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Illinois 88, Indiana State 62
Illinois Postgame Notes
Nov. 27, 2014 // Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational
Orleans Arena // Las Vegas, Nev.

1. With Thursday's win over Indiana State, Illinois advances to the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational on Friday night at 9:30 CT/7 PT against either Baylor or Memphis (who play Thursday night at 11 pm CT). The Illini are seeking their ninth Exempt/MTE tournament title since 2001.

2. Illinois improved to 5-0 on the season, marking the fourth-straight season that the Illini have started the season with at least five straight wins. The Illini started 10-0 in 2011-12, 13-0 in 2012-13 and 7-0 in 2013-14.

3. Illinois has scored at least 80-plus points in all five games this season. After five games, the Illini are averaging 95.6 points per game, third-best in the nation, while holding opponents to 64.6 points per game.

4. Illinois improved its current winning streak in the month of November to 31 games, marking the longest active streak in the country in the opening month of the season. The Illini also are 20-0 in the month of November under head coach John Groce.

5. The Illini had 15 steals on the night, equaling the most for Illinois in game since having 15 against Gonzaga on Jan. 2, 2010. Rayvonte Rice's five steals led the defensive attack and Kendrick Nunn added three thefts.

6. Five Illini scored in double figures, marking the fourth game in a row with at least five Illini in double figures. Rayvonte Rice (21), Malcolm Hill (17), Aaron Cosby (10), Nnanna Egwu (10) and Kendrick Nunn (10) all were in double-figures for the Orange and Blue.

7. The Orange and Blue started the game with a 30-8 run and never looked back. Illinois started the game on fire hitting its first five shots and eight of its first nine. The lead got as high as 30 and never was smaller than 17 in the second half.

8. Senior Rayvonte Rice had a monster game for the Illini, pouring in a game-high 21 points, pulling down seven rebounds and tying his career-high with five steals. Through five games, Rice is averaging 18.0 points per game, shooting 62 percent from the field and 65 percent from three.

9. Sophomore Malcolm Hill scored a career-high 17 points thanks to career-highs in both free throws made (11) and attempted (12). Hill's career-high in scoring before tonight was 16 points against Austin Peay earlier this season.

10. The Illini forced a season-high 20 turnovers and converted that into a 21-7 edge in points off turnovers.

11. The Illini dominated the glass (46-33), especially on the offensive end (13-5) and turned that into a 12-4 advantage in second chance points. Aaron Cosby and Malcolm Hill each pulled down a game-high eight boards.