Game Details
Exhibition - Lindenwood vs. Illinois
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
7:00 p.m. 
Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
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Things to Know
• The Lindenwood men's basketball team will travel to Champaign, Ill. for an exhibition contest against the University of Illinois on Tuesday evening. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. from State Farm Center.

• Lindenwood's matchup with Illinois will mark the fourth straight season in which the Lions will have an NCAA Division I exhibition game on their schedule. Over the previous three seasons, Lindenwood has matched up with UAB (2016-17), Marquette (2017-18), and Illinois State (2018-19), respectively.

• Lindenwood will arrive in Champaign, Ill. with a 3-1 record on the season, after winning three consecutive games to begin the 2018-19 season.

• The Lions suffered an 81-73 setback in their last game on Nov. 20 at home versus No. 3 Bellarmine. Lindenwood carried an eight-point lead into halftime against the third-ranked Knights, before ultimately suffering an eight-point loss.

• Following its exhibition with Illinois, Lindenwood will resume the NCAA DII portion of its schedule. The Lions will pick back up following the Thanksgiving holiday with their first-ever GLVC matchup. Lindenwood will take on crosstown rival, Missouri-St. Louis on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. from St. Louis, Mo.

Lindenwood Notes
• TJ Crockett continues to pace the Lindenwood offense, after leading the team in scoring for the fourth time in as many games on Nov. 20 against Bellarmine. Crockett finished the game with a team-high 23-point effort.

• Crockett connected on 7-of-11 from the field against Bellarmine, bringing his shooting percentage to 52.1 percent for the season.

• Crockett has eclipsed the 20-point plateau in every game this season, and his average of 26.8 points per game is fifth in all of NCAA Division II.

• Cameron Scales lit it up from three-point range during the game against Bellarmine on Nov. 20. Scales knocked down 6-of-9 from behind the arc, en route to a career-high 20-point performance.

• Scales is now shooting 55.0 percent (11-of-20) from three-point territory. Scales ranks 15th in NCAA Division II and leads the GLVC in three-point field-goal percentage.

• Scales tied for the team lead with three rebounds against Bellarmine, and has now led Lindenwood on the glass in three straight games. Scales is averaging 5.0 rebounds per game this season, the highest average on the team.

• Vijay Blackmon scored in double figures for the third straight game against No. 3 Bellarmine on Nov. 20, finishing the evening with 11 points.

• Blackmon hit on 2-of-6 from three-point range, giving him three straight games with multiple makes from deep.

• Sukhman Bhinder picked up a career-high eight points in the game against No. 3 Bellarmine. Bhinder drilled two threes in the game, raising his shooting percentage to 40.0 percent (4-of-10) from long range this season.

• Bhinder dished out five assists in the game against Bellarmine, marking the fourth time this season that he has led the team in assists.

• Bhinder is averaging 5.0 assists per game this season, ranking fourth in the GLVC and 57th nationally in the category.

• The Lions shot exactly 50.0 percent (25-of-50) from the field in their game against Bellarmine, including makes on 13-of-26 from three-point range.

• As a team, Lindenwood ranks sixth in the GLVC in three-point field-goal percentage (38.2 percent), and has hit at least 10 triples in each of its last three games.

• Lindenwood turned the ball over a season-high 21 times in the game against the third-ranked Knights. Despite that, the Lions still rank seventh in NCAA Division II in turnovers per game (9.8 turnovers per game).

• Lindenwood outscored Bellarmine by a 42-34 score during the first half on Nov. 20. Lindenwood had previously been 3-0 on the season when leading its opponents at halftime. Since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, the Lions are now 55-10 when carrying a lead into halftime.

Scouting the Competition
• Illinois stands at 5-1 on the season, including a 4-0 mark from the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. 

• The Fighting Illini have rattled off wins in each of their last games, all of which were played at home.

• Illinois defeated another GLVC program earlier this season, defeating Lewis 83-50 on Nov. 1

• Illinois concluded the 2018-19 season with a 12-21 record, including a 7-13 mark from within the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini advanced to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, ultimately falling to Iowa.

• In its most recent game, Illinois cruised to a 49-point victory over Hampton, winning by a final score of 120-71.

• Illinois has a trio of scorers averaging above 15.0 points per game this season, including Kofi Cockburn (15.8 ppg), Andres Feliz (15.2 ppg), and Ayo Dosunmu (15.0 ppg).

• Cockburn is also the team's leading rebounder through six games this season, grabbing 12.7 boards per game.