((ANDY)) EXPECTATIONS ARE SKY
HIGH FOR THE FIGHTING ILLINI
THIS SEASON. RETURNING
STARTERS, TWO TOP 50 FRESHMEN,
BUT WOULD THE ILLINI ACE THEIR
FIRST TEST? WE HEAD TO THE
STATE FARM CENTER WHERE...
--NO FANS ALLOWD THIS YEAR,
THE ILLINI MAKING THEIR DEBUT
ADAM MILLER MAKING HIS FIRST
CAREER START --HE ALSO SCORES
THE FIRST BUCKET OF THE 2020
SEASON...STARTING OFF HIS
CAREER WITH BACK TO BACK
THREES --AYO DOSUNMU RETURNING
YEAR THREE, HE TAKES IT BEHIND
THE ARC AS WELL, ILLINI GO UP
14-5 --ILLINI KEEP KNOCKING
THEM DOWN JACOB GRANDISON GETS
HIS FIRST BUCKET AS AN ILLINI
AS A TRANSFER --THEN THEY FIND
KOFI COCKBURN INSIDE, THE BIG
MAN SLAMS IT DOWN, THE
SOPHOMORE HAD 18 POINTS TODAY
BUCKET AYO KNOCKS DOWN HIS
THIRD THREE OF THE GAME --THEY
KEPT THE AGGIES TO JUST 5
POINTS FOR MORE THAN 9
MINUTES, UNTIL BLAKE HARRIS
GETS TWO MORE ON THE BOARD.
--MILLER SHOWING NO MERCY
THOUGH, HE KNOCKS DOWN BACK TO
BACK THREES TO MAKE IT 53-18
--GIORGI BEZHANISHVILI GOES
STRONG IN THE PAINT, GETS THE
PUTBACK BUCKET AND THE ILLINI
HEAD INTO HALFTIME WITH A
58-19 LEAD. --DOSUNMU OPENS
THE SECOND HALF STRONG, THREE
BUCKETS IN A ROW AS THE ILLINI
CONTINUE TO RUN THE FLOOR,
THEY NOW LEAD BY 50. --LATER
ON TRENT FRAZIER WITH THE NICE
PASS TO MILLER FOR THE EASY
LAYUP, MILLER SET A FRESHMAN
RECORD WITH 28 POINTS IN HIS
DEBUT --THE OTHER ILLINI
FRESHMAN, ANDRE CURBELO, MAKES
IT 81-27 WITH A BUCKET IN
TRANSTION, HE SCORED 8 TODAY
--AGGIES TRYING TO CLOSE THE
GAP, BUT IT'S FAR TOO WIDE,
HERE'S TRENT FRAZIER WITH THE
RECORD- BREAKING THREE TO MAKE
IT 17 FOR THE GAME, THE MOST
THEY'VE EVER MADE IN PROGRAM
HISTORY ILLINOIS STARTS 1-0.
THEY WIN THIS ONE 122-60.
W-C-I-A-THREE'S MARLEE WIERDA
HAS MORE ON THE DOMINATING WIN
AT THE STATE FARM CENTER
THE ILLINI MADE THEIR SEASON
DEBUT AS THE NO. 8 TEAM IN THE
COUNTRY AND THEY LOOKED THE
PART, ESPECIALLY FRESHMAN ADAM
MILLER. HE MADE HIS FIRST
CAREER START AS COLLEGE
BASKETBALL PLAYER, SCORING 28
POINTS
ILLINOIS FRESHMAN DEBUT. ADAM
MILLER: "JUST GO OUT THERE AND
DO YOU, HAVE FUN. IMMA DO THAT
EVERY SINGLE GAME, SO EVERY
SINGLE GAME I FEEL LIKE YOU
GUYS SHOULDN'T BE SURPRSIED IF
I PUT UP NUMBERS LIKE THIS,
AND GO OUT AND PLAY HARD.
THAT'S ALL I CAN DO IS COME
OUT AND HELP THE TEAM WIN, I
JUST WANT A PERFECT STORY."
MILLER LED THE ILLINI WITH AN
IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE BEHIND
THE ARC...THE TEAM SHOOTING 17
HAVING HIS FORMER MORGAN PARK
TEAMMATE ALSO HELPED. ATO
DOSUNMU SCORED A CAREER HIGH
28 POINTS, ALSO MAKING 11
THREE POINTERS. AYO DOSUNMU:
"WE STILL HAVE A CHIP ON OUR
SHOULDER BECAUSE WE WANT MORE.
IT'S GOOD TO GET RECOGNITION
THAT WE TRULY DESERVE BUT AT
THE END OF THE DAY, WE KNOW
OUR EXPECTATIONS WE KNOW OUR
CELING, AND WE'RE NO WHERE
NEAR OUR CEILING AND I THINK
THE WHOLE TEAM RECOGNIZES
THAT." A HISTORIC DAY WAS FELT
IN MORE WAYS THEN ONE, AS THEY
PLAYED IN AN EMPTY ARENA WITH
LESS THAN 150 PEOPLE IN THE
"IT'S DIFFERENT, ESPECIALLY
BECAUSE WE HAVE THE BEST FAN
BASE IN THE COUNTRY. I HOPE
SOONER THAN LATER WE'RE BACK
IN THAT POSITION WHERE EVERY
SEATS FILLED, AND IN THE
MEANTIME, WE'LL HAVE TO GROW
ACCUSTOMED TO WHAT IS NOW OUR
NEW NORM." THIS UNPRECDENTED
SEASON CONTINUES FOR DAY TWO,
THE ILLINI HOST CHICAGO STATE
FOR THE SECOND GAME OF THE
MTE. REPORTING FOR YOUR ILLINI
NATION, MARLEE WIERDA, WCIA 3
SPORTS.
WE HAVE PLENTY MORE FROM THE
GAME ONLINE AT W- C-I-A.COM.
INCLUDING THE THREE-IN-ONE
PODCAST WHERE WE DIVE A LITTLE
BIT DEEPER INTO TODAY'S GAME.
((JESSICA)) SPENDING THE
HOLIDAYS AWAY FROM LOVED ONES
CAN BE HARD .. THE MESSAGE
FROM SOME NATIONAL GUARD
TROOPS OVERSEAS. ((PAUL)) PLUS