Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 152-103/.596 (8th year)
At Illinois: 67-47/.588 (4th year)
Big Ten: 24-30/.444
Series Notes vs. UIC
All-Time Series Record: Illinois leads 13-2
Series Streak: Illinois W-1
Record at the United Center: Illinois leads 3-1
Series Streak at the United Center: Illinois W-1
Last Meeting: Illinois 74, UIC 60 (Dec. 28, 2013 at the United Center)
Groce vs. UIC: 1-0
The United Center: Illinois' Home Away from Home
While games played at the United Center count as neutral site in the record book, for Illinois the UC is a home away from home. Saturday's contest against UIC marks the 50th game the Illini will play at the UC, dating back to the 1994-95 season. Illinois owns an all-time record of 35-14 (.714) at the United Center.
This is a homecoming for many Illini, as more than half the UI roster features players from Chicagoland in Tracy Abrams, Alex Austin, Kendrick Nunn, Jaylon Tate and D.J. Williams (all from Chicago), along with Aaron Jordan (Plainfield), Mike LaTulip (Arlington Heights) and Cameron Liss (Northbrook).
United Center Ticket Information
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster for Saturday's game vs. UIC at the United Center. Tickets can be purchased online at TicketMaster.com or in person at the United Center ticket office. The UC box office will open at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Current Illini at the United Center
Tracy Abrams (5 G): 13.0 ppg (65), 4.0 rpg (20), 2.8 apg (14), 1.4 spg (7)
UC Highlights: 16 points with four assists as a junior vs. UIC … Set career highs with 27 points and eight rebounds as a sophomore vs. Auburn, to go along with five assists and four steals … Team-high 16 points vs. Indiana in 2013 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.
Leron Black (2 G): 7.5 ppg (15), 5.0 rpg (10)
UC Highlights: 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and five rebounds vs. Michigan in last year's Big Ten Tournament second round … 5 points and 5 rebounds last year vs. Oregon.
Malcolm Hill (3 G): 6.4 ppg (19), 4.3 rpg (13)
UC Highlights: Team-high 13 points with six rebounds vs. Michigan in last year's Big Ten Tournament second round … 6 points and game-high seven rebounds last year vs. Oregon.
Kendrick Nunn (3 G): 6.0 ppg (18), 3.7 rpg (11)
UC Highlights: 8 points and six rebounds vs. Michigan in last year's Big Ten Tournament second round … 6 points, four boards and four assists last year vs. Oregon.
Jaylon Tate (3 G): 4.3 ppg (13), 0.0 rpg (0), 1.3 apg (4)
UC Highlights: 7 points vs. Michigan in last year's Big Ten Tournament second round … 4 points last year vs. Oregon.
Maverick Morgan (2 G): 2 pts, 1 reb, 2 blk
Mike LaTulip (3 G): 2 pts, 0 reb
Cameron Liss (1 G): 0 pts, 0 reb
Opening Tip
Illinois enters Saturday's game looking to move above .500 for the first time this season as well as record its first 3-game winning streak of the year.
Busy Schedule
Saturday wraps up a stretch of 11 games in 30 days for the Fighting Illini to start the season, an average of one game every 2.7 days. The schedule slows down following the UIC match-up, as the Illini conclude non-conference play with just two games over a span of 17 days.
Back-to-Back Big Outings
Kendrick Nunn has been on fire since his return to the Illini lineup, with career performances in his two most recent games. Nunn set a career high with 27 points against Western Carolina last Saturday, then eclipsed that by one point with a career-high 28 versus Yale on Wednesday.
Nunn's combined 55 points are the most by an Illini player in consecutive games since Rayvonte Rice totaled 57 against UIC (28) and Indiana (29), Dec. 28-31, 2013.
Taking Care of the Rock
Illinois has been one of the best teams in the country under Coach John Groce in taking care of the basketball. Last year's team set a school record for fewest turnovers, averaging just 9.9 per game. That broke the previous school mark of 10.4 per game set by Groce's 2014 squad.
This year the Illini are currently averaging 10.5 turnovers per game. That mark ranks second in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally. Illinois tied its home record for fewest turnovers in a game last week with only three versus Notre Dame. The Illini are now coming off of a five-turnover performance on Wednesday vs. Yale.
Illini Trends
• Illinois has started a different lineup in nine of its first 10 games.
• Five different players have been the Illini's leading scorer in a game this season.
• Illinois is getting an average of 29.1 points from its bench, outscoring the opposing bench in all but one game, and by an average of 12.1 points per game. Last season the UI averaged 18.7 points in bench scoring.
• Illinois ranks ninth nationally in bench minutes, with 42.8 percent of the playing time coming from the bench.
• Malcolm Hill has scored in double figures in every game this season and currently ranks ninth in the Big Ten in scoring with an average of 16.6 points.
• Hill has four 20-point games on the season, most recently registering 20 vs. Yale on Wednesday.
• Hill is currently averaging 4.2 assists this season (10th in Big Ten), after entering the year with a career average of 1.0 assists. He tied his career high with seven assists vs. Yale.
• Kendrick Nunn has scored in double figures in all five games since making his season debut Nov. 27 and is currently averaging 21.0 points.
• Nunn's scoring average would lead the Big Ten, but he is currently not listed among the conference statistical leaders because he has yet to play in 75 percent of Illinois' games.
• Nunn, who led the team in 3-pointers last year, has combined for 18 treys over his five games. His average of 3.6 made threes per game also would lead the Big Ten.
• Michael Finke is averaging 12 points (48) on 67.9 percent shooting (19-28) over the last four games.
• Finke ranks sixth in the Big Ten in field goal shooting at 57.6 percent for the season.
• Jalen Coleman-Lands has made a 3-pointer in seven games this season, and has drained three or more treys in four games.
• Aaron Jordan also has made at least one three in seven games.
• Alex Austin is second in the Big Ten with a 7.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Last Time Out: Illini 69, Yale 65 (Dec. 9)
The Illini earned a four-point victory at State Farm Center on Wednesday night over a strong Yale team projected to contend for the Ivy League title.
The Illini pulled ahead late in the first half and held a 10-point lead early after intermission. Yale stormed back with a 12-0 run to take a 37-35 lead with 16 minutes left. It remained tight from that point on, before Kendrick Nunn hit the biggest shot of the game, a 3-pointer to put the Illini ahead 66-60 with 1:25 left. Nunn later hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.
Nunn and Malcolm Hill combined for 48 of Illinois' 69 points, with Nunn setting a career high for the second straight game with 28 points while Hill tallied 20. Nunn shot 9-of-16 from the field and tied a career high with six 3-pointers on 10 attempts. Hill, meanwhile, continued his stellar all-around play while equaling a career high with seven assists. The duo accounted for 69.6 percent of Illinois' scoring on the night.
Illinois' defense forced a season-high 23 turnovers while committing just five of its own, leading to a commanding 25-to-5 edge in points off turnovers. Four of Yale's starters had four or more turnovers, as the Bulldogs committed a turnover on 31.9 percent of its possessions. That advantage proved to be critical, as it helped offset Yale outrebounding the Orange and Blue 48-to-25.
Nunn Better
Junior Kendrick Nunn has performed a high level over the last five games after missing the first five games with a thumb injury. Despite being out for six weeks, Nunn quickly worked his way back into playing shape and has logged more than 30 minutes in all five games, currently averaging 34.4 minutes.
Nunn has scored in double figures in all five games – led by a career-high 28 points vs. Yale on Wednesday – good for an average of 21.0 points. He is shooting nearly 48 percent from the field and is connecting at a 45-percent clip from behind the arc, draining 18-of-40 threes.
Hill Doing It All
Coach John Groce joked in a November press conference that he's asking junior guard Malcolm Hill "to be the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker." With Illini backcourt veterans sidelined early in the season, Groce has demanded a lot from Hill. He has played four different positions and guarded all five positions as an Illini.
Hill has played in 353 of a possible 400 minutes so far this season, ranking fifth in the Big Ten with an average of 35.3 mpg. His versatility is evident in the fact that he ranks either first or second on the Illini in points (16.6 ppg), rebounds (5.4 rpg), assists (4.2 apg), steals (15) and blocked shots (6).
