For Nov. 26-27, No. 22 Illinois (4-0) heads off to the Music City Classic in Nashville. But first, the team completes its season-opening homestand on Friday, Nov. 22, against the Oregon State Beavers (1-3).
Matchup history
The Beavers and the Illini have met only once in program history in the 1996 Gazette-Times Classic hosted by Oregon State. During that game, Illinois won by 15.
Similar to 1996, the Beavers enter this game as the underdogs. In the 1996-97 season, Illinois went 24-8 overall and 14-5 in the conference. Oregon State finished 11-16 overall, 5-13 in the now-extinct Pac-10.
In 1996, the Illini entered the matchup with a 4-2 record. With history favoring a four-win Illinois team, Oregon State is up for a challenge with better records and stats stacked against them.
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Star power on both sides
Illinois tacked its second 40+ blowout onto this season when the team defeated Le Moyne 94-25. This win came after Illinois defeated Eastern Illinois 84-37 four days prior.
Going into their games against Illinois, EIU and Le Moyne were winless. While Oregon State has one win, it is still on a two-game losing streak. In Illinois’ past three games, if its opponent entered on a losing streak, the team triumphed. This pattern does not bode well for the Beavers.
Despite the odds, Oregon State has well-rounded players capable of standing against Illinois. Most notable are sophomore guard Kennedie Shuler and senior forward Sela Heide. Both players lead their team in points, 45 and 44, respectively. Senior forward Kelsey Rees ties Heide in points. All three will be hard for the Illini to lock down on Friday.
Shuler is an electric playmaker. In her last game, she had six assists and seven boards. Heide, meanwhile, was quieter on Sunday offensively, with only six points, but grabbed eight rebounds. Six were defensive boards, making her dangerous during Illinois’ offensive opportunities.
Illinois has been riddled with injuries lately. Fifth-year guard Makira Cook and freshman forward Berry Wallace were ruled out in past games. The team has stayed on top despite these setbacks, though, and rallied around bench players who stepped up.
Sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan took over for Cook against EIU and made her talent known. She scored 13 points in her first career start. Then, against Le Moyne, she had a career-high 15 points in addition to seven assists and five rebounds. Dolan is a great bench player, knows what the team needs and accomplishes it every time she subs in. She has stood out for her defensive prowess, shutting down runs and grabbing rebounds skillfully.
Streaming
This exciting matchup will be hosted at State Farm Center at 7 p.m. It will also be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
