keep it still. I think now he’s back and doing stuff in a pool. He’s doing some running,” Underwood said. “The cast is off so it’s hand exercises and movement type stuff. And then, they’ll scan it and we’ll have a better idea of what the results of that scan are and then, just getting him back in practice.
“He’ll have a busy few days from the conditioning side of it, trying to do some stuff. He’s done quite a bit with one hand, with his right hand, just with ball handling. But we haven’t been able to put him in any position where he could possibly fall. I think getting fitted for a brace and all of that is happening in the next few days. We’ll see what that looks like, but we’re hopeful and praying for a positive scan.”
Johnson was a very valuable piece for the Illini, who had been in the starting lineup for nearly a month, before being sidelined with the injury. He had 17 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 25 minutes against Michigan State the night of the fracture, and he even stayed in the game.
The 6-foot-9 big man averaged 8.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in 20 minutes per game in Big Ten play, while shooting nearly 68 percent from the field. According to KenPom, Johnson has the second-highest offensive rebounding rate in league play.
After Friday’s regular season finale, the Illini won’t play again until Thursday at the Big Ten Tournament. That practice time will be important for Johnson to ramp up for the postseason.
“We need time with Morez,” Underwood said. “We need some actual practice time and court time getting his timing back, getting him into the flow of things if that’s allowed to happen.”
Fifth-year transfer Ben Humrichous will participate in Friday’s Senior Night festivities, but it’s possible that it won’t be his final game at State Farm Center.
Back in December, the NCAA announced that it will offer a waiver for an additional year of eligibility to players who competed at a non-NCAA institution and would have exhausted their eligibility at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. Humrichous falls under that category, as he played three seasons at the NAIA level before transferring to Evansville for the 2023-24 season.
Underwood confirmed on Thursday that they have been thinking in that direction.
“I think we’d be foolish not to explore every option to want to have that young man back,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s any decision made on his side yet. He’s a guy who went through a lot of (NBA) workouts last year. I think he is just gaining so much on the mental side, the confidence that we’ve seen here. I think the job that Fletch has done with him in continuing to enhance his body and grow it. So, we’ll see where that goes… But absolutely, that’s been looked at and talked about.”
Humrichous didn’t have much to say on the matter, but he said that he has been aware of that possibility and it’s something they might pursue.
“That’s something that I knew about,” he said. “That’s something that we might work towards getting, but I’ll tell you right now, I’m really excited to play tomorrow night. I’m really excited for the Big Ten Tournament and for what the rest of this season has too.”
Humrichous is averaging 8.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in 28 minutes per game in Big Ten play, while shooting 38 percent from the field and 34 percent from three. He’s made a team-high 58 threes this season on 34.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
The 6-foot-9 forward played an important role in Illinois’ 93-73 win at No. 15 Michigan on Sunday, as he posted nine points and five rebounds in 24 minutes, while battling inside when Tomislav Ivisic was on the bench due to foul trouble.
This season has had its ups and downs for him personally. How has it compared to what he thought going in?
“I don’t even know if I really created expectations for this season,” Humrichous said. “It’s been a great journey, and I’ve really been incredibly blessed and I’m around great people, which have made the journey really, really fun. This season’s presented new challenges that I’ve never had before and it’s been fun to kinda face those.”
What’s been the biggest area for growth this season?
“I would say growing mentally,” he said. “There’s new challenges that this level and this game presents, so working through adversity with basically a whole new team, working through the in-and-out challenges. Just being adaptable to whatever the team needs and whatever the games present.”
Underwood has been a staunch supporter of Humrichous through that adversity. That’s something that the 22-year-old appreciates greatly, among other things that he’s taken away from his time in Champaign.
“I’ve been incredibly blessed to play under Coach Brad,” Humrichous said. “When I was in the portal and I got to talk and communicate with him, there was something about Coach Brad and his winning culture and the way he was that I wanted to gain that and I knew that the only way to do that was being here at the University of Illinois. I think that he’s changed some of my perspective on the game and helped me grow so much — just growing and developing winning culture.”
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Shauna Green tried to manifest a different outcome on the floor at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. She desperately tried to tell her team that the same fourth-quarter collapse that happened six days ago wouldn’t happen again.
Until it did.
Illinois women’s basketball entered the fourth quarter of the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday with a seven-point lead and extended it to eight points early in the quarter. Things were, at least for the moment, going swimmingly.
Nebraska, though, answered with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to one midway through the quarter and went on another 7-0 run less than four minutes later to hand Illinois a 74-70 loss in the conference tournament. Illinois, the No. 7 seed, heads back to Champaign without a win in Indianapolis and with 10 days until it hears its name called on Selection Sunday.
But it wasn’t supposed to be like this. Illinois (21-9) came to Indianapolis hoping to put together a run and with eyes on moving up a seed line in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, a familiar trend from Sunday’s loss to Michigan — which dropped Illinois from a No. 5 seed in this tournament to a No. 7 seed — popped back up with struggles closing out a game.
Green told Illini Inquirer that she was “a little bit, yeah” surprised that these late-game bugaboos keep cropping up for a senior-laden team that did the exact opposite in the fourth quarter during an eight-game win streak.
“That’s what’s frustrating is for me and for them is these are things we can control,” Green said. “We can control boxouts. We can control our baseline out-of-bounds defense. We have not executed. To win in March, it’s all about who executes at a higher level, and we did not execute. We missed some easy baskets, but like, I don’t usually get on them about that. I’m more about the defense and the rebounding. We knew that was what it was going to take down the stretch to win. It’s why we lost against Michigan, and we didn’t do it. At some point, you’ve got to step up and you’ve got to make those plays if you want to continue to have your season going, or you’re going to be done real quickly.”
Illinois had a four-point lead with 3:27 left in the game after Genesis Bryant — who had a team-high 20 points — made two of three free throws. Then Nebraska hammered back with a 7-0 run to take a 3-point lead capped off by what Green calls a “dagger” 3-pointer from Jessica Petrie with 1:40 left in the game.
Illinois got back within one point after Bryant made a pair of free throws but twice couldn’t secure a defensive rebound and allowed Nebraska’s Logan Nissley to secure two offensive boards that led to a layup on an in-bounds play by Petrie to extend the lead to three points with 27 seconds left.
On the next possession, Bryant had three good looks at 3-pointers but missed all three in a span of 10 seconds on the other end. Game effectively over.
Rebounds, defensive lapses and missed shots. A dastardly recipe in March.
“I feel like it’s just like a lack of awareness,” forward Kendall Bostic said of the fourth-quarter issues. “Like I feel like we’re all – like we’re locked into the game and we’re playing hard, but it’s like the IQ things, like getting a boxout. That’s a basic, fundamental thing. It’s not like running a play or stopping a play. It’s a basic boxout. We have to be able to do that. We work on rotations every single day. We have to be able to rotate. We have to be able to guard out of bounds. We’ve been preaching that all year long because last year we weren’t very good at it. Last couple of games they’ve gotten a lot of points on the baseline out-of-bounds plays. They had a wide open layup with a minute or two left, and that can’t happen. It’s uncontested open layups.
“It’s just a lot of little things we have to clean up. That’s just us on the court. There’s no excuse for it, there’s no reason for it to happen. We have to be able to lock into that and say we’ve got to do it. We have to have all five on the floor. It can’t be four of us or three of us. It has to be all five willing to do whatever we need to do to win.”
Simply, Nebraska executed in the fourth quarter. The Huskers shot 56.3% from the field in the quarter, made all five free throws, had three offensive rebounds and 12 total rebounds.
Illinois, meanwhile, shot 3-for-15 (20%) in the quarter and had six total rebounds while shooting 1-for-7 on 3-pointers.
The kicker of it all? Illinois led for more than 34 minutes and held Nebraska star Alexis Markowski to nine points and four rebounds. That’s a winnable formula for a veteran team trying to maximize each of the waning seconds with one another.
Illinois will head back to Champaign to rest with the hopes of rekindling some of the magic that sent them on an eight-game win streak ahead of the NCAA Tournament. But the taste of another fourth-quarter issue will likely linger for several days.
“You can’t do anything after the game is done, so you’ve got to focus on the next one and the next opportunity that we have,” said Illini guardAdalia McKenzie, who had 16 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. “We do a really good job of bouncing back. Unfortunately, we haven’t done what we need to do to bounce back fully, but we will. It’s just all about staying confident and really learning, like KB said, the little things, boxing out. We keep preaching it. Everybody has to do it collectively. So just keeping our head high. Us seniors don’t want the season to end, so we’re going to fight to the end. That’s something we keep talking about as well. A lot of learning and just a lot of focus just carrying over.”
There’s also the matter of Illinois’ short rotation without Makira Cook (ongoing medical condition), Gretchen Dolan (knee), Lety Vasconcelos (knee), and Shay Bollin (back). That’s left Illinois with, more or less, a six-player rotation — Bryant, Bostic, McKenzie, Brynn Shoup-Hill, Berry Wallace and Jasmine Brown-Hagger — with intermittent appearances by Cori Allen and Hayven Smith.
Bostic (35.1), Bryant (34.1) and McKenzie (33.3) all average at least 30 minutes per game. Bostic and McKenzie played the full 40 minutes and Bryant would have if not for turning her right ankle in the first quarter and sitting for two minutes.
Green will never fully entertain the idea of her team being tired. It’s not an idea she wants floating around her team. It’s always about pushing and powering through in their final years of eligibility.
It’s also a question worth wondering. In Big Ten play those numbers boost to 37 minutes for Bryant, 36.6 for Bostic and 33.7 for McKenzie. Shoup-Hill, Wallace and Brown-Hagger each average more than 26 minutes per game in Big Ten play.
Nebraska, meanwhile, got 22 points off of its bench and nine players played at least 10 minutes.
“We’re just not deep and we’re not that big, so they took advantage of it, so credit them,” Green said. “None of this takes away from, again, this team. I’m really proud of them, what we’ve done with the adversity we’ve had this year. Are they running out of gas? I don’t know. I’m never going to say that. I told them in the locker room again there’s no excuses. We’re never going to sit here and talk about that. Nebraska made more plays down the stretch than we did, and we’ve got to figure out how we need to execute and rebound and be physical down the stretch and make winning plays down the stretch. That’s what we’re going to attack in this week off and leading into the NCAA Tournament.”
The 2026 recruiting cycle is in officially full swing as some of the top high school football players around the country are already announcing their respective college decisions.
During the week of Feb. 28-March 6, nine players committed to a Power Four college football program, including seven prospects in the 2026 class and two underclassmen. The group is headlined by a Top247 linebacker.
The list of Power Four schools that secured at least one commitment this week includes (in alphabetical order): Cincinnati, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Miami, Michigan, Pittsburgh (2) and UCF.
Get the latest football and recruiting scoop on your favorite college team today.
With that in mind, scroll down to take a look at the prospects who committed to a Power Four program over the past week, starting with the 2026 prospects and concluding with the underclassmen.
Committed to: Michigan
247Sports rank: 3-star | 85 rating | No. 88 IOL
Recruiting background: A 6-foot-3 ½, 293-pound offensive lineman out of Cartersville (Ga.) Cass, Bear McWhorter committed to the Wolverines over a group of finalists that also included Alabama, Clemson, Florida and South Carolina. The Peach State product was previously pledged to Arkansas for nearly 10 months before reopening his recruitment last June. His recruitment was spearheaded by Michigan offensive line coach Grant Newsome. McWhorter is the third commitment for head coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Committed to: UCF
247Sports rank: N/A
Recruiting background: A 6-foot-1, 196-pound linebacker out of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage, Kymani Morales committed to the Knights over Power Four offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, Minnesota and Purdue, among others. UCF linebackers coach Mark D’Onofrio was the lead recruiter for the in-state prospect, while defensive backs coach Brandon Harris also assisted in the recruitment. He is the second commitment for Scott Frost’s program in the 2026 recruiting cycle. In 12 games as a junior, Morales racked up 126 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, three sacks and one forced fumble, per MaxPreps.
Committed to: Miami
247Sports rank: 3-star | 89 rating | No. 30 OT
Recruiting background: A 6-foot-7, 285-pound offensive tackle out of Mineral City (Ohio) Tuscarawas Valley, Ben Congdon committed to the Hurricanes over offers from Penn State, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Missouri, Ole Miss, UCLA and Wisconsin, among others. His recruitment was spearheaded by Miami offensive line coach Alex Mirabal. Congdon becomes the fourth commitment for head coach Mario Cristobal and his staff in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Committed to: Cincinnati
247Sports rank: N/A
Recruiting background: A 6-foot-5, 200-pound wide receiver out of Guntersville (Ala.) High School, Dadrien Waller committed to the Bearcats over offers from Jacksonville State, Troy, Tulane, UAB and Western Kentucky, among others. Cincinnati offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brad Glenn was the lead recruiter for the Alabama product, who becomes the sixth member of the Bearcats’ 2026 recruiting class. Waller hauled in 20 receptions for 378 yards and two touchdowns over seven games during his junior season, per MaxPreps.
Committed to: Illinois
247Sports rank: 3-star | 87 rating | No. 63 OT
Recruiting background: A 6-foot-7, 302-pound offensive tackle out of Olney (Ill.) Richland County, Casey Thomann committed to the Fighting Illini over Power Four offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Virginia and West Virginia, among others. Illinois offensive line coach Bart Miller was the lead recruiter for the in-state prospect. Thomann is commit No. 10 for Bret Bielema’s program in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Committed to: Iowa
247Sports rank: 3-star | 87 rating | No. 121 WR
Recruiting background: A 6-foot-1, 184-pound wide receiver out of Winneconne (Wis.) High School, Brody Schaffer committed to the Hawkeyes over offers from Northwestern, Texas State, Washington State and North Dakota State, among others. His primary recruiter was Iowa wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr was the lead recruiter for the two-way standout, who plays quarterback for his high school team but was recruited as a wide receiver. He is commit No. 7 for Kirk Ferentz’s program in the 2026 recruiting cycle. In 13 games as a junior, Schaffer completed 153 of 216 passes (70.8%) for 1,800 yards with 18 touchdowns against eight interceptions while rushing for an additional 1,774 yards and 31 touchdowns on 183 carries on offense, per MaxPreps. Defensively, he added 42 tackles and three interceptions.
Committed to: Florida
247Sports rank: 4-star | 91 rating | No. 158 Overall | No. 10 LB
Recruiting background: A 6-foot-1 ½, 215-pound linebacker out of Tavares (Fla.) High School, Izayia Williams committed to the Gators over offers from Alabama, Colorado, Florida State, Georgia and Penn State, among others. He was previously pledged to Louisville, Syracuse and Florida State at various points in his recruitment, but he now becomes the third commitment for head coach Billy Napier and his staff in the 2026 recruiting cycle. His recruitment was spearheaded by Florida co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Ron Roberts. In 10 games as a junior, Williams racked up 125 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, four sacks, one pick-six and one safety on defense, per MaxPreps. Offensively, he rushed for 423 yards and six touchdowns on 23 carries and caught five passes for 97 yards and four scores.
Abbreviated scouting report: “Supercharged linebacker with the athletic juice to make headlines at the NFL Scouting Combine one day, but one that is still discovering all of his capabilities. … Closes gaps with jurisdiction and can turn into a mallet as he slams opponents. Owns rare sideline-to-sideline range with his gallop and has continued to improve depth perception as a drop-coverage defender.” — 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins
Reminds us of: Smael Mondon Jr. | LB | Georgia Bulldogs
Committed to: Pittsburgh
247Sports rank: N/A
Recruiting background: A 5-foot-10, 160-pound wide receiver out of Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Flanagan, Jacob Thomas committed to the Panthers over offers from Auburn, Purdue, Akron, Bowling Green and Georgia State. The Sunshine State product is the first pledge for Pat Narduzzi’s program in the 2027 recruiting cycle. Thomas averaged an impressive 22.4 yards per catch during his sophomore season with 27 receptions for 604 yards and four touchdowns over 11 games, per MaxPreps. The track and field standout clocked a 10.69 100-meter dash earlier this spring.
Committed to: Pittsburgh
247Sports rank: N/A
Recruiting background: A 5-foot-9, 165-pound running back out of Miramar (Fla.) High School, Tyler Reid committed to the Panthers just over one month after landing his first FBS offer from the program, becoming commit No. 2 for Pat Narduzzi and his staff in the 2027 cycle. He is the younger brother of Pitt running back Desmond Reid, who earned All-America honors in his first season with the program after transferring from Western Carolina. In 12 games as a sophomore last fall, Tyler Reid rushed for 966 yards and five touchdowns on 184 carries and caught 52 passes for 579 yards and four scores.
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