Illinois senior forward Roger Powell Jr. has found a consistency that has carried the Illini over the past week. Starting with an eye-catching performance over then No. 1 Wake Forest, Powell Jr. asserted inside dominance and even took his game outside the arc, hitting two three-pointers. Powell Jr.’s dominance continued on the road against Arkansas, where he let his aggressive play do the talking, pulling down 11 rebounds. Powell averaged 19 points and 5.5 rebounds for the week.

While Powell Jr. has been attracting ESPN BottomLine attention this year, his award is overshadowed by the Illini garnishing the top of the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today’s rankings. The team is making sure that they show him love for earning this accolade with his hard work.

“We didn’t overshadow him; we celebrate for him,” Dee Brown said jokingly. “How did we celebrate? Rub his head, you know, gave him hugs.”

Powell Jr. said he was honored to get the award but knew that it was still early in the season and said the best way to keep the No. 1 ranking and repeat as Big Ten Player of the week was to stay humble and stay hungry.

Against Chicago State, Powell Jr. topped the 800 point mark on his career and should pass 1000 if he continues on his pace this season. Powell Jr. has averaged 13.0 points on the season, shooting .625 from the field.

Nkemdi scores first points

The fans wear Dee Brown jerseys and celebrate James Augustine dunks, but they would rather see Fred Nkemdi checking into the game than any other player.

Nkemdi earned a non-scholarship position on the squad in open tryouts last year. He has added a physical body to practice and has become a fan and team favorite.

When Nkemdi checks in at the scorers’ table it usually means the Illini have a win secured.

With time ticking down in the second half, Nkemdi scored the first basket of his Illinois career on a put-back with 1:17 to play, sending the crowd and the team bench into a frenzy.

Nkemdi also recorded two offensive rebounds against Chicago State.

Top of their game

Both other Illinois teams to be ranked No. 1, the 1952 and 1989 squads, reached the Final Four.

This year’s Final Four will be held April 1st in St. Louis.

Winning Streak

Including Monday’s win, Illinois has not fallen to a nonconference in-state opponent since 1990. The Illini are also now 8-0 against Chicago State.

The Illini have also won their last 17 regular season games and their last 11 games contested at Assembly Hall.

Quote of the Game

“There wasn’t any celebration; we didn’t jump for joy. We said ‘We are No. 1, so let’s stay there – we didn’t throw balloons in the air or nothing like that.”

– Luther Head on how the team reacted to being named No. 1 in the latest polls.