FACTS & STATS: Site: Assembly Hall (16,618) -- Champaign, Illinois. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Wofford 1-0, Illinois 3-0. Away Record: Wofford 1-2, Illinois 0-0. Neutral Record: Wofford 0-0, Illinois 0-0. Conference Record: Wofford 0-0, Illinois 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The 20th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini put the wraps on their season-opening four-game homestand when they entertain the Wofford Terriers tonight at Assembly Hall in Champaign. This is the first-ever meeting between these two teams on the hardwood, and the game is part of the Las Vegas Invitational. Both teams will be back in action on Friday in Sin City, with Wofford battling Southern, and Illinois taking on Utah.

Wofford is 2-2 on the young season, logging wins over Georgia (60-57) and Lees McRae (81-39), while its two losses have come in close games with Pittsburgh (63-60) and Bradley (56-54). The Bradley game took place on Sunday in Peoria and was part of this event. Last season was the Terriers' most successful since joining the Southern Conference, as they went 16-14 overall and won 12 of their 20 league bouts.

Illinois is expected to challenge for the Big Ten Conference crown this season and the team is off to a solid start, despite an obvious lack of competition. Blowout victories over SIU-Edwardsville (96-69), Northern Illinois (80-61) and Presbyterian (94-48) don't exactly tell the whole story, but this team is talented and should log more than its share of big wins before it's all said and done.

As mentioned, even in the games Wofford has lost, the team has been competitive. This despite only one player averaging double digits in the scoring column, as Noah Dahlman is hitting 53.3 percent of his field goal attempts in putting up 14.8 ppg. Dahlman is also the club's leading rebounder (6.5 rpg). No other player is netting more than 7.0 ppg (Junior Salters), so the name of the game for the Terriers is score just enough, while at the same time limiting the point-producing opportunities of the opposition. So far, so good as foes are scoring just 53.8 ppg on 41.1 field goal accuracy and only 19.6 percent from three-point range. Salters was the high man in the recent loss to Bradley with his 15 points, the bulk of which came on four treys, while Dahlman added 11 points and grabbed six boards. Wofford shot just 33.3 percent from the field, while Bradley hit 41.7 percent of its total shots. Long-range bombs didn't really fall for either team, with the Terriers going 7-of-28 and the Braves a mere 2-of-16.

In stark contrast to their offensively-challenged counterparts tonight, the Illini are averaging 90.0 ppg and have three players netting double digits on a consistent basis. Brandon Paul is shooting 44.4 percent from beyond the arc in scoring 16.7 ppg, while Mike Davis averages a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds per game. D.J. Richardson turns in 11.3 ppg, and Demetri McCamey sets them all up with his 8.3 apg. Again, while the competition hasn't been there to this point, you still need to hit your shots and that is exactly what Illinois is doing, coming in at 51.3 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point land. Rebounding has been another major reason for the team's early success, as the Illini own a +14.7 edge on the glass. Richardson led the way in the recent rout of Presbyterian, draining four triples in finishing with 15 points. Davis contributed 12 points and nine rebounds, while McCamey dished out 10 assists. Alex Legion came off the bench to tally 11 points. The Illini came away with 48 rebounds compared to just 19 for the Blue Hose.

Although they have played tough here in the early going, the Terriers are no match for the Illini, particularly on their own floor.

Predicted Outcome

Illinois 78, Wofford 59