| Illinois Probable Starters (from the last game)
|
| Pos.
|
No.
|
Name
|
Ht.
|
Wt.
|
Yr.
|
PPG
|
RPG
|
APG
|
Note
|
| G
|
3
|
Khalid Lewis
|
6-3
|
185
|
Gr.
|
3.7
|
1.7
|
3.2
|
25 ast/6 TO in last 5
|
| G
|
5
|
Jalen Coleman-Lands
|
6-3
|
180
|
Fr.
|
9.6
|
1.8
|
0.8
|
65 threes on season
|
| G
|
25
|
Kendrick Nunn
|
6-3
|
190
|
Jr.
|
16.4
|
5.2
|
1.7
|
3.0 threes/gm
|
| G
|
21
|
Malcolm Hill
|
6-6
|
220
|
Jr.
|
18.6
|
6.7
|
3.4
|
3rd in B1G in scoring
|
| C
|
22
|
Maverick Morgan
|
6-10
|
245
|
Jr.
|
7.4
|
3.0
|
0.4
|
10.2 ppg & 60% FG in last 5
|
| Off the Bench
|
| Pos.
|
No.
|
Name
|
Ht.
|
Wt.
|
Yr.
|
PPG
|
RPG
|
APG
|
Note
|
| G
|
0
|
D.J. Williams
|
6-7
|
200
|
Fr.
|
2.2
|
1.5
|
0.3
|
6.0 ppg in last 5
|
| G
|
1
|
Jaylon Tate
|
6-3
|
170
|
Jr.
|
2.0
|
1.3
|
2.5
|
2.9 A/TO
|
| F
|
12
|
Leron Black
|
6-7
|
220
|
So.
|
4.4
|
4.4
|
0.6
|
Suspended
|
| G
|
23
|
Aaron Jordan
|
6-5
|
190
|
Fr.
|
3.7
|
1.0
|
0.5
|
82.6% FT
|
| C
|
33
|
Mike Thorne Jr.
|
6-11
|
270
|
Gr.
|
12.9
|
8.5
|
0.3
|
Has missed 19 games
|
| F
|
43
|
Michael Finke
|
6-10
|
220
|
r-Fr.
|
8.3
|
4.0
|
1.0
|
39.6% 3FG
|
| G
|
44
|
Alex Austin
|
6-4
|
185
|
r-Jr.
|
1.6
|
1.5
|
0.7
|
10.9 MPG
|
| F
|
45
|
Cameron Liss
|
6-6
|
215
|
So.
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.3
|
3 G
|
| Sitting Out
|
| Pos.
|
No.
|
Name
|
Ht.
|
Wt.
|
Yr.
|
PPG
|
RPG
|
APG
|
Note
|
| F
|
2
|
Kipper Nichols
|
6-6
|
220
|
Fr.
|
––
|
––
|
––
|
Joined team Dec. 27
|
| G
|
10
|
Mike LaTulip
|
6-1
|
170
|
Sr.
|
1.6*
|
0.6*
|
0.0*
|
*2014-15 Stats
|
| G
|
13
|
Tracy Abrams
|
6-2
|
185
|
Gr.
|
10.7*
|
3.5*
|
3.2*
|
*2013-14 Stats
|
Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 159-113/.585 (8th year)
At Illinois: 74-57/.565 (4th year)
Big Ten: 28-40/.412
Series Notes vs. Indiana
Series Record: Indiana leads 88-86
Series Streak: Indiana W-2
Record at Champaign: Illinois leads 51-32
Series Streak at Champaign: Indiana W-1
This Year's Meeting: #25/23 Indiana 103, Illinois 69 on Jan. 19, 2016 in Bloomington, Ind.
Groce vs. IU: 3-4
Opening Tips
• The Fighting Illini are looking to win consecutive Big Ten home games for the first time this season, and first since closing out last year's home schedule with back-to-back victories over Northwestern (86-60, Feb. 25) and Nebraska (69-57, March 4).
• Illinois faces its sixth Top-25 opponent of the season in No. 18 Indiana. The Illini are 1-4 versus ranked teams this year, recording an 84-70 victory over No. 20 Purdue on Jan. 10 at State Farm Center.
• Illinois has won 11 of the last 13 over Indiana in Champaign, but the Hoosiers snapped a five-game losing streak at State Farm Center last season.
• Illinois has made at least nine 3-pointers in each of the last three games and is shooting a combined 40.6 percent from behind the arc over this stretch (28-69).
• After being beaten on the glass in 10 of its first 11 conference games, the Illini have not been outrebounded over the last three games, owning a +3.7 rebound margin (106-to-95).
Select Company
Malcolm Hill leads the Illini in scoring (18.6 ppg), rebounding (6.7 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg). He is joined by Michigan's Derek Walton as the only Big Ten players to lead their teams in all three categories this season. Hill is vying to become just the second Fighting Illini player ever to rank first in scoring, rebounding and assists in the same season. The first Illini to accomplish the feat (dating back to the start of assists record keeping in 1974) was Rick Schmidt in 1975. During Schmidt's junior season, he led the Illini with averages of 20.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
Hill Named Finalist for Jerry West Award
Illini junior Malcolm Hill is one of 10 finalists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Joining Hill on the list are Buddy Hield (Oklahoma), Caris LeVert (Michigan), Grayson Allen (Duke), Jalen Jones (Texas A&M), Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Sheldon McClellan (Miami), Josh Hart (Villanova), AJ English (Iona) and Julian Jacobs (USC). The list will be narrowed to five in March, with the recipient chosen by West and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the Jerry West Award will be presented on April 8 at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show.
Big Two
Juniors Malcolm Hill and Kendrick Nunn are leading the charge for the Illini offensive attack, ranking as the second-highest scoring duo in the Big Ten, and seventh-highest among the six major conferences this season. Here is a current ranking of the top scoring duos from each of the power six leagues:
1. 39.1 points Buddy Hield (25.4 ppg) & Isaiah Cousins (13.7 ppg) Oklahoma
2. 38.0 points Grayson Allen (21.0 ppg) & Brandon Ingram (17.0 ppg) Duke
3. 37.6 points Ben Bentil (20.3 ppg) & Kris Dunn (17.3 ppg) Providence
4. 36.1 points Jamal Murray (19.4 ppg) & Tyler Ullis (16.7 ppg) Kentucky
5t. 35.1 points Andrew Andrews (20.0 ppg) & Dejounte Murray (15.1 ppg) Washington
5t. 35.1 points Jarrod Uthoff (18.8 ppg) & Peter Jok (16.3 ppg) Iowa
7. 35.0 points Malcolm Hill (18.6 ppg) & Kendrick Nunn (16.4 ppg) Illinois
8. 34.7 points Stefan Moody (23.0 ppg) & Sebastian Saiz (11.7 ppg) Mississippi
Illini Trends
• Illinois has started 13 different lineups this season.
• In every win this season, Illinois has scored more point off turnovers than the opponent.
• Illinois' turnover rate of 14.5 percent ranks eighth nationally, and the Illini rank 16th in the NCAA in fewest turnovers per game (10.3 avg.).
• Illinois ranks 19th nationally in defensive free throw rate (27.5).
• The Illini defense has allowed less than 70 points in regulation in six of the last eight games, including each of the last three, after giving up 70+ points in each of the first six Big Ten games.
• No opponent has shot better than 46 percent from the field against the Illini over the last eight games.
• Illinois is averaging 10.7 offensive rebounds over the last three games (32), after averaging 6.2 offensive boards through the first 11 conference games (68).
• Junior Malcolm Hill has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.
• After his streak of 29 straight games in double digits was snapped Feb. 13 at Northwestern (7 points), Hill has had 20-point games in his last two outings with game highs of 22 vs. Rutgers and 20 at Wisconsin.
• Hill currently ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring with an average of 18.6 points. His average is the highest by an Illini in the last 13 seasons, since Brian Cook led the Big Ten in scoring in 2003 (20.0 ppg).
• Hill scored his 1,000th career point at Minnesota (Jan. 23), becoming the 47th player in Fighting Illini history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. He now ranks 37th on the all-time UI list with 1,131 points.
• Hill has 18 career games of 20+ points, with 13 this season, including seven of the last 11 games.
• Over the last 11 games, Hill is averaging 20.4 points (224) and has been the team's leading scorer eight times.
• Hill leads the Big Ten and ranks 16th in the NCAA in made free throws (160). He is second in the conference (behind Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes) and 28th nationally in free throw attempts (197).
• Hill has 10 games this season with at least nine free throw attempts. Over the last 11 games, he has gotten to the line 105 times – averaging 9.5 attempts per game – and is scoring 7.5 points at the line (83 made).
• Hill has grabbed at least seven rebounds in seven of the last eight games – reaching double figures four times – and is averaging 9.1 rpg over this stretch (73).
• Hill has been the Illini's leading rebounder in each of the last five games, six of the last seven.
• Hill leads the Illini in assists on the season with an average of 3.4 apg (13th in Big Ten), after entering the year with a career average of 1.0 assists.
• Hill is averaging 4.6 assists over the last five games (23), led by a career-high eight assists vs. Northwestern (Feb. 13).
• Junior Kendrick Nunn has scored in double figures in 20 of the 21 games he has played in, averaging 16.4 points (eighth in Big Ten).
• Nunn has five games of 20+ points this season, including three times in Big Ten play.
• Nunn has drained 62 three-pointers in his 21 games, surpassing his total of 54 treys in 33 games last year. His current average of 2.95 made threes per game ranks third in the Big Ten.
• Nunn's average of 2.95 three-pointers is challenging for the Illini season school record. The current mark is 3.00 set by Cory Bradford in 2000 (96 made in 32 games).
• Over the last three games, Nunn is shooting 47.8 percent from 3-point range (11-23).
• Freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands leads all Big Ten freshmen with 65 made three-pointers this season. He is on pace to break the Illinois record by a true freshman of 69 treys, set by D.J. Richardson in 2010. The record by an Illini redshirt freshman is 85 by Cory Bradford in 1999.
• Coleman Lands' 65 three-pointers ranks second among freshmen from the six major conferences, trailing only Kentucky's Jamal Murray (85).
• Coleman-Lands is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.6 points. The last Illini to average double figures as a freshman was D.J. Richardson in 2010 (10.5 ppg).
• Coleman-Lands scored at least nine points in four straight games prior to Wisconsin, averaging 16.0 points over this stretch (64).
• Over those four games, Coleman-Lands knocked down 18 treys (4.5 makes per game) on 42.9 percent shooting from behind the arc (18-42).
• Junior Maverick Morgan ranks fourth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, shooting 57.7 percent on the season.
• Morgan scored in double figures in four straight games prior to Wisconsin, averaging 14.8 points (59) and 5.8 rebounds (23) while shooting 63.6 percent (28-44). During this stretch he set his career high in scoring with 20 points at Rutgers (Feb. 3) and twice tied his season high in rebounding with seven boards vs. Iowa (Feb. 7) and at Northwestern (Feb. 13).
• Freshman D.J. Williams has logged at least 15 minutes in each of the last five games, combining for 30 points and 16 rebounds on 60 percent shooting (12-20).
• Senior point guard Khalid Lewis has combined for 27 assists compared to just six turnovers over the last six games, a ratio of 4.5.
Battling Through Adversity
Seven different Illini players have combined to miss a total of 80 games due to injuries and other circumstances so far this season. The only contest where Illinois has had its full roster available (not counting Tracy Abrams) for the entirety of the game was the 72-58 victory over UAB on Nov. 27.
With the list of available players changing from one game to the next, Coach John Groce has used 13 different starting lineups.
On six occasions the Illini have had as few as eight scholarship players available, including four times in Big Ten play (Michigan, at Ohio State, at Michigan State, at Rutgers).
The Illini are currently without three projected starters with Abrams, Black and Thorne all sidelined.
Oh So Close
Illinois has been involved in 11 games this season decided by five points or less, owning a record of 5-6. The Illini enjoyed great success in close games during Coach John Groce's first three seasons, entering the year with an 18-6 record in games decided by five or less points. Only four teams from the six major conferences have suffered more close losses than the Illini this season:
Most Losses By 5 Points or Less – Six Major Conferences
1t. Arkansas 8
1t. Oklahoma State 8
3t. Minnesota 7
3t. Mississippi State 7
5t. Illinois 6
5t. Georgetown 6
5t. Iowa State 6
5t. Wisconsin 6
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 on pace to challenge the school record again this year, currently averaging 10.3 turnovers. Illinois ranks third in the Big Ten and 16th nationally in fewest turnovers. And Illinois ranks second in the conference with a +2.8 turnover margin (26th in NCAA).
Getting it Done at the Line Again
Illinois leads the Big Ten in free show shooting during league play at 76.7 percent, connecting on 201-of-262. Illinois led the conference in free throw shooting last year as well, making 81 percent in Big Ten games.
The Illini led the entire NCAA in free throw accuracy last season (all games), setting a school record at 79.4 percent to break the previous UI record by five percentage points.
3-Point Improvement
The Illini have increased their production from behind the arc in recent weeks. Illinois has made an average of 8.8 threes per game over the last 21 games (185), a vast improvement over the average of 6.5 made treys through the first six games (39). The Illini have hit at least nine treys 14 times during this stretch, including 12 of the last 15 contests.
Complete Illinois-Indiana Game Notes
