| Illinois Probable Starters (from the previous game) |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
13 |
Tracy Abrams |
6-2 |
185 |
Gr. |
9.6 |
2.8 |
2.5 |
Team-high 20 steals |
| G |
5 |
Jalen Coleman-Lands |
6-3 |
190 |
So. |
8.9 |
2.2 |
1.1 |
Team-high 42 3FG |
| G |
21 |
Malcolm Hill |
6-6 |
225 |
Sr. |
17.8 |
5.9 |
2.4 |
4th in B1G in scoring |
| F |
12 |
Leron Black |
6-7 |
220 |
r-So. |
9.9 |
6.9 |
0.5 |
14 p, 9 r vs. MD |
| C |
22 |
Maverick Morgan |
6-10 |
245 |
Sr. |
10.4 |
3.9 |
0.7 |
16.0 ppg, 64% FG last 4 |
| Off the Bench |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
0 |
D.J. Williams |
6-7 |
210 |
So. |
2.6 |
1.1 |
0.5 |
5 BLK |
| G |
1 |
Jaylon Tate |
6-3 |
170 |
Sr. |
2.8 |
1.4 |
3.4 |
2.3 A/TO |
| F |
2 |
Kipper Nichols |
6-6 |
225 |
r-Fr. |
3.3 |
3.5 |
0.0 |
13 p, 8 r vs. MICH |
| G |
3 |
Te'Jon Lucas |
6-0 |
170 |
Fr. |
3.7 |
0.9 |
2.3 |
60.6% FG |
| G |
23 |
Aaron Jordan |
6-5 |
190 |
So. |
1.3 |
0.9 |
0.3 |
6-14 3FG |
| C |
33 |
Mike Thorne Jr. |
6-11 |
280 |
Gr. |
5.8 |
4.1 |
0.4 |
57.3% FG |
| G |
35 |
Samson Oladimeji |
6-5 |
195 |
Fr. |
0.5 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
4 G |
| G |
41 |
Clayton Jones |
6-0 |
170 |
r-Jr. |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
5 G |
| F |
43 |
Michael Finke |
6-10 |
230 |
r-So. |
7.1 |
4.5 |
0.4 |
39% 3FG |
| G |
44 |
Alex Austin |
6-4 |
190 |
r-Sr. |
0.3 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
6 G |
| Sitting Out |
| Pos. |
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Yr. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
Note |
| G |
10 |
Drew Cayce |
6-1 |
165 |
So. |
- |
- |
- |
Sitting out season (transfer) |
| F |
45 |
Cameron Liss |
6-6 |
220 |
Jr. |
0.6* |
0.0* |
0.2* |
Redshirting season |
Career Record: 174-124/.584 (9th year)
At Illinois: 89-68/.567?(5th year)
Big Ten: 31-47/.397
Series Notes vs. Michigan
Series Record: Illinois leads 87-81
Series Streak: Illinois W-1
Record at Ann Arbor: Michigan leads 50-29
Series Streak at Ann Arbor Michigan W-3
Last Meeting: ? Illinois 85, Michigan 69 // Jan. 11, 2017 at Champaign
Groce vs. Michigan at Illinois: 2-7
Groce vs. Michigan All-Time: 3-7
Opening Tips
• Illinois is playing back-to-back road games for the only time this season, following up Tuesday's game at No. 21 Purdue with a visit to Michigan on Saturday afternoon (1:15 p.m. CT, BTN).
• This is the second meeting in 10 days between the Illini and Wolverines, after the UI's 85-69 victory in Champaign on Jan. 11.
• Illinois is aiming for its first road win this season (0-3), and looking to snap a seven-game road skid overall.
• Senior Maverick Morgan has scored at least 15 points in each of the last four games, averaging 16.0 points (64) on 64.1 percent shooting (25-39).
• Senior Malcolm Hill is 18 points (1,582) and 21 rebounds (579) away from becoming just the fifth Illini player in school history – and the sixth active Div. I player – in the career 1,600-point/600-rebound club.
Fresh Faces
Following the Indiana game on Jan. 7, Coach John Groce made the decision to move up Illini freshmen Te'Jon Lucas and Kipper Nichols in the rotation. The duo responded in a big way in the victory over Michigan on Jan. 11. Lucas ran the offense well, dishing out a career- and game-high eight assists in 23 minutes, equaling the most assists by a UI player on the season. Nichols provided a list on both offense and defense, scoring a career-high 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting and grabbing a career- and game-high eight rebounds in only 19 minutes. Five of his boards came on the offensive end, the most by an Illini this season.
Notes from the 85-69 Win over Michigan (Jan. 11)
• Illinois started a lineup of Abrams, Coleman-Lands, Hill, Black and Morgan for the first time, marking the Illini's fifth different starting lineup this season.
• The game was close throughout the first half before the Illini erupted with a 17-2 run over the final 4:04, turning a 34-32 deficit into a 49-36 lead at halftime.
• The Illini set season highs with 64.2 percent shooting from the field (34-53) and 64.3 percent from 3-point range (9-14).
• Illinois had its best field goal percentage since shooting a school-record 70.5 percent vs. Northwestern at home on Jan. 6, 2011.
• Illinois' 49 points in the first half marked its highest total against a D-1 opponent this season.
• The Illini shot 62.5 percent in the first half (20-32); good for its best first-half shooting percentage this season and second-best half overall (67.9 percent vs. N.C. State).
• Illinois improved to 11-2 on the season when scoring at least 75 points.
• The Illini held Michigan to just 17 rebounds in the game, the least by an Illinois opponent since Dec. 6, 2014 when American had 16.
• Illinois' 16-point margin of victory was its highest against Michigan since Jan. 16, 2008 when the Illini defeated the Wolverines by 18 points (75-57).
• Six Illini scored in double-figures, tied for the most players in double digits this season (vs. McKendree).
• Freshman Te'Jon Lucas had a career-high eight assists, equaling the most assists by an Illini this season.
• Freshman Kipper Nichols had career highs in points (13), rebounds (8), minutes (19), field goals made (6), field goals attempted (9) and 3-pointers made and attempted (1-1).
• Nichols had five offensive rebounds, most by an Illini this season. His five offensive boards were more than Michigan amassed as a team (4).
• Senior Maverick Morgan tied his season high with eight field goals made (on nine attempts) for a team-high 16 points. Morgan also added a career-high four assists.
• Senior Malcolm Hill scored in double-figures for the 15th time in 17 games with 15 points.
• Sophomore Jalen Coleman-Lands had a career-high four assists. He tied his previous career best with three in the game's first 3:50.
• Sophomore Michael Finke was 4-for-4 shooting, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range, for his first career perfect shooting night.
• The Illini freshmen and sophomores combined for 58.8 percent of Illinois' scoring (50 of 85 points), the highest points percentage by UI underclassmen in a game this season.
Illini Team Trends
• Illinois ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 99th in the NCAA in scoring offense, averaging 76.9 ppg. The Illini have scored at least 75 points in 11 of their 12 wins.
• Illinois is 83rd nationally in field goal percentage at 47 percent. The Illini are 9-0 this season when shooting at least 45 percent, and are 11-0 when shooting better than their opponent.
• The Illini rank fourth in the Big Ten and 80th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage at 37.3 percent.
• Illinois has shown improvement on the offensive glass, recording double digits in 13 games on the season and averaging 10.2 o-boards per game. Last season Illinois ranked last in the Big Ten with 7.6 offensive rebounds per contest.
• Illinois has scored more second-chance points than its opponent in 13 of 19 games, including each of the last four contests.
• Illinois is also getting it done on the defensive glass. The Illini rank third in the Big Ten and 29th nationally in defensive rebounding percentage (.751).
• Illinois has shot at least 50 percent during the second half in nine of its 12 wins.
• Illinois is earning its way to the free throw line on offense, ranking 117th in the nation with a 37.7 free throw rate against D1 opponents (FTA/FGA). That is Illinois' highest free throw rate since the 2001-02 season (44.6).
• In conference games only, Illinois' free throw rate of 33.5 ranks third in the Big Ten.
Illini Player Trends
• Preseason Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Senior CLASS Award candidate Malcolm Hill ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring (17.8 ppg).
• Hill has scored in double figures in 17 of 18 games against Div. I opponents, with nine outings of 20+ points and two 30-plus point performances.
• Hill has reached double figures in each of the last 13 games, including four straight games scoring 20+ points that ended last week vs. Michigan (15). He had tied his career-long streak of consecutive 20+ point games, first set last season from Dec. 9-23, 2015.
• Hill ranks 10th on the Illinois career scoring chart (1,582 points). At his current season average, Hill would finish as the Illini's No. 3 all-time leading scorer.
• Hill has seven kenpom game MVP accolades so far this season, tied for the 14th-most by any player nationally and trailing only Iowa's Peter Jok for most by a Big Ten player.
• Hill's career-high 40 points vs. Northern Kentucky (Nov. 13) is tied for the No. 12 scoring performance in the NCAA this season.
• Hill has scored in double figures in just the second half of nine games this season.
• Hill has made 33 three-pointers in 19 games after making 37 treys in 34 games last season.
• Hill continues to be one of the nation's best at getting to the line. He ranks 22nd in the NCAA with 98 made free throws. His 124 attempts, meanwhile, rank 23rd nationally. Hill leads all Big Ten players in each category.
• Hill ranks third all-time at Illinois with 459 career made free throws. Last season he went 193 of 235 from the line, ranking as the second-highest single-season school totals for free throws made and attempted.
• Hill is drawing 6.7 fouls per 40 minutes, ranking 60th nationally.
• Senior Maverick Morgan is second on the team in scoring, also averaging double figures at 10.4 ppg. In conference games only, Morgan's average increases to 13.3 points.
• Morgan has been the team's leading scorer in each of the last three games.
• Morgan has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games, including a career-best streak of five straight heading into Saturday's game at Michigan.
• Morgan ranks fourth in the Big Ten in field goal shooting at 60 percent.
• Sophomore Leron Black has scored in double figures in seven games, ranking third on the team in scoring (9.9 points). He entered the year as a 4.9 ppg career scorer.
• Black has scored in double figures seven times through 14 games, after totaling seven double-digit scoring performances in 40 career games entering the season.
• Black has been the Illini's leading rebounder in eight games and leads the team on the year, averaging 6.9 boards (9th in B1G).
• After scoring six points or less in five consecutive games, Black registered double figures against Michigan and Maryland, averaging 12.0 points (24) on 55 percent shooting (11-20).
• After missing the last two years due to injury, sixth-year senior Tracy Abrams has scored in double figures in eight games, ranking fourth on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg).
• Abrams ranks ninth in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 44.1 percent from behind the arc (30-68) after entering his final season as a 27 percent career 3-point shooter.
• Freshman Te'Jon Lucas has totaled 18 assists in 78 minutes over the last four games (4.5 apg).
• Sophomore Michael Finke has made 8-of-11 shots over the last three games, including 5-of-7 on threes.
Hill Nearing Historic Club
Senior Malcolm Hill is 18 points away from scoring 1,600 for his career and 21 rebounds away from grabbing 600 during his tenure. Hill is on pace to achieve both milestones this season, which would make him just the fifth Illini player ever in the 1,600-point/600-rebound club:
Deon Thomas (1991-94) – 2,129 points 846 rebounds
Brian Cook (2000-03) – 1,748 points 815 rebounds
Eddie Johnson (1978-81) – 1,692 points 831 rebounds
Mark Smith (1978-81) – 1,653 points 722 rebounds
Malcolm Hill (2014-) – 1,582 points 579 rebounds
Post Production
Illinois has received consistent play in the post from center Maverick Morgan. Over the last nine games, the senior has scored in double figures eight times, averaging 13.8 points on 62 percent shooting along with 5.4 rebounds:
Morgan is Illinois' second-leading scorer during Big Ten play, averaging 13.3 points on 59.6 percent shooting (2nd in B1G).
New Graduate Austin Earns Scholarship
Alex Austin transferred to Illinois as a preferred walk-on following two seasons at Eastern Illinois. Now in his third year with the Illini program, Austin earned a bachelor's degree in communication in December and is now enrolled in a master's program in recreation, sport and tourism. Austin has been rewarded for his hard work by being placed on scholarship for the spring semester.
» Complete Illinois-Michigan Game Notes
