Dec. 9, 2013
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: John Groce
Career Record: 116-70/.624 (5th year)
At Illinois: 31-14/.689 (2nd year)
Assistant Coaches: Dustin Ford (2nd year), Paris Parham (2nd year), Jamall Walker (2nd year)
Special Assistant to the Head Coach: Ryan Pedon (1st year)
Series Notes vs. Dartmouth
Series Record: First meeting
Last Meeting:  N/A
Series Streak: N/A
Record at Champaign: First meeting
Series Streak at Champaign: N/A
Groce vs. Dartmouth: First meeting
Illini Items
• Following a pair of trips to Atlanta, Illinois returns to State Farm on Tuesday to face Dartmouth in the UI's lone home contest over a current six-game stretch.
• The match-up with the Big Green also is Illinois' final home non-conference game this season. The Illini have won 28 straight non-conference games at State Farm Center, and carry a 39-game home court winning streak in regular season non-conference games.
• Junior transfer Rayvonte Rice is the first Illini newcomer to score in double figures in each of his first nine games since Kiwane Garris did so in his first 10 games as a freshman in 1993-94.
• Rice is one of only two Big Ten players to score at least 12 points in every game this year, along with Penn State's D.J. Newbill.
• Rice has led the Illini in scoring in each of the last four games, averaging 22.0 points (88) on 51.7 percent shooting (31-60), including 41.7 percent accuracy from 3-point range (10-24).
• Rice is shooting 41.4 percent from 3-point range over the last five games (12-29), after shooting 17.6 percent behind the arc over the first four games (3-17).
• Rice has collected 11 steals over the last five games after combining for one steal through the first four games.
• Tracy Abrams scored a season-high 17 points in Sunday's win over Auburn. He made 7-of-10 shots, and tied his career high with three 3-pointers (3-5). This followed a 4-game stretch where Abrams missed all 11 of his 3-point attempts.
• Jon Ekey also was a force offensively against Auburn, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and 4-of-6 on 3-pointers. In his previous three games, Ekey combined for 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting, and 3-of-15 from three.
• Joseph Bertrand is shooting 61.1 percent from the field over the last three games (11-18).
• Bertrand is shooting 61.5 percent from 3-point range this season (8-13) after entering his senior season as a career 31.1 percent shooter from behind the arc (20-64).
• The starting five has clearly carried the scoring load, combining for 80.2 percent of Illinois' points on the season (522 of 651).
• Freshman Jaylon Tate ranks second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally with an assist/turnover ratio of 4.4 (35 assists, 8 turnovers).
• Illinois ranks eighth nationally in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 58.7 points per game. The Illini are 16th in the nation, meanwhile, in field goal percentage defense at 37.3 percent.
• This is the first time in eight seasons that Illinois has held each of its first nine opponents to less than 70 points, since the 2005-06 UI squad did so in the first 16 games.
• Illinois has rebounded 39.9 percent of its misses, ranking 18th in the nation in offensive rebound percentage.
Broadcast Information
Tuesday's game vs. Dartmouth will be streamed live at FightingIllini.com. The video streams are part of the Illini All-Access package via the Big Ten Digital Network (BTDN), available through monthly or annual subscription. The Illini All-Access subscription includes all streamed events involving Illini athletics. The service is $9.95 per month and fans can sign-up at FightingIllini.com.
The game will be televised tape-delay. The BTN is scheduled to air the Illinois-Dartmouth game on Thursday (Dec. 12) at 6 p.m.
Countdown to 1,700
With an all-time record of 1,698-910, Illinois stands just two wins away from collecting its 1,700th victory, aiming to become the 13th program in NCAA Div. I history to reach that milestone. Illinois is the 11th-winningest program in NCAA history by percentage, meanwhile, with a 65.1 all-time winning percentage. Here is a list of the current 1,700-win club in NCAA Div. I:
Rk. School All-Time Wins Next Game
1. Kentucky 2,118 Dec. 10
2. Kansas 2,107 Dec. 10
3. North Carolina 2,096 Dec. 14
4. Duke 2,008 Dec. 16
5. Syracuse 1,883 Dec. 15
6. Temple 1,818 Dec. 18
7. UCLA 1,761 Dec. 14
8. St. John's 1,760 Dec. 15
9. Notre Dame 1,754 Dec. 9
10. Indiana 1,726 Dec. 10
11. Pennsylvania 1,708 Dec. 22
12. Louisville 1,705 Dec. 14
13. Illinois 1,698 Dec. 10
14. BYU 1,697 Dec. 11
Game 9 Notes: Illini 81, Auburn 62 (Dec. 8)
1. Illinois quickly bounced back from a road loss at Georgia Tech, defeating Auburn in a return trip to Atlanta. The Illini set the tone right away, scoring a season-high 41 first-half points while holding Auburn to just 17 points, the fewest in a half by a UI opponent this year. Illinois led by as many as 32 points with seven minutes remaining - its largest advantage of the season - before finishing with the 19-point victory.
2. Illinois shot a sizzling 61.5 percent (32-52), its best shooting performance under Groce and the highest by the Illini since setting a school record with 70.5 percent accuracy (31-44) vs. Northwestern on Jan. 6, 2011.
3. Illinois shot 52.2 percent from 3-point range (12-23) against the Tigers, its best performance since connecting on 61.1 percent (11-18) from behind the arc against Ohio State on Jan. 10, 2012.
4. The 12 made three-pointers against Auburn marked a season high, and the most by the Illini since hitting 14 treys last season against Georgia Tech (Nov. 28).
5. Illinois' ball movement led to many of the scoring opportunities against the Tigers. The Illini tied a season high with 19 assists, and recorded assists on nearly 60 percent of its 32 field goals.
6. Rayvonte Rice led the way with 22 points, marking the fourth straight game - and sixth time this season - that he has been the Illini's leading scorer.
7. Tracy Abrams scored a season-high 17 points and tied his career high with three 3-pointers.
8. Jon Ekey reached double figures for the first time in four games, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and 4-of-6 on 3-pointers.
Complete Illinois-Dartmouth Notes
