Men's Basketball Set for Black Friday Showdown with Illinois

GAME NOTES (.pdf)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The IPFW Mastodons are set for a Black Friday showdown on ESPN 3 with the undefeated Illinois Illini in a 8 p.m. EST tip-off, as the Mastodons look for their first-ever win over a Big Ten school.

Opponent: Illinois Illini (6-0)
When: Friday, November 29 | 8 p.m. EST
Where: Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
Radio: WKJG 1380 AM The Fan | Brett Rump, play-by-play
Live Stats: Illinois Gametracker
Live Video: ESPN 3 | BJ Schaben, play-by-play; Sean Harrington, analyst

SCOUTING THE ILLINI

Illinois comes into the "Black Friday" meeting with an unblemished 6-0 record, including a come-from-behind win over UNLV in the squad's most recent contest.

In the win over UNLV in Las Vegas, Illinois was led by Rayvonte Rice who scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the double-double, while Nnanna Egwu scored a dozen points, with the pair scoring over half of the team's 61 points. The Illini out-rebounded UNLV 41-to-40, while Jalon Tate dished out a team-best five assists off of the bench.

Rice leads the team on the season averaging 17.2 points per game, while Joseph Bertrand pours in 11.8 and Abrams 10.5. Two others, Egwu and Jon Ekey are just off the double-figure pace, averaging 9.7 and 9.3 points per game, respectively.

Bertrand pulls down 7.2 rebounds per game, as the Illini put four players over 6.0 rebounds per game, with the team out-rebounding its opponents 44.5-to-33.2. Tate has the team lead with 23 assists, while Abrams has given out 20 helpers on the year. Egwu has 17 blocked shots, just under three per game, while Rice and Abrams each lead the team with seven steals.

BALANCING ACT

This season, IPFW has employed a balanced offensive attack that has seen six different players lead the team in scoring at least once in the team's eight games, with seven players scoring at least 19 points in a game this year, with five of those reaching the 20-point plateau.

FAST START

The 6-2 start to the 2013-14 season is tied for the fifth best start to a season in school history, and tied for the best start since the program joined NCAA Division I.

WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE QUAD

As Will Ferrell's character so eloquently yelled in the movie Old School, "We're Going Streaking!", the Mastodons are on a streak of their own, having won five straight games. That five-game win streak is the third longest of IPFW's NCAA Division I era, and the eighth longest in school history.

IPFW VS. THE BIG TEN

The IPFW Mastodons are looking for their first win over a member of the Big Ten Conference. IPFW has played in 18 games all-time against teams from the conference, including falling at Purdue and Iowa in 2011-12.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

Men's Basketball Set for Black Friday Showdown with Illinois

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