ON THE AIR
Radio: Games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network with Gary Dolphin (play-by-play) and Bobby Hansen (color) on the call. The network includes1 more than 40 stations that blanket the state of Iowa and includes portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. The Hawkeye Radio Network includes a 60-minute pregame show.
TV: Sunday’s game will be televised on FOX with Jason Benetti (play-by-play) and Steve Smith (color) on the call.
OPENING TIP
• Sunday’s game is the first top 20 match-up inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena since the 2020-21 season. The Hawkeyes are looking for their first ranked win since the 2023-24 season.
• It is the first time since the 2019-20 season that Iowa and Illinois meet in Iowa City as ranked teams and it’s the first ranked game between the two teams in four seasons.
• Iowa’s 12-3 start is the best start for the program since the 2020-21 season.
• Senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Top 25 Midseason Watch List. He is one of six Big Ten players on the list.
• The Hawkeyes have three of the top 10 most efficient offensive games in program history this season, according to KenPom — Chicago State (3rd), Robert Morris (6th), SEMO (10th).
• Stirtz is the only player in the Big Ten Conference this season to have 245+ points and 75+ assists and he is one of five players nationally with 245+ points, 25+ steals, 70+ assists and 35+ rebounds.
• Stirtz is averaging 18 points, five assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals with a team-high seven 20-point contests. He has scored 20+ in three straight games.
• Iowa ranks13th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 51.9 percent.
• The Hawkeyes are allowing 60.8 points per game — the fewest in the Big Ten and fourth-fewest nationally. Iowa has held five opponents under 60 points this season; the past three seasons the team held opponents under 60 points five times combined.
• Amongst active players, Stirtz is the only player nationally ranked in the top 10 in points (1,867) and assists (505) and he is one of six to have 1,500 points and 350 assists.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• The Illini bring a four-game winning streak into Iowa City, which includes an 81-55 victory over Penn State on Thursday in Champaign. Illinois is 12-3 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play.
• Illinois’ three losses have come against Alabama (90-86) and UConn (74-61) on neutral courts and at home against Nebraska (83-80).
•The Illini have Power 5 Conference wins over Texas Tech (81-77), Tennessee (75-62) and Missouri (91-48).
• Illinois has four players averaging in double figures and six averaging at least 7.7 points per game. Freshman Keaton Wagler leads the team with a 15.5 scoring average, 56 assists, 12 steals and 29 3-pointers. He is shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 39.7 from long range and 83.1 from the line.
• Kylan Boswell (14.5), Andrej Stojakovic (14.4) and David Mirkovic (12.7) are also in double figures, while Tomislav Iisic adds 9.9 points. Mirkovic also pulls down a team-high 8.3 rebounds and has 39 assists.
• Illinois averages 42.6 rebounds per game, ranking 14th nationally. The team is +11.5 on the glass, which is the eighth-best margin nationally.
• The Illini are second in the Big Ten in scoring (86.7 points) and scoring margin (19.4) and the team attempts 29.5 3-pointers per game — third-most in the league.
• Illinois shoots 79.7 percent from the free throw stripe — the top mark in the Big Ten (No. 2 nationally). The team averages 17.8 makes from the line per game.
• The Illini’s roster is the tallest in the nation per KenPom.
SERIES HISTORY
• Sunday’s game is the 172nd game in the all-time series between Iowa and Illinois. The Illini lead the series, 94-77.
• Illinois has won four straight and nine of the last 10 games in the series following a five-game Hawkeye winning streak from 2018-20.
• Iowa’s last victory over the Illini came on Feb. 4, 2023 — an 81-79 win in Iowa City.
• The Hawkeyes are 57-24 all-time against Illinois in Iowa City. The two teams have split the last 10 meetings in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
