Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 148-101/.594 (8th year)
At Illinois: 63-45/.583 (4th year)
Big Ten: 24-30/.444
Series Notes vs. Chicago State
All-Time Series Record: Illinois leads 11-0
Series Streak: Illinois W-11
Last Meeting: Illinois 77, Chicago State 53 (Nov. 22, 2013 at Champaign)
Groce vs. Chicago State: 1-0
Wrapping Up in the Capital
Illinois relocated an exhibition game and its first four regular season home games to the Springfield Prairie Capital Convention Center (PCCC) while the current phase of State Farm Center renovations continue on campus.
Illinois is covering its games at the state capital in three total trips. First up was a one-night stay for an exhibition game on Nov. 8. The Illini returned on Nov. 12 and stayed through Nov. 15 while taking on North Florida and North Dakota State during the opening weekend of play. Illinois made its final trek to Springfield on Nov. 20 prior to the Chattanooga game, and will depart Monday night following the Chicago State game.
Emerald Coast Classic
Illinois' games against Chattanooga and Chicago State are preliminary round action for the Emerald Coast Classic. The Illini will depart Wednesday for Destin, Florida for the final two rounds of the tournament, held at the Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State.
Illinois takes on UAB in the semifinals on Friday at 8:30 pm, following the Iowa State-Virginia Tech game. The consolation game will be held on Saturday at 3:30 pm, followed by the championship at 6 pm. Both semifinal games along with the title game will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
The Traveling Illini
Illinois is in a unique situation for a high-major conference team, playing every November game away from home before making its State Farm Center debut on Dec. 2. By the end of college basketball's opening month, the Illini will have traveled 3,926 miles and spent 12 nights in hotels.
Illini Items
• The Illini have started a different lineup in every game this season.
• Illinois made 51.7 percent from the field Saturday against Chattanooga, marking the first time under Coach John Groce and since Feb. 9, 2012 that the Illini lost when shooting at least 50 percent.
• Illinois is getting 29.3 points per game from its bench, outscoring the opposing bench by an average of 10.3 points. Last season the UI averaged 18.7 points in bench scoring.
• The Illini are averaging 30.5 points in the paint this season, compared to 22.4 points last year.
• Illinois has had 59.3 percent of its scoring come from 2-point range, ranking 23rd nationally.
• Malcolm Hill has scored in double figures in every game this season and currently ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring with an average of 18.3 points.
• Hill's scoring average is the highest by an Illini after four games since Brandon Paul in 2012 (21.3 ppg).
• Hill has played in 151 of 160 minutes, ranking 24th nationally in percentage of minutes played (.944).
• Hill has made 15-of-30 shots over the last two games (50 percent) after hitting just 9-of-29 from the field over the season's first two games (31 percent).
• Mike Thorne Jr. has an offensive rating of 107.7, ranking third in the Big Ten and 56th nationally among players with at least 28 percent of possessions used (KenPom).
• Thorne is averaging 16.0 points, a nearly six-point increase from last season at Charlotte (10.1 ppg).
• Thorne is third in the Big Ten in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and second in the league with 15 offensive rebounds.
• Hill and Thorne have each recorded two double-doubles on the young season.
• Michael Finke is averaging 9.5 points (19) and 4.0 rebounds (8) over the last two games.
• Maverick Morgan ranks sixth in the conference in field goal shooting at 63.3 percent (14-22).
• Alex Austin owns a 7-to-1 assist/turnover ratio, with seven assists and only one turnover in 89 minutes.
Tested Early and Often
Illinois is the only program in the nation that opened the season with three straight games against teams that participated in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. North Florida (Atlantic Sun) and North Dakota State (Summit) earned automatic bids while Providence (Big East) was an at-large selection. Chattanooga, meanwhile, is the preseason pick to win the Southern Conference. All four opponents are currently ranked 111th or higher by KenPom.
Last Time Out: Chattanooga 81, Illini 77 (Nov. 21)
The Illini bounced back from a slow start, but a late 3-point shooting spree led Chattanooga to a comeback victory Saturday night at the Prairie Capital Convention Center.
The Mocs scored 11 of the game's first 13 points, putting Illinois in the position of fighting back from an early deficit for the third straight time in Springfield. Chattanooga's lead grew to as many as 15 points, but the Illini cut it to seven over the final 10 minutes of the half to trail by seven at the break.
Facing a 10-point deficit early in the second half, Illinois made its move with an impressive 29-10 run to grab its biggest lead of the night at 69-60. The Illini scored on 14 of 20 possessions during the spurt, with Malcolm Hill accounting for 10 points over that stretch and Mike Thorne Jr. adding eight.
Unfortunately for the Orange and Blue, Chattanooga made the game's final run, outscoring the Illini 21-8 over the final 6:09. The Mocs hit five straight 3-pointers during their comeback. Trailing by five with less than a minute left, Michael Finke drained a 3-pointer to bring the Illini within two. Following a UTC turnover, Finke missed a 3-point attempt with 12 seconds remaining that would have given the Illini the lead. The Mocs then made two free throws to close out the game.
Malcolm Hill scored a season-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting to lead the Illini, adding three assists and a career-high three steals. Mike Thorne notched his second double-double in four games, tallying 18 points on 7-of-12 accuracy and 11 boards.
