| Illinois Probable Starters (from the previous game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
1 |
Jaylon Tate |
6-3 |
170 |
Sr. |
5.5 |
1.0 |
4.5 |
8 FTA |
| G |
13 |
Tracy Abrams |
6-2 |
185 |
Gr. |
9.0 |
2.5 |
2.5 |
3-4 3FG |
| G |
21 |
Malcolm Hill |
6-6 |
225 |
Sr. |
30.5 |
10.0 |
2.5 |
B1G Co-Player of the Week |
| F |
43 |
Michael Finke |
6-10 |
230 |
r-So. |
11.0 |
9.0 |
0.0 |
6 OREB |
| C |
22 |
Maverick Morgan |
6-10 |
245 |
Sr. |
12.0 |
3.0 |
1.5 |
84.6% FG |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
D.J. Williams |
6-7 |
210 |
So. |
3.0 |
2.5 |
0.5 |
3 FG |
| G |
3 |
Te'Jon Lucas |
6-0 |
170 |
Fr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
2 G |
| G |
5 |
Jalen Coleman-Lands |
6-3 |
190 |
So. |
7.0 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
4 3FG |
| G |
14 |
Samson Oladimeji |
6-5 |
195 |
Fr. |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
190 |
So. |
0.0 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
10 MIN/G |
| C |
33 |
Mike Thorne Jr. |
6-11 |
280 |
Gr. |
2.0 |
2.5 |
0.0 |
2 BLK |
| G |
41 |
Clayton Jones |
6-0 |
170 |
r-Jr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
1 G |
| G |
44 |
Alex Austin |
6-4 |
190 |
r-Sr. |
0.0 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
1 REB |
| Sitting Out |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
225 |
r-Fr. |
- |
- |
- |
Out fall semester (transfer) |
| G |
10 |
Drew Cayce |
6-1 |
165 |
So. |
- |
- |
- |
Sitting out season (transfer) |
| F |
12 |
Leron Black |
6-7 |
220 |
r-So. |
4.4* |
4.4* |
0.6* |
Suspended - Can return 11/21 |
| F |
45 |
Cameron Liss |
6-6 |
220 |
Jr. |
0.6* |
0.0* |
0.2* |
Redshirting season |
* 2015-16 Stats
Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 164-117/.584 (9th year)
At Illinois: 79-61/.564 (5th year)
Series Notes vs. McKendree
All-Time Series Record: First Meeting (non-exhibition)
Groce vs. McKendree: First Meeting (non-exhibition)
Busy Schedule
Illinois starts the 2016-17 season playing five home games in 11 days, including three games within the first five days. The homestand continues on Tuesday with the Illini taking on McKendree at 7 p.m.
Hill Named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week After Historic Performance
Fighting Illini senior guard Malcolm Hill was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Monday after leading Illinois to a pair of wins. Hill dominated the season's opening weekend, averaging 30.5 points and 10.0 rebounds on 55.9 percent shooting from the field, including 50 percent from 3-point range, in victories over Southeast Missouri and Northern Kentucky.
He scored a career-high 40 points vs. Northern Kentucky, equaling the fifth-highest scoring game in school history and topping his previous career-high of 39 points set last season at Penn State in double-overtime.
Hill is just the sixth Illini player ever in the 40-point club while recording only the second 40-point performance by an Illini in the last 26 seasons.
Hill made 13-of-23 from the field against NKU, including a career-high five 3-pointers on eight attempts.
It marked Hill's 22nd career 20-point game, and fifth 30-point outing. He also recorded his eighth career double-double, grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds.
Hill opened the season with game highs of 21 points and eight boards vs. Southeast Missouri. He did most of his damage in the second half of both games, scoring 16 of his 21 against SEMO and 29 of his 40 vs. NKU after intermission. He also earned his way to the foul line with regularity, combining for 16 points on 19 free throw attempts (84.2 percent).
High-Scoring Hill
Malcolm Hill's 40 points vs. Northern Kentucky is the top single-game performance nationally on the young season. He also is the only player in the nation averaging at least 30 points with more than one game played.
Last Time Out: Illini 79, Northern Kentucky 64 (Nov. 13)
Led by Malcolm Hill's career-high 40 points, Illinois stormed back to defeat Northern Kentucky at State Farm Center and improve to 2-0 on the young season.
The Illini trailed by as many as eight points in the first half before closing to within two at the break. Illinois then pulled away in the second half to record its 24th win under Coach Groce after trailing at halftime.
With the game tied at 50, the Orange and Blue used an 11-0 run – with nine of those 11 points by Hill – to take a 61-50 lead with eight minutes remaining. The Illini did not look back on its way to the 15-point victory.
Hill led the Illini in both scoring and rebounding for the second straight game, recording his eighth career double-double with 12 rebounds to go along with the 40 points. Michael Finke, meanwhile, recorded his first career double-double, finishing with 10 points and 11 boards.
Illinois shot 51.4 percent in the second half to fuel the comeback. Illinois forced Northern Kentucky into 18 turnovers on the night while committing just eight of its own. That proved to be key, as the Illini enjoyed a 21-to-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
Notes from Sunday's Win
• The Illini moved to 2-0 with a 79-64 victory over Northern Kentucky, marking the fourth time in head coach John Groce's five seasons and the 17th time in the last 18 years Illinois has started with two wins.
• Senior Malcolm Hill poured in a career-high 40 points on the night, becoming only the sixth Illini player ever to score 40-plus points in a game, and first since Brandon Paul had 43 against Ohio State on Jan. 10, 2012.
• The 40-point performance by Hill is tied for fifth-best single-game total in Illinois history. He also became only the third Illini ever with two games of 38 or more points, joining Andy Kaufmann and Dave Scholz.
• Hill eclipsed his previous career-high of 39 in a double-overtime game at Penn State on March 6, 2016.
• Hill was 13-of-23 from the field, 5-of-8 from 3-point range and 9-of-12 from the free throw line for the game. His 13 baskets and five 3-pointers were both career highs.
• Hill scored 29 of his 40 points in the second half, hitting 11-of-17 from the field after the break.
• Hill became the 22nd player in school history to reach 1,300 career points (1,304).
• Hill also pulled down 12 rebounds for his eighth career double-double.
• It marked the 22nd time Hill has scored 20+ points, the fifth time he scored 30+ points, and the eighth time he has snagged 10+ rebounds.
• Hill became the first Illini to score 40 with a double-double in a regulation game since 1968 (Dave Scholz 42 pts & 12 reb vs. Northwestern, 2/24/1968).
• Sophomore Michael Finke recorded his first career double-double, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Notes from Friday's Win
• After its 16-game winning streak in season openers was snapped last year, the Illini began a new streak with a 81-62 victory over Southeast Missouri in the 2016-17 opener.
• Illinois improved to 98-14 all-time in openers in its 112th season of varsity basketball.
• The Illini shot an incredible 86.4 percent on 2-pointers, connecting on 19-of-22 shots inside the arc.
• That efficiency from 2-point range allowed the Illini to shoot 56.6 percent overall (30-53), topping 55 percent for the second straight home game. In last year's finale at State Farm Center, the Illini made 57.1 percent (28-49) in a victory over Minnesota (Feb. 28, 2016).
• Illinois outrebounded Southeast Missouri 37-22, enjoying a +15 margin. It was the Illini's largest advantage on the glass since the 2014-15 season, a +19 margin over Northwestern on Feb. 28, 2015.
• Tracy Abrams finally made his long-awaited return to the court, his first game action since March 23, 2014. Abrams had a solid all-around game, scoring 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting, which included a career-high tying three made 3-pointers.
• Abrams also reached the 900-point mark for his career (903).
• Malcolm Hill led all scorers with 21 points; 16 of those coming in the second half. He also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
• After finishing his junior campaign strong, Maverick Morgan picked up right where he left off. Morgan scored 16 points on perfect 8-for-8 shooting that included layups, post moves and mid-range jumpers.
• Michael Finke was the fourth Illini in double figures, scoring 12 points while knocking down 3-of-5 three-pointers.
