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How to Watch: Illinois Basketball vs. Oakland (Game 3)

The Illini are firing on all cylinders as they open the doors to the State Farm Center to Oakland on Wednesday

Jason Langendorf

Nov 4, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Carey Booth (0) and Eastern Illinois Panthers guard Nakyel Shelton (3) battle for position during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 4, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Carey Booth (0) and Eastern Illinois Panthers guard Nakyel Shelton (3) battle for position during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
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How to Watch

Illinois (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Oakland (1-1, 0-0 Horizon League)

Day and time: Wednesday (Nov. 13) at 8 p.m. CT
Venue: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
Local: Big Ten Network
Stream: None
Listen: WDWS-AM 1400 (Champaign)
WLS-AM 890 (Chicago)
Illini Sports Network affiliates (other local markets)
Varsity Network app
SiriusXM 372
SXM app 372

Odds and Ends

Favorite: Illinois (-23 points)*
Over/under: 151.5 points*
Illinois vs. Oakland all time: Illinois leads the series 4-0
Streak: Illinois has won four in a row against Oakland
Last meeting: No. 25 Illinois 64, Oakland 53 (Nov. 10, 2023 at State Farm Center)

(*Figures as of Wednesday morning)

Probable Illinois starters:

G Kasparas Jakucionis
G Kylan Boswell
G Tre White
F Ben Humrichous
C Tomislav Ivisic

Smart-Fan Stuff

Key stat: 15

KenPom.com ranks Illinois 15th in offensive efficiency (116.7) across college basketball, which shouldn't come as an enormous surprise for a team that averaged 101.0 in its first two games and appeared to barely break a sweat in doing so. The Illini have an arsenal of offensive weapons and a scheme that is difficult for any opponent to slow down – so long as they're hitting their perimeter shots. Oakland doesn't appear to have the stuff to throw Illinois off that area of its game (15.5 3-pointers per game on 38.8 percent shooting).

Quick tips:

  • Illinois ranks No. 2 among Division I schools in free-throw attempts per game (37.0), which, combined with the stat just above, demonstrates how harmoniously coach Brad Underwood's pro-style plan – layups and 3s – is coming together.
  • Oakland's Greg Kampe, in season No. 41, is the longest-tenured coach in the Division I ranks.
  • The Illini are 22-0 all time against the current members of the Horizon League, which includes the Golden Grizzlies.

Illinois on SI Prediction

The Illini enter Wednesday in cruise control, even as that comfortable groove has them cooking down the autobahn at 200 mph. The reality: Oakland, which was dismantled 87-43 by an admittedly robust Boise State squad, has limited size and will be figuring things out for a while in this transition year. Kampe is a good coach who should never be underestimated, but if Illinois continues to play with the same effort, intelligence and harmony that it embodied in its first two games, there won't be any need to downshift on Wednesday.

Illinois 87, Golden Grizzlies 58

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Basketball vs. Oakland: Scouting the Golden Grizzlies

'It Feels Like the League': Illinois Basketball Has NBA Flavor

10 Key Storylines to Follow for Illinois Basketball's 2024-25 Season

Published
Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf is a longtime journalist who has covered football and basketball, among other sports, for ESPN, Sporting News, the Chicago Sun-Times and numerous other publications.

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