Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 149-101/.596 (8th year)
At Illinois: 64-45/.587 (4th year)
Big Ten: 24-30/.444
Series Notes vs. UAB
Series Record: UAB leads 1-0
Series Streak: UAB W-1
Record at Neutral Sites: UAB leads 1-0
Last Meeting: UAB 59, Illinois 52, (Nov. 24, 1984 at Anchorage, Alaska)
Groce vs. UAB: First meeting
Illini Look to Continue In-Season Tournament Success
Illinois heads to the Emerald Coast Classic looking to extend its streak of in-season tournament titles under Coach John Groce. Illinois won multi-team event tournaments in each of Groce's first three seasons, claiming the 2012 Maui Invitational, the 2013 Global Sports Invitational, and most recently the 2014 Las Vegas Invitational. Overall, the Illini have taken the crown in nine of their last 12 Exempt/MTE tournaments:
2001 Las Vegas Invitational
2004 Las Vegas Holiday Classic
2005 South Padre Island Invitational
2006 Chicago Invitational Challeng
2008 South Padre Island Invitational
2011 Cancun Challenge
2012 Maui Invitational
2013 Global Sports Invitational
2014 Las Vegas Invitational
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.
Last Time Out: Illini 82, Chicago State 79 (Nov. 23)
Illinois went out on a high note at the Springfield Prairie Capital Convention Center, fighting back from a 14-point deficit to defeat Chicago State on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands.
The trend of hot 3-point shooting by the opposition continued for the fourth straight game at the PCCC, as five of the Cougars' drained 11 treys on the night. Chicago State went on two first half runs, first scoring eight straight to take a six-point lead, and later adding a 13-3 spurt to extend its lead to 14. The Illini closed with six straight in less than a minute to cut the deficit to eight at the half.
Chicago State slowly built its lead back to 14 with 11 minutes remaining. That's when the Illini went on their pivotal run, reeling off 14 unanswered over a three-and-a-half minute stretch to tie the game at 66 with 7:40 to go.
Neither team led by more than four the rest of the way, and with the Illini trailing by two with 40 seconds left, Malcolm Hill grabbed a steal following a CSU defensive rebound and dished to Khalid Lewis, who hit a jumper to tie it at 79. The UI defense then got the job done, forcing a shot-clock violation on the Cougars' final possession.
Illinois had the ball with 4.6 seconds remaining and went to Hill, who drove up court and when double-teamed, found Jalen Coleman Lands wide open in the corner. Coleman-Lands launched a 3-pointer that left his hand with 0.1 on the clock, carried through the air as the horn sounded, and then splashed through the net for the game winner.
Michael Finke was one of four Illini to score in double figures, leading the way with 17 points. Hill, Coleman-Lands and Mike Thorne Jr. each finished with 12. Illinois grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and converted those into 12 points, holding a 12-2 edge over Chicago State in second-chance points. The Illini also made 29 free throws and equaled a season high with nine 3-pointers.
Buzzer Beaters Becoming the Norm Under Groce
Jalen Coleman Lands' 3-pointer to down Chicago State marked the fifth buzzer beater of Coach John Groce's Illini tenure, joining the following clock-expiring game winners:
Rayvonte Rice 3-pointer vs. Missouri – Dec. 20, 2014
Brandon Paul jumper vs. Minnesota – March 14, 2013
Tyler Griffey layup vs. No. 1 Indiana – Feb. 7, 2013
D.J. Richardson 3-pointer at Hawaii – Nov. 16, 2012
Illinois went the previous 12 seasons prior to Groce's arrival with just one buzzer beater, a runner by Demetri McCamey to defeat Indiana on Jan. 30, 2010.
In addition to the five buzzer beaters, the Illini also have made three additional game winners under Groce with less than five seconds remaining:
Malcolm Hill layup vs. Penn State – Jan. 31, 2015
Jon Ekey 3-pointer at Iowa – March 8, 2014
Tyler Griffey 3-pointer vs. Gardner-Webb – Nov. 25, 2012
Coming Back Under Groce
Illinois fought back from a 14-point deficit with 11 minutes remaining to defeat Chicago State. It marked the second time this season, and 11th time under Coach John Groce, that the Illini won a game despite trailing by double figures. The Illini also overcame an early second half deficit of 14 points in the victory over North Dakota State on Nov. 15.
Illini Trends
• John Groce is one win away from his 150th victory at Illinois.
• The Illini started a different lineup in the first four games of the season.
• Four different players have been the Illini's leading scorer through the first five games.
• Illinois has made more free throws (75) than its opponents have attempted (71) on the season.
• The Illini have attempted and made more free throws than its opponent in four of five games.
• Illinois is getting 29.4 points per game from its bench, outscoring the opposing bench by an average of 13.6 points. Last season the UI averaged 18.7 points in bench scoring.
• The Illini are averaging 29.6 points in the paint this season, compared to 22.4 points last year.
• Malcolm Hill has scored in double figures in every game this season and currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring with an average of 17.0 points.
• Hill ranks 17th nationally in percentage of minutes played (.950).
• Hill has made 18-of-39 shots over the last three games (46.2 percent) after hitting 9-of-29 from the field over the season's first two games (31 percent).
• Hill is averaging 4.6 assists through five games after entering the season with a career average of 1.0 assists.
• Mike Thorne Jr. has an offensive rating of 110.3, ranking second in the Big Ten and 50th nationally among players with at least 28 percent of possessions used (KenPom).
• Thorne is averaging 15.2 points, a more than five-point increase over 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 18 offensive rebounds.
• Thorne has been the Illini's leading rebounder in four of five games.
• Hill and Thorne have each recorded two double-doubles on the young season.
• Michael Finke is averaging 12.0 points (36) and 3.7 rebounds (11) over the last three games.
• Finke's playing time has increased to 23.7 mpg over the last three games after 9.0 mpg the first two games.
• Jalen Coleman-Lands has made at least three 3-pointers in three of the last four games.
• Aaron Jordan has made at least one 3-pointer in every game this season.
• Khalid Lewis has averaged 7.5 points (15) on 50 percent shooting (6-12) over the last two games, compared to 2.3 points (7) on 30 percent shooting (3-10) over the season's first three games.
• Alex Austin owns a 5.0 assist/turnover ratio, with 10 assists and only two turnovers in 118 minutes.
• Austin has combined for nine assists over the last three games after totaling one through the first two games.
