| 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. |
4.0 |
1.7 |
5.7 |
3.4 A/TO |
| G |
13 |
Tracy Abrams |
6-2 |
185 |
Gr. |
10.7 |
2.3 |
3.7 |
87.5% 3FG |
| G |
21 |
Malcolm Hill |
6-6 |
225 |
Sr. |
21.3 |
8.0 |
1.7 |
84.2% FT |
| F |
43 |
Michael Finke |
6-10 |
230 |
r-So. |
13.0 |
8.7 |
0.3 |
3.0 OREB/G |
| C |
22 |
Maverick Morgan |
6-10 |
245 |
Sr. |
14.0 |
3.0 |
1.3 |
76% FG |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
D.J. Williams |
6-7 |
210 |
So. |
5.0 |
2.0 |
0.7 |
54.5% FG |
| G |
3 |
Te'Jon Lucas |
6-0 |
170 |
Fr. |
3.0 |
0.3 |
2.0 |
4-4 FG |
| G |
5 |
Jalen Coleman-Lands |
6-3 |
190 |
So. |
10.7 |
1.0 |
1.3 |
41.7% 3FG |
| G |
14 |
Samson Oladimeji |
6-5 |
195 |
Fr. |
0.0 |
2.0 |
0.0 |
1 G |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
190 |
So. |
3.7 |
1.3 |
0.7 |
42.9% 3FG |
| C |
33 |
Mike Thorne Jr. |
6-11 |
280 |
Gr. |
4.7 |
5.0 |
0.0 |
1.3 BLK/G |
| G |
41 |
Clayton Jones |
6-0 |
170 |
r-Jr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
2 G |
| G |
44 |
Alex Austin |
6-4 |
190 |
r-Sr. |
1.0 |
3.0 |
0.0 |
3 OREB |
| 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: 165-117/.585 (9th year)
At Illinois: 80-61/.567 (5th year)
Series Notes vs. Detroit Mercy
All-Time Series Record: Illinois leads 8-1
Series Streak: Illinois W-2
Record at Champaign: Illinois leads 7-0
Series Streak at Champaign: Illinois W-7
Last Meeting: Illinois 82, Detroit 51 (Dec. 20, 2008 at Champaign)
Groce vs. Detroit Mercy: First meeting
Busy Schedule
After playing three games in five games, Illinois' busy start to the 2016-17 schedule continues on Friday against Detroit Mercy at 7 p.m. at State Farm Center. In all, the Illini will open the season with five home games over the span of 11 days.
Detroit Mercy is one of Illinois' home games as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off. The Illini also will host Winthrop on Monday as a preliminary tournament game before heading to Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the final two rounds of the event, Nov. 24-25.
Notes from Tuesday's Win Over McKendree
• Illinois improved to 3-0 on the young season, marking the fourth time in head coach John Groce's five seasons and 16th time in the last 17 years that the Fighting Illini have started the season with three wins.
• Illinois scored 100 points for the fourth time in the Groce era (4-0), and first time in regulation since a 107-66 victory over Austin Peay on Nov. 21, 2014.
• The Illini improved to 77-4 all-time when scoring 100 points, including 49-0 all-time at home when reaching the century mark.
• The Illini scored 112 points, the second-best total of the John Groce era, behind only the 114 scored against Coppin State on Nov. 16, 2014.
• Illinois made 16 three-pointers, setting a program record at State Farm Center and tying the Illinois team record first set against Arizona in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight on March 26, 2005.
• The Illini's 55 points in the first half are the most scored in the first half since the UI scored 59 against Coppin State (Nov. 16, 2014).
• Illinois recorded 28 assists, the most under John Groce and the team's best mark in 15 seasons, since also dishing out 28 against Michigan on Jan. 12, 2002. Senior Jaylon Tate led the way with a game-high eight assists without committing a turnover.
• The Illini's three point guards combined for 20 assists with only three turnovers: Tate - 8 ast, 0 to; Tracy Abrams - 6 ast, 1 to; Te'Jon Lucas - 6 ast, 2 to.
• Six Illini scored in double figures, as Jalen Coleman-Lands and Maverick Morgan led the Orange and Blue with 18, followed by Michael Finke (17), Abrams (14), Aaron Jordan (11) and Mike Thorne, Jr. (10)
• More than half of Illinois' 112 points came from the bench (59), as the UI bench nearly outscored McKendree's entire total of 65 on the night.
• Coleman-Lands tied his career-high with six 3-pointers (on nine attempts).
• Recording his third career double-double, Thorne had 10 rebounds to go with his 10 points.
• Abrams made a career-high four 3-pointers and finished 5-of-5 from the field.
• Finke finished shooting 80 percent (8-of-10) from the field, a career-best shooting percentage.
• D.J. Williams' nine points were a career high.
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 (Nov. 13) is the top single-game performance nationally on the young season, tied with Cameron Morse of Youngstown State (40 at Toledo, Nov. 15).
