Head Coach John Groce
Career Record: 148-100/.597 (8th year)
At Illinois: 63-44/.589 (4th year)
Big Ten: 24-30/.444
Series Notes vs. Chattanooga
All-Time Series Record: Chattanooga leads 1-0
Series Streak: Chattanooga W-1
Last Meeting: Chattanooga 75, Illinois 64Â (March 16, 1997 at Charlotte // NCAA Round of 32)
Groce vs. Chattanooga: First meeting
Returning to the Capital
Illinois relocated an exhibition game and its first four regular season home games to the Springfield Prairie Capital Convention Center (PCCC) while the current phase of State Farm Center renovations continue on campus.
Illinois is covering its games at the state capital in three total trips. First up was a one-night stay for an exhibition game on Nov. 8. The Illini returned on Nov. 12 and stayed through Nov. 15 while taking on North Florida and North Dakota State during the opening weekend of play. Illinois makes its final visit to Springfield on Friday ahead of Saturday night's Chattanooga game, and will depart Monday following the Chicago State game.
Hall of Fame Henson
Lou Henson, the winningest coach in Fighting Illini history, is a member of the 2015 induction class for the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Henson is taking part in enshrinement ceremonies on Friday in Kansas City. Henson was hired at Illinois on April 5, 1975. What followed was a legendary 21-year career in charge of the Orange and Blue. He amassed a 423-224 record, highlighted by 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, a total of 15 postseason bids, and eleven 20-win seasons. Illinois basketball was one of the nation's most dominant programs during Henson's tenure, earning a top-5 seed in the NCAA Tournament seven straight years from 1984 through 1990.
Henson's Illini won the 1984 Big Ten Championship and advanced to the Elite Eight. His most successful season came with the Flyin' Illini, who won a then-school record 31 games and advanced to the 1989 NCAA Final Four. Henson ranks fifth all-time among Big Ten coaches in both total wins (423) and conference wins (214).
In August, Illinois announced that the new floor at State Farm Center will bear the Illini legend's name and be called "Lou Henson Court." The court dedication ceremony will take place at the Dec. 2 Big Ten/ACC Challenge match-up against Notre Dame, the first game at the newly renovated State Farm Center.
Emerald Coast Classic
Illinois' next two games against Chattanooga and Chicago State are preliminary round action for the Emerald Coast Classic. Chattanooga is coming off a 22-win season and runner-up finish in the Southern Conference, and are this year's preseason favorite in the SoCon. Chicago State, meanwhile, went 8-24 last year.
The Illini will depart Nov. 25 for Destin, Florida for the final two rounds of the Emerald Coast Classic. Illinois takes on UAB in the semifinals on Nov. 27 at 8:30 p.m., following the Iowa State-Virginia Tech game. The consolation game will be held on Nov. 28 at 3:30 p.m., followed by the championship at 6 p.m. Friday's two semifinal games and Saturday's title game will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
The Traveling Illini
Illinois is in a unique situation for a high-major conference team, playing every November game away from home before making its State Farm Center debut on Dec. 2. By the end of college basketball's opening month, the Illini will have traveled 3,926 miles and spent 12 nights in hotels.
Tested Early and Often
Illinois is the only program in the nation that opened the season with three straight games against teams that participated in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. North Florida (Atlantic Sun) and North Dakota State (Summit) earned automatic bids while Providence (Big East) was an at-large selection.
Last Time Out: Providence 60, Illini 59 (Nov. 18)
One of the founding principles for the Gavitt Tipoff Games is to provide high-level contests during college basketball's opening week of play. That's what transpired Wednesday night with the Illini-Friars match-up in Providence going down to the final buzzer.
The defensive intensity was there on both sides throughout the game. The Illini held All-America candidate Kris Dunn without a field goal for the first 31 minutes. Providence, meanwhile, unveiled a zone defense designed to neutralize center Mike Thorne Jr. So other players stepped up and contributed in a game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes.
After a first half where neither team led by more than four, the Friars opened up a 7-point advantage shortly after the break. Illinois fought back and eventually took its biggest lead of the night, 57-54, with six minutes remaining.
The two teams combined for just one field goal over the final six minutes, with Providence pulling ahead by one. The Illini had three chances on the game's final possession, but Malcolm Hill could not get a contested left-landed layup to go, Michael Finke's putback dunk attempt missed off the back of the rim, and Hill's deep 3 at the buzzer fell just short.
Jalen Coleman-Lands led the Illini with 17 points, knocking down 5-of-7 from three. Hill had his second double-double on the season, finishing with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. Finke had a breakout performance, scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbing seven boards.
Hill Doing It All
Coach John Groce joked in a recent press conference that he's asking junior guard Malcolm Hill "to be the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker." With veteran guards Tracy Abrams, Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate sidelined, Groce is demanding a lot from Hill. He has played four different positions and guarded all five positions as an Illini. He is now seeing more time at the point following Tate's injury in the season opener.
Hill has played in 113 of a possible 120 minutes so far this season, ranking sixth nationally in total minutes among players whose teams have played three games. He leads the Big Ten in minutes played, meanwhile, averaging 37.7 mpg.
Hill's versatility is evident in the fact that he leads the Illini in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots on the young season.
3-Point Threats
When the Illini coaching staff signed guards Jalen Coleman-Lands and Aaron Jordan, they felt they had signed a pair of shooters that would stack up against any duo in the 2015 recruiting class. And so far they are off to a great start.
Coleman-Lands is shooting 56.3 percent from 3-point range, knocking down 9-of-16 treys. Jordan checks in a 54.5 percent accuracy, draining 6-of-11 triples. Together they have combined to make 55.6 percent from behind the arc and have accounted for 15 of Illinois' 21 treys on the year.
