No. 11 Arizona, Illinois put streaks on line

Published Dec. 9, 2021 5:31 p.m. ET

Associated Press

No. 11 Arizona (8-0) vs. Illinois (7-2)

State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 11 Arizona looks for its ninth straight win as it faces Illinois, who has won five in a row. Arizona is looking to extend its eight-game winning streak, while Illinois has won five in a row.

STEPPING UP: Kofi Cockburn has averaged 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds to lead the way for the Fighting Illini. Alfonso Plummer has complemented Cockburn and is producing 15.8 points per game. The Wildcats are led by Bennedict Mathurin, who is averaging 17 points and 6.6 rebounds.MIGHTY MATHURIN: Mathurin has connected on 34 percent of the 47 3-pointers he's attempted and has made 11 of 30 over the last five games. He's also made 78.6 percent of his foul shots this season.

UNDEFEATED WHEN: Illinois is a perfect 7-0 when it scores at least 71 points. The Fighting Illini are 0-2 when scoring any fewer than that.

BEHIND THE ARC: Illinois's Plummer has attempted 65 3-pointers and connected on 43.1 percent of them, and is 23 of 47 over the past five games.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: Arizona has held opposing teams to 34.7 percent shooting from the field this year, the third-lowest percentage among all Division I teams.

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