Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 150-101/.598 (8th year)
At Illinois: 65-45/.591 (4th year)
Series Notes vs. Iowa State
Series Record: Illinois leads 11-1
Series Streak: Illinois W-9
Record at Neutral Sites: Illinois leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Illinois 64, Iowa State 62 (Dec. 30, 1985 at Rosemont, Ill.)
Groce vs. Iowa State: First meeting
Facing the Ranked
Illinois is 8-20 against the AP Top 25 under Coach John Groce entering Saturday's game vs. No. 4 Iowa State. The Fighting Illini have beaten three Top-10 teams under Groce, all coming during the 2012-13 season.
The last time Illinois beat a top-five opponent was during Groce's first year, when the Illini defeated No. 1 Indiana in Champagin, 74-72, on Tyler Griffey's layup at the buzzer (Feb. 7, 2013).
The last time Illinois beat a top-five non-conference opponent, meanwhile, was at the 2005 Final Four in St. Louis, when the No. 1 Illini beat No. 4 Louisville, 72-57, to advance to the NCAA title game (April 2, 2005).
Illini Look to Continue In-Season Tournament Success
Illinois heads into Saturday's championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic looking to extend its streak of regular-season tournament titles under Coach 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.
Getting Healthy
Friday's game versus UAB in the semifinal round of the Emerald Coast Classic marked the first time this season that Illinois had its full lineup for 2015-16 available.
Junior Kendrick Nunn – the team's second-leading returning scorer – played 31 minutes on the wing after missing the first five games following thumb surgery in October.
Junior Jaylon Tate – the team's returning starting point guard – played 22 minutes after missing the last 4.5 games due to an injured pinky in the first half of the season opener.
Sophomore Leron Black – the team's third-leading returning scorer – returned to power forward after missing two of the first five games and seeing limited minutes due to knee soreness following surgery in October.
Notes From Friday's 72-58 Win over UAB
1. With the 14-point victory over UAB, Illinois advances to the championship game of the Emerald Coast Classic vs. UAB. The Illini are seeking their 10th in-season tournament title since 2001.
2. The return of three experienced players helped Illinois tighten its defense. The Illini held UAB to 58 points – the lowest scoring total by a UI opponent this season – on less than 38.8 percent shooting.
3. The Illini defense entered the game allowing 41.3 percent shooting from 3-point range (57-138), but permitted just 21.7 percent from three against the Blazers (5-23).
4. The UI defense also grabbed a season-high 10 steals.
5. Illinois had its first lead at the half on the young season (28-23), holding an opponent below 32 points in the first half for the first time.
6. After leading for a total of 20:12 through its first five games, the Illini held the lead for 33:02 vs. UAB.
7. UAB entered the game ranking among the nation's best in 2-point distribution, but the Illini outscored the Blazers 44-to-28 on 2-pointers.
8. Having a full roster back allowed the Illini to continue to excel in bench production. Illinois got a season's best 48 points from its bench, outscoring the opponent in that category for the fifth time in six games on the year.
9. Kendrick Nunn scored a game-high 18 points in season debut after missing the first five games due to injury. He also collected five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
10. Nunn checked in at the 16:54 mark of the first half and went on to play 31 minutes. After hitting just one of his first six shots, he finished on a tear, making six of his last nine attempts.
11. Nunn became the fifth different player to lead the Illini in scoring through six games.
12. The Illini had four total players in double figures, as Malcolm Hill, Maverick Morgan and Leron Black added 12 points apiece.
13. Malcolm Hill stuffed the stat sheet once again. In addition to his 12 points, he had a game-high six assists, career-high four steals, and added four rebounds.
14. Leron Black returned to action after missing the last game and looked to regain the form he had over the summer when he was the team's top performer during its European trip. Black made 6-of-9 shots en route to a season-high 12 points and also grabbed a season-high six boards.
15. Maverick Morgan entered the game shooting 60 percent from the field and had his most efficient performance to date, scoring a career-high 12 points on perfect 6-of-6 accuracy.
16. Mike Thorne Jr. was the Illini's leading rebounder for the fifth time in six games, grabbing a game-high eight boards to go along with his eight points.
