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ILLINI LEGENDS, LISTS & LORE

Illinois' 1998 Big Ten champions

University of Illinois basketball fans rate the 1998 Big Ten season as one of the most appreciated performances ever. Five underrated seniors – Kevin Turner, Matt Heldman, Jerry Hester, Jarrod Gee and Brian Johnson – started every Big Ten game and led the Illini to their first conference championship since the 1989 Flyin' Illini. A review of their season, by the numbers:

5 – Freshmen recruited by coach Lon Kruger following the '98 season (Robert Archibald, Lucas Johnson, Damir Krupalija, Frank Williams and Nate Mast)

7 – Illini win seventh game in a row, defeating No. 13 Michigan State

13 – Big Ten victories posted by the 1998 Illini

23 – Total victories by Illinois' 1997-98 squad

35 – Career-high points scored by Kevin Turner, against Indiana

44 – Points scored by Northwestern in a 59-44 loss to Illinois

78 – Percentage of minutes the starting five played in 16 Big Ten games

84 – Percentage of the team's overall scoring provided by the five seniors

87 – Percentage of the team's Big Ten game scoring provided by the seniors

105 – Points scored by Illinois in a 25-point nonconference win against Texas

Illini Birthdays

Sunday: Quinn Richardson, basketball (49)

Monday: Franklin Payne, football (26)

Tuesday: Iveta Marcauskaite, basketball (28)

Wednesday: Craig Swoope, football (46)

Thursday: Royce Ramey, tennis (30)

Friday: Lindsey Carstens, soccer (24)

Saturday: Augie Garrido, baseball coach (71)

By Mike Pearson, Author of Illini Legends, Lists & Lore, Assistant Athletic Director at Miami University