Illinois faces tough test vs No. 5 Michigan
No. 5 Michigan (8-1, 1-0) vs. Illinois (6-3, 0-1)
State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 5 Michigan presents a tough challenge for Illinois. Illinois has played a ranked team only once this season and lost. Michigan beat Iowa by 12 at home on Friday.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: The Wolverines are led by seniors Jon Teske and Zavier Simpson. Teske is averaging 14.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while Simpson is accounting for 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 8.7 assists per contest. The Fighting Illini have been led by Kofi Cockburn and Andres Feliz, who are averaging 15.4 and 14.3 points, respectively.
FUELING THE OFFENSE: Simpson has had his hand in 46 percent of all Michigan field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has 14 field goals and 23 assists in those games.
UNDEFEATED WHEN: Illinois is a perfect 6-0 when the team records at least 11 offensive rebounds. The Fighting Illini are 0-3 this season when they fail to reach that mark.
ASSIST RATIOS: The Illini have recently gotten buckets via assists more often than the Wolverines. Illinois has an assist on 51 of 89 field goals (57.3 percent) over its past three contests while Michigan has assists on 44 of 81 field goals (54.3 percent) during its past three games.
SECOND CHANCES: Illinois has posted an excellent offensive rebound percentage of 42.8 percent this year. That rate is ranked first in Division 1. The offensive rebound percentage for Michigan stands at just 24.9 percent (ranked 270th).
