Dec. 5, 2014
* Stats from 2013-14 season
Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 134-85/.612 (7th year)
At Illinois: 49-29/.628 (3rd year)
Big Ten: 15-21/.417
Series Notes vs. American
Series Record: Illinois leads 1-0
Series Streak: Illinois W-1
Record at Champaign: Illinois leads 1-0
Series Streak at Champaign: Illinois W-1
Last Meeting: #16 Illinois 108, American 84 (Dec. 11, 1993 at Champaign)
Groce vs. American: First meeting
Opening Tips
• Illinois returns to State Farm Center on Saturday, facing American in its lone home game over a current six-game stretch. The Illini are coming off trips to Las Vegas and Miami and travel to New York City and Chicago next week.
• Coach John Groce's next victory will be his 50th career win at Illinois.
• Senior Rayvonte Rice is the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top five in both scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg). Rice also ranks in the top five in the conference in steals (fourth, 2.4 spg) and 3-point field goal shooting (third, 51.9 percent).
Back in the Top 25
Illinois has entered the Top 25 for the first time this season, debuting at No. 24 in this week's Associated Press poll and No. 25 in the current USA Today Coaches poll.
The Illini basketball program has now appeared in the AP rankings during all three years of Coach Groce's tenure, as well as each of the last seven seasons, 19 of the last 22 seasons, and 48 seasons all-time.
Among the Best
• Illinois ranks 11th in the nation in scoring (85.9 ppg), 10th in scoring margin (+22.0 ppg), 19th in 3-point field goals (9.4 avg.) and 19th in free throw percentage (.758).
• Illinois ranks second in the nation in turnover percentage (.120) and turnovers (8.6 avg.), fifth in turnover margin (+6.4) and ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.75).
• Illinois ranks 22nd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency by Ken Pomeroy (90.9).
Illini Items
• Five different players have been the Illini's leading scorer in a game this season.
• Senior Rayvonte Rice has an offensive rating of 136.4 on the season, ranked eighth nationally among players with at least 24 percent of possessions used (KenPom).
• Rice has significantly improved his shooting this year. He is currently shooting 56.6 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from 3-point range, after entering his senior season as a 42.4 percent career shooter, including 28 percent from behind the arc.
• Rice is one of only three Big Ten players to score at least 14 points in every game this year, along with Nebraska's Terran Petteway and Penn State's D.J. Newbill.
• Rice has scored at least 12 points in every non-conference game of his Illini career.
• Rice is averaging 9.0 rebounds over the last four games (36).
• Rice averaged 20.0 points over the last three games (60), all away from home.
• Sophomore Malcolm Hill has an offensive rating of 123.6 on the season, ranked 28th nationally among players with at least 24 percent of possessions used (KenPom).
• Hill has scored in double figures in all seven games this season. He has currently more than tripled his scoring average this year (14.0 ppg) compared to his freshman campaign (4.4 ppg).
• Hill has 40 free throw attempts through seven games and has a free throw rate of 69.0.
• Hill leads the Illini with 20 offensive rebounds, owning an offensive rebound percentage of 12.5.
• Senior Nnanna Egwu has tallied 154 career blocked shots, 23 away from equaling the Illini all-time record.
• Egwu is averaging 8.5 rebounds over the last two games (17). He is averaging 3.3 offensive rebounds over the last four games (17) after grabbing just one offensive board through the first three games of the season.
• Egwu has knocked down four 3-pointers in seven games after totaling just five treys all of last season.
• Senior Ahmad Starks ranks second in the Big Ten and ninth in the nation with a 5.5 assist/turnover ratio. Starks has tallied 22 assists with just four turnovers in 163 minutes.
• Sophomore Kendrick Nunn has increased his scoring average to 9.1 points after averaging 6.2 points as a freshman.
• Nunn is shooting 47.8 percent from 3-point range, ranking sixth in the Big Ten. He shot 38.8 percent from behind the arc last season.
Complete Illinois-American Game Notes (PDF)
