No. 23 Illinois (3-0) has started the season fast, taking their first three matchups comfortably. They’ll need to keep their foot on the gas, though, as a large audience is waiting to see their fourth game of the year.
Field Trip Day
Illinois’ eighth annual Field Trip Day welcomes thousands of elementary school students to State Farm Center on Monday, Nov. 18. This event will stress the importance of a college education to the young attendees. There will be multiple pregame events to engage the students, including campus and community groups and University college booths.
Last year’s Field Trip Day was monumental for the program. A total of 11,563 elementary students attended the game last November. Additionally, it was the second consecutive Field Trip Day game where the Illini hit 100+ points. The atmosphere is what pushed the Illini to topple that 100-point marker. This began in the third quarter with a rousing “We want 100” chant from the students filling the arena.
Illinois is 6-1 in Field Trip Day games, only losing the inaugural game against Memphis in 2016. Since then, the Illini have won every Field Trip Day game by double digits.
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After last year’s staggering attendance — increasing from 8,000 to 11,000 in just one year — Illinois’ WBIT victory and perfect record this season will likely create even more hype from young fans in the area. A larger attendance would mean a near-capacity attendance at State Farm Center. The arena holds 15,500 and will be relatively full on Monday morning.
New opponent: Le Moyne Dolphins
Illinois’ fourth game of their opening home stand brings a first-time opponent to Champaign. Le Moyne (0-4) has had an unfortunate start to its season. So far, the Dolphins have lost by at least 10 points in every game.
Illinois is Le Moyne’s first ranked opponent this season. With such a stark contrast in records, the game favors the hosts.
The Dolphins shoot a poor 30% from the floor and 67.4% from the free-throw line. Illinois has beaten tougher defenses and much better offenses and should coast through this game even if senior guard Makira Cook isn’t available due to injury.
Last starting lineups
Against EIU, Illinois started fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant, sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan, senior guard Adalia McKenzie, senior forward Brynn Shoup-Hill and fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic.
Sunday’s game marked Dolan’s first career start. The New York native put up 13 points and made four assists. She made two of her four attempted three-pointers and made one block and one steal. Her solid performance on the court may push head coach Shauna Green to start Dolan again if Cook remains sidelined.
There is never a question if McKenzie will appear in the starting lineup, as the senior has started every game since her sophomore year. She was perfect from the floor against EIU and sank her only attempted three-pointer. While EIU was her lowest-scoring game so far with 11 points, there is no doubt McKenzie will produce as the season progresses.
Against ISU, Le Moyne started graduate student forward Haedyn Roberts, freshman guard Eli Clark, senior guard Mia Yanogacio, graduate student guard Megan Bodziony and senior guard Emily Florvil.
Roberts currently leads her team in points, averaging 11.5 points per game. Offensively, the team struggles to convert often. However, they remain unafraid to take these opportunities, demonstrated by their 224 attempted field goals and 84 attempted three-pointers.
Additionally, Roberts is effective on defense as well and leads her team in rebounds. This means the Illini will need to keep an eye on her when taking shots and beat her out to the ball.
When Illinois has possession, the players will need to watch out for Florvil, who has stolen the ball seven times in four games. She had three steals against Illinois State. Keeping the ball tight and making accurate passes should keep the ball in Illinois’ possession despite Florvil’s abilities.
The atmosphere will be tougher than any other the Dolphins will face this year. Thousands of children will cheer on the Illini, hoping for another blowout like last year. With a strong starting lineup and tons of fans, this should put another victory on the record for the Illini.
Where to watch
Illinois versus Le Moyne tips off at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, at State Farm Center. It will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
