Lineups
Illinois (1-0)
Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Makira Cook Sr. 5-6 20.0 Cincinnati
G Genesis Bryant Sr. 5-6 8.0 Jonesboro, Ga.
G Adalia McKenzie Sr. 5-10 20.0 Brooklyn Park, Minn.
F Brynn Shoup-Hill Sr. 6-3 5.0 Goshen, Ind.
F Kendall Bostic Sr. 6-2 18.0 Kokomo, Ind.
➜ FYI: Bryant, who played her 100th career game in Thursday night’s 83-74 home upset of No. 19 Florida State, was largely ineffective until late against the Seminoles. The fifth-year senior Bryant played only 22 minutes — the fewest of the five Illini starters — and didn’t make a shot attempt until the fourth quarter with six of the guard’s eight points coming in the final 10 minutes. Bryant ended up 1 of 5 from the floor after finishing 1 of 3 shooting in Illinois’ lone exhibition game against Lewis on Nov. 1.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Gretchen Dolan So. 5-11 11.0 Buffalo, N.Y.
F Berry Wallace Fr. 6-1 0.0 Pickerington, Ohio
G Jasmine Brown-Hagger So. 5-9 1.0 Shorewood
Marquette (0-1)
Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Olivia Porter Jr. 5-8 14.0 Chapel Hill, N.C.
G Halle Vice So. 6-1 0.0 Bettendorf, Iowa
G Lee Volker Sr. 6-1 10.0 Purcellville, Va.
F Skylar Forbes So. 6-3 11.0 Markham, Ontario
F Jada Bediako So. 6-3 4.0 Brampton, Ontario
➜ FYI: Porter was one of six transfers first-year coach Cara Consuegra brought in during the offseason with the junior guard following her coach from Charlotte to Marquette after Porter started every game for the 49ers last season, with Charlotte finishing 22-10 and making the NCAA tournament. Jaidynn Mason (Southern Illinois), Kennedi Perkins (Syracuse), Ayuen Akot (Frank Phillips College), Aryelle Stevens (Gulf Coast State College) and Bediako (Georgia Tech) were also among the transfer additions.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Bridget Utberg Jr. 5-5 3.0 Canton, Ga.
F Aryelle Stevens Jr. 6-1 2.0 Pearland, Texas
G Kennedi Perkins Jr. 5-6 2.0 Bolingbrook
Details
➜ Site: State Farm Center (15,544); Champaign.
➜ TV: Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Shimmy Gray-Miller (analysis) will have the call on BTN.
➜ Radio: Mike Koon will have the call on WDWS 1400-AM and 93.9-FM.
➜ Series: Marquette leads 6-2.
➜ Last meeting: Marquette won 71-67 on Nov. 11, 2023, in Milwaukee.
➜ FYI: That four-point win for the Golden Eagles saw Liza Karlen go off for a game-high 22 points and Jordan King add 19 points as Illinois played without Makira Cook because of a concussion. But neither player is back at Marquette this season. King exhausted her eligibility and Karlen transferred to Notre Dame.
Beat writer Joe Vozzelli’s storylines
Taking accountability as starters
A major talking point throughout the offseason for Illinois was fixing what had troubled the Illini last winter: Poor starts to games. Particularly in Big Ten play. So much so that Illinois coach Shauna Green didn’t just address it in the practice gym with different drills last season, but through visualization techniques, as well. Still, fifth-year senior Kendall Bostic made it clear where the responsibility lies to improve how Illinois starts games: On the players.
“The starters had a meeting earlier this week and just kind of talked about what we needed to do,” Bostic said. “In the end, it’s on us. We’re the ones that go out and start the game and essentially, when the hole is dug, it’s because we dug it ourselves.”
Getting to the rim, and finishing
Adalia McKenzie‘s ability to beat defenders off the bounce on straight-line drives is one of the 5-foot-10 guard’s best skill sets. But finishing at the rim has been an issue for the Illinois senior guard. But the Illini’s 83-74 win against Florida State on Thursday night featured McKenzie both driving and finishing. The highlight of the 20 points she scored came in the third quarter when McKenzie hung in the air and finished through contact from Seminoles guard Carla Viegas.
“I would just thank my teammates and coaches, them always putting confidence in me, and just work,” McKenzie said of showing more strength at the rim so far this season. “Actually just working on doing layups and being aggressive in practice.”
A banner night is in the plans
Sunday night will feature a banner celebration for Illinois before it tips off against Marquette. A first of sorts. The Illini will have a pregame ceremony, a banner unveiling and a banner raising to recognize the WBIT championship the program won last spring.
Carrying the momentum from how Illinois finished last season and continuing to build off that is top of mind for a veteran Illini team.
“Where the program started to where it is now, I think it’s absolutely insane,” Bostic said. “I’m really proud of everyone who has believed in this program, came in and put the work in. We have put a ton of work into everything, and the coaches have come in and changed our system. They got us to buy-in, and we bought into it. I’m just really proud of everybody across the board. It’s so cool to be a part of the foundation that turned Illinois around.”
The News-Gazette’s Pick
Illinois 75, Marquette 65
Now, comes a new test for the Illini: How does Illinois handle a big season-opening win? Avoiding a letdown on Sunday night after the impressive victory against Florida State is critical. Especially with the Golden Eagles, who lost 57-50 at UCF in their opener, still trying to find themselves after an offseason coaching change and with a new-look roster. (News-Gazette prediction record: 0-1).
