The Daily Illini: Big Ten Hoops Guide 2016

Thursday, January 21, 2016

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2015-16 MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE DATE

GAME

11/08/15 VS. UI-SPRINGFIELD (EXHIBITION) 11/13/15 VS. NORTH FLORIDA 11/15/15 VS. NORTH DAKOTA STATE 11/18/15 AT PROVIDENCE 11/21/15 VS. CHATTANOOGA 11/23/15 VS CHICAGO STATE 11/27/15 VS. UAB 11/28/15 VS. IOWA STATE 12/02/15 VS. NOTRE DAME 12/05/15 VS. WESTERN CAROLINA 12/09/15 VS. YALE 12/12/15 AT UIC 12/19/15 VS. SOUTH DAKOTA 12/23/15 AT MISSOURI 12/30/15 VS. MICHIGAN* 01/03/16 AT OHIO STATE* 01/07/16 AT MICHIGAN STATE* 01/10/16 VS. PURDUE* 01/16/16 VS. NEBRASKA* 01/19/16 AT INDIANA* 01/23/16 AT MINNESOTA* 01/28/16 VS. OHIO STATE* 01/31/16 VS. WISCONSIN* 02/03/16 AT RUTGERS* 02/07/16 VS. IOWA* 02/13/16 AT NORTHWESTERN* 02/16/16 VS RUTGERS* 02/21/16 AT WISCONSIN* 02/25/16 VS. INDIANA* 02/28/16 VS. MINNESOTA* 03/03/16 AT MARYLAND* 03/06/16 AT PENN STATE* 03/09/16 BIG TEN TOURNAMENT STARTS 03/15/15 NCAA TOURNAMENT BEGINS

LOCATION

PRAIRIE CAPITAL CONVENTION CENTER PRAIRIE CAPITAL CONVENTION CENTER PRAIRIE CAPITAL CONVENTION CENTER PROVIDENCE, R.I. PRAIRIE CAPITAL CONVENTION CENTER PRAIRIE CAPITAL CONVENTION CENTER NICEVILLE, FLA. AT NICEVILLE, FLA. STATE FARM CENTER STATE FARM CENTER STATE FARM CENTER UNITED CENTER STATE FARM CENTER ST. LOUIS, MO. STATE FARM CENTER COLUMBUS, OHIO EAST LANSING, MICH STATE FARM CENTER STATE FARM CENTER BLOOMINGTON, IND. MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. STATE FARM CENTER STATE FARM CENTER PISCATAWAY, N.J. STATE FARM CENTER EVANSTON, ILL. STATE FARM CENTER MADISON, WIS STATE FARM CENTER STATE FARM CENTER COLLEGE PARK, M.D. UNIVERSITY PARK, PENN. INDIANAPOLIS, IND. DAYTON, OHIO

TIME/RESULT

(W 104-69) (L 93-81) (W 80-74) (L 60-59) (L 81-77) (W 82-79) (W 72-58) (L 84-73) (L 84-79) (W 80-68) (W 69-65) (W 83-79) (W 91-79) (W 68-63) (L 78-68) (L 75-73) (L 79-54) (W 84-70) (L 78-67) (L 103-69) 7:30 PM CT 8:00 PM CT 6:30 PM CT 5:30 PM CT 12:00 PM CT 7:00 PM CT 8:00 PM CT TBD 8:00 PM CT TBD 6:00 PM CT 11:00 PM CT TBD TBD

STATS Points per game Kendrick Nunn 18.2 Malcolm Hill 17.8 Mike Thorne Jr. 12.

BIG TEN STANDINGS CONFERENCE OVERALL Indiana

6-0

16-3

Iowa

5-0

14-3

Maryland

6-1

17-2

Purdue

4-2

16-3

Ohio State

4-2

12-7

Michigan

3-2

13-5

Michigan State

3-3

16-3

Steals per game Kendrick Nunn 1.3 Malcolm Hill 1.2 Khalid Lewis 0.8 Jalen Coleman-Lands 0.6

Northwestern

3-4

15-5

Nebraska

3-3

11-8

Penn State

2-4

11-8

Blocks Malcolm Hill 14 Mike Thorne Jr. 5

Wisconsin

2-4

10-9

Illinois

1-5

9-10

Shooting percentage Maverick Morgan 57.8% Michael Finke 47.3% Mike Thorne Jr. 49.6%

Minnesota

0-6

6-12

Rutgers

0-6

6-13

Rebounds per game Mike Thorne Jr. 8.5 Malcolm Hill 5.6 Kendrick Nunn 5.4 Assists per game Malcolm Hill 3.5 Khalid Lewis 2.9 Jaylon Tate 2.9

*These standards are accurate as of press time.

The Daily Illini | www.DailyIllini.com

Round up Compiled by Cole Henke,

Minnesota

Assistant sports editor

Here’s an updated look at how teams are faring across the Big Ten this season. *These standards are accurate as of press time.

Illinois Head Coach: John Groce Record: 9-10, 1-5 Big Ten Analysis: The Illini have been plagued by injuries all season, playing most of their games this season with only two of their five projected starters. Flashes of high level play have kept Illini fans interested, but flashes are all the team has been able to produce.

Indiana Head Coach: Tom Crean Record: 16-3, 6-0 Big Ten Analysis: Indiana showed some signs of inconsistency on the defensive end early in the season, picking up losses to Wake Forest and UNLV at the Maui Invitational, as well as a loss against Duke at Cameron Indoor. Since then, Indiana has tightened it up on the defensive end, and is continuing to play strongly offensively behind point guard Yogi Ferrell.

Iowa Head Coach: Fran McCaffery Record: 14-3, 5-0 Big Ten Analysis: Much like their football team, Iowa basketball has burst onto the Big Ten scene this year, picking up a season sweep against top 5 ranked Michigan St., and also beating top Big Ten teams Purdue and Michigan. Iowa is ranked No. 9 after beating Michigan.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

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Head Coach: Richard Pitino Record: 6-12, 0-6 Big Ten Analysis: It has definitely been a rough season for the Golden Gophers. They were unable to pick up any momentum in the non-conference season, going 6-6, and haven’t been able to win a game since. The Golden Gophers are looking at missing the NCAA Tournament and the NIT for the second year in a row.

Maryland Head Coach: Mark Turgeon Record: 17-2, 6-1 Big Ten Analysis: Melo Trimble showed he was a top player in the Big Ten last year when he carried the Terrapins to the NCAA tournament. This year he has been even better, and with the addition of freshman forward Diamond Stone and a balanced scoring attack, the Terrapins have held a top-10 ranking all season.

Nebraska Head Coach: Tim Miles Record: 11-8, 3-3 Big Ten Analysis: Nebraska has been the definition of middle-of-the-pack in the Big Ten this season. The Cornhuskers do not have any bad losses, but do not have any marquee wins either. Junior guard Andrew White III leads the team with 17.5 points per game.

Michigan Head Coach: John Beilein Record: 13-5, 3-2 Big Ten Analysis: Michigan has fallen victim to their own strength of schedule so far this season. Four of the Wolverines’ five losses, including both of their Big Ten losses, have come against ranked teams. The Wolverines are led by senior Caris LeVert.

Michigan State Head Coach: Tom Izzo Record: 16-3, 3-3 Big Ten Analysis: Michigan State worked its way up to the No. 1 ranking early in the season, but after its best player and potential Player of the Year winner Denzel Valentine got injured, the Spartans have not been the same team.

Back-to-back losses to conference foes Iowa and Wisconsin dropped the Spartans out of the top 10.

Northwestern Head Coach: Chris Collins Record: 15-5, 3-4 Big Ten Analysis: This is one of the strongest teams the Wildcats have ever had, and early in the season it seemed almost certain that this would be the first Northwestern team to ever make the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have been road warriors this year, going 4-0 on the road.

Penn State Head Coach: Pat Chambers Record: 11-8, 2-4 Big Ten Analysis: The Nittany Lions have struggled when it comes to Big Ten play in past seasons, and this one has been no different. So far this season, the Nittany Lions’ biggest win was against Northwestern in Evanston.

Purdue Head Coach: Matt Painter Record: 16-3, 4-2 Big Ten Analysis: Purdue’s big men have been carrying the team to victory all season.

Senior A.J. Hammons and sophomore Isaac Haas — with help from freshman Caleb Swanigan — form the most formidable front court the Big Ten has to offer, and Purdue’s slow pace and post game has been working well so far.

Rutgers Head Coach: Eddie Jordan Record: 6-13, 0-6 Big Ten Analysis:Rutgers still has not adjusted to life in the Big Ten. Life has been rough for the Scarlet Knights — they sit in last place in the Big Ten, the same place they finished last year.

Wisconsin Ohio State Head Coach: Thad Matta Record: 12-7, 4-2 Big Ten Analysis: Ohio State has been the definition of inconsistent this season. The Buckeyes picked up a big win against Kentucky early in the season, but since then, they’ve been run out of the gym by both Indiana and Maryland, leaving them in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten.

Head Coach: Greg Gard (Interim) Record: 10-9, 2-4 Big Ten Analysis: Everybody expected a drop off for Wisconsin following its National Championship appearance last year.

What wasn’t expected were losses to both Western Illinois and Milwaukee at home, and head coach Bo Ryan retiring right before right before Big Ten play.

The Badgers have kept fighting, though, almost upsetting Maryland if not for Melo Trimble’s buzzer-beater heroics.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

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Illini players (from left) Leron Black, Mike Thorne Jr., Kipper Nichols and Tracy Abrams, along with graduate manager James Haring (in suit) watch the action during Illinois’ 78-68 loss to Michigan at State Farm Center on Dec. 30.

Illinois moves on with ‘current rendition of roster’

BY JOEY FIGUEROA STAFF REPORTER

The Illinois men’s basketball team may have experienced the harsh ups and downs of an entire season in its recent span of three games in 10 days.

An impressive 84-70 victory over Purdue’s top-ranked defense was sandwiched between a blowout defeat to Michigan State that head coach John Groce called embarassing and a home loss to Nebraska that had Groce questioning his team’s effort.

“I don’t like losing, period,” Groce said following the Nebraska defeat. “I’m not a big fan of it.”

Unfortunately for Groce and the Illini, losing has become the norm to start off Big Ten play — Illinois has dropped five of its first six conference matchup. And while Groce does his best to avoid making any excuses, injuries and illnesses continue to block this Illini squad from reaching its full potential.

A rash of injuries dominated headlines during the preseason and non-conference schedule, and a variety of unforeseen circumstances have kept Illinois from gathering any sort of roster continuity during Big Ten play.

Point guard Khalid Lewis had just been hitting his stride as a playmaker on the offensive end — he tallied 18 assists in Illinois’ final three non-conference contests — before coming down with a case of the mumps that forced him out of the lineup for the first two conference games.

Once Lewis was cleared to play against Michigan State, junior guard Kendrick Nunn exited the lineup for the birth of his son, Kason Lee Nunn.

The “current rendition,” as Groce has called it, of the Illinois roster — sans big men Mike Thorne Jr. and Leron Black — has just two conference games at full strength to its credit thus far. Groce recognizes that more experience as a complete group will be crucial moving forward.

“Our current rendition has been back together for some continuity, for rotations, for what we call, for what we run,” Groce said. “That’s a big deal. That gives you a chance to keep getting better. Guys are getting used to playing with certain guys, there’s a connection there thats getting better.”

Black is deep into rehab for his knee injury and remains out indefinitely. Until he is able to practice, Groce does not expect the

big man to see any more game action this season. The current rendition of the Illini is obviously a much smaller team without Black, which has led to a major difference in two key categories: rebounding and three-point shooting.

With freshman forward Michael Finke and junior center Maverick Morgan as essentially Illinois’ only big men, opponents have taken advantage on the boards.

Through six games, the Illini are dead last in the Big Ten in rebounding. They have been outrebounded in every conference game thus far.

“Rebounding was the biggest thing for us,” Finke said after being outrebounded by 21 against Nebraska. “We couldn’t find guys and couldn’t hit them, it’s just inexcusable. We’ve just got to keep grinding with that and try to get lower and hit them.”

Although Thorne Jr. returned against Indiana, Groce has placed a larger emphasis on getting back on defense rather than crashing the offensive boards.

“All you have to do is pick up the stat sheet and see who our two best guys are in rebounds per minutes played — they’re in street clothes right now,” Groce said.

“It is what it is. We’ve got to figure some-

thing else out to be better with our defensive rebounding collectively, and we’ve got to be great at something else.”

Without many options in the paint, Illinois has turned to a perimeter-orientated offense that can sometimes live and die by the three. Its 23 three-point attempts per game is the highest rate since Groce’s first year with the program.

Although the Illini are shooting at a respectable 36 percent clip from downtown, Groce wants better shot selection.

The Illini launched 20 threes in the first half against Nebraska, and Groce claimed that about nine of those attempts were poor decisions.

Groce said he is prepared to play the rest of the season without Black and has emphasized his “TNT” mantra of playing tough and together — which he hopes his players buy into sooner than later.

“We know what we’re capable of and we showed it against Purdue,” Finke said.

“We’ve just got to go out there and play with a chip on our shoulders and prove to people what we can do.”

jfiguer2@dailyillini.com @joeyfigueroa3

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Thursday, January 21, 2016

Lewis has provided steady hand in lone season only true point guard on the Illinois roster until Tate returned on Nov. 27 and continKhalid Lewis was in the process of ues to play a majority of the Illini’s point committing to play his senior season of guard minutes.

Lewis’ stats aren’t spectacular; he’s avercollege basketball at Illinois last August when he noticed strange headlines in the aging 3.8 points and 2.9 assists in 22.6 minutes per game. But Groce shudders to think local Champaign papers.

A mumps outbreak was spreading on his what this injury-riddled season might look future University’s campus in the form of like without the steadying presence he says a virus that Lewis knew virtually noth- Lewis brings to the floor. The 23-year-old ing about. Typically, between 400 and 500 almost never breaks composure, always people are diagnosed with mumps each keeping a fixed gaze focused up court when year in the United States, meaning Lewis handling the ball. was hardly alone in his ignorance of the “That’s his New Jersey style,” teammate disease.

Malcolm Hill said of Lewis. “That Jersey Just over four months later at the end of swagger. I guess that’s what you call it: just December, Lewis was quarantined in his cool, calm and collected. That’s how he is.”

When fellow graduate transfer Mike campus apartment, having contracted the Thorne Jr. went down with a torn menismumps himself.

“My body just didn’t want to do any- cus Nov. 28 against Iowa State, Lewis thing,” Lewis said of his five-day quar- became the team’s only active senior. Hill antine period. “My body was real weak. said Lewis hasn’t been afraid to make his I probably was in bed like 95 percent of voice heard as the team’s elder statesman. the time.”

“I’ve always seen myself as a leader, so Lewis sat out the first two games of Illi- I try to be as vocal as I can,” Lewis said. nois’ Big Ten schedule as he recovered “Like I said, I’m an older guy. I try to stay from the disease. The redpoised so the rest of my shirt senior from Trenton, team will stay poised. If New Jersey, will only play they see me rattled, then this season for the Illini as everybody else could get a graduate transfer, and rattled.” unusual circumstances led While it was impossito his commitment to Illible for Lewis to have any nois in the first place. impact in the two games Lewis started his career he sat out with mumps — playing one season at Delboth losses to Michigan aware before transferand Ohio State — he said KHALID LEWIS ring to La Salle, where he he gained a different perSENIOR POINT GUARD would sit out one season spective on the game while and play two. He averaged watching his team strug6 points and 2.2 assists per gle on TV. And when the game for the Explorers as isolation period that Lewa junior before graduating academically is called “emotionally draining” was over, and electing to play his final year of eligi- Groce noticed a difference upon his return. bility elsewhere.

“I think (the mumps) mentally kind of When Illinois senior Tracy Abrams suf- grabbed him, made him realize, man, the fered an Achilles injury at the end of July game gets taken away from you, makes that would cost him the 2015-16 season you appreciate it a little bit more,” Groce — his second consecutive season-ending said. “He’s come back with a lot of vigor, injury — junior Jaylon Tate was the only a lot of energy, a lot of effort.”

Lewis scored eight points in his first healthy point guard remaining on the Illini roster. Head coach John Groce was in game back in a loss at Michigan State and desperate need of another floor general and played 26 minutes in a win against No. 20 found Lewis, who would be eligible to join Purdue, his handles unaffected by the Boilermakers’ full-court man pressure. Before the team and play right away.

Lewis’ commitment to Illinois was Illinois’ loss to Nebraska, assistant coach announced Aug. 8, just 12 days after Mark Morris reminded Lewis to make the Abrams tore his Achilles. most of what remains of his lone season “We feel blessed to have gotten him as with the Illini. quickly as we did when we recruited him,” “You’ve got seven games left in this Groce said. “He’s been a godsend.” building (State Farm Center),” Morris told Lewis’ joined the Illini to split point him.

“Wow,” Lewis realized, pondering the guard duties with Tate, but his responsibilities on the court expanded almost twilight of his college career. “Time flew immediately. Tate dislocated his right pin- by.” ky finger in the Illini’s first game of the season and went on to miss the next four roux2@dailyillini.com as he recovered. Lewis took over as the @aroux94

BY ALEX ROUX

ILLINI HOOPS COLUMNIST

“I try to stay poised so the rest of my team will stay poised.”

AUSTIN YATTONI THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois guard Khalid Lewis takes a jump shot during the game against Yale at the State Farm Center on Dec. 9. Lewis has returned to the Illini following being quarantined for mumps.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

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Nunn, Hill trying to lead the Illini

BY ELI SCHWADRON STAFF WRITER

Jalen Coleman-Lands took one baseline dribble before two Purdue defenders halted his path to the basket. With his back turned to the hoop, the freshman guard delivered a perfectly timed bounce pass to a cutting Kendrick Nunn, who collected the rock and took flight from well outside the restricted area.

Bang.

Nunn’s upward flight trajectory culminated in a poster dunk on Purdue’s 6-foot-9 star freshman, Caleb Swanigan.

All hell broke loose in State Farm Center, and the Illini took a 57-48 lead over the No. 20 Boilermakers with 11:45 remaining in their Jan. 10 matchup.

Illinois (9-10) went on to beat Purdue, and Nunn finished with 22 points on 8-of12 shooting to go with five rebounds. It was another special performance in the shooting guard’s stellar junior season, in which he’s averaging 18.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 48 percent from the floor and 41 percent from 3-point range.

“We can’t control what happened in the past, but we can control what happens in the future.”

MALCOLM HILL JUNIOR GUARD

But the Purdue game – which marked Illinois’ first win versus a ranked opponent since a 64-57 win over Maryland in early 2015 – was far from the biggest news in Nunn’s life that week.

Nunn’s son, Kason Lee, was born three days earlier on Jan. 7, right around the time the Illini tipped off against Michigan State. Nunn missed the game to be with his new family.

“It’s been a long week for me – just staying up. I probably haven’t gotten as much sleep for the past week, but I’m tough. When I get on the floor, I do what I have to do,” Nunn said after beating Purdue. “I’m proud of my son’s birth and glad we came out today and got the win.”

Illinois came back to Earth in a 78-67 loss to Nebraska on Jan. 16. Following Tuesday’s loss to Indiana, the Illini now sit third-to-last in Big Ten play with a conference record of 1-5.

AUSTIN YATTONI THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois’ Kendrick Nunn takes a layup over a Michigan defender during the game against Michigan at the State Farm Center on Dec. 30. Nunn is currently out due to injury.

But Nunn’s partner-in-crime, Malcolm Hill, isn’t concerned with the slow start or any outsiders’ perspectives.

“To be honest, I don’t really pay attention to what people can say – whether that’s people giving up on us or anything,” Hill said. “The people that are gonna be with us … we just know that our inner circle is going to give us full support no matter what happens. We can’t control what happened in the past, but we can control what happens in the future.”

Hill is putting up nearly identical numbers to Nunn. Through 19 games — and 19 starts — the do-it-all swingman is

averaging 18.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and a team-high 3.5 assists per game. Nunn and Hill typically clock in at 30 to 38 minutes per game each, and in addition to jumpstarting the offense, they’re often tasked with guarding opposing teams’ best players.

They also complement each other.

With Nunn out of the lineup in a 25-point loss to the Spartans, Hill struggled to find his shot and finished with 10 points – his lowest output of the season. Upon Nunn’s return the next game, Hill got to the free throw line seven times and tripled his point total, dropping 30 on

9-for-15 shooting.

Hill said the team has been going hard in practice, determined to step up for the remainder of the conference schedule.

“Practice has been like hell – I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” Hill said. “I think the key is, even though practice was tough, we can’t lose our minds. We have to focus on the gameplan.”

With 12 games remaining before the Big Ten tournament, Illinois is looking to recapture the type of execution it showed against Purdue.

schwadr2@dailyillini.com

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Thursday, January 21, 2016

7

Looking to avoid Illini hoops disaster in difficult season ALEX ROUX Illini hoops columnist

At

AUSTIN YATTONI THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois’ head coach John Groce watches his team as Nebraska goes on a 17-2 run to go up by 10 points late in the first half. The Illini lost 78-67 to the Huskers at State Farm Center on Saturday.

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Illinois, it’s reasonable to expect the men’s basketball team to make the NCAA tournament.

Barring extreme circumstances and an occasional rebuilding season, that expectation was solidified and instilled into multiple generations of Illini hoops fans over the course of nearly three decades. From 19812013, Illinois missed the NCAAs in back-toback years only once and fell short of the tourney just eight total times.

Expectations have reluctantly been tempered recently under John Groce, as the Illini look poised to miss the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season. That level of futility at Illinois hasn’t been reached since the 1970s.

Groce made the tournament in his first season in Champaign and should be forgiven for missing it with a makeshift team in his second. Fans began to grow restless when Groce also missed the tournament in his third season following to a complete team collapse down the stretch.

In this season — Groce’s fourth — injuries have forced tournament hopes to be reset.

Remember those aforementioned extreme circumstances capable of skewing program expectations? This season certainly fits that criteria. We knew three months before the season when senior point guard Tracy Abrams tore his Achilles that Illinois wouldn’t be at full strength.

Since then, we’ve seen leading scorer Kendrick Nunn, leading rebounder Mike Thorne Jr., sophomore forward Leron Black and junior point guard Jaylon Tate all miss mul-

tiple games with injuries.

Add in an unusual November schedule due to arena renovations and you have a season that is an outlier, and one where reasonable expectations go to die.

Six games into the Big Ten season, Illinois sits at 9-10 overall, 1-5 in conference play, and is coming off the program’s worst loss in 20 years in a 103-69 drubbing at Indiana.

The NCAA tournament is a pipe dream and even a third straight NIT appearance is looking unlikely with Thorne and Black still sidelined indefinitely with meniscus injuries.

So what is there to look for from the Illini as they navigate the rest of their Big Ten schedule?

Besides keeping an eye on the status of Black and Thorne, it’s important to look beyond the scope of this season while watching what awaits this team. Even if fans have already written off this season as lost and given up — the players and coaches certainly haven’t — the overall trajectory of the program could still be at stake.

Four years ago, Bruce Weber was coaching his final games at Illinois, soon to be fired following a nine-year stint in Champaign. The 2011-12 Illini lost 12 of their last 14 games, completely cracking under the weight of trying to salvage a slipping season with their coach on the hot seat. One of the lowlights of the whole saga was NBAbound sophomore Meyers Leonard sobbing on the bench in the midst of a blowout loss at Nebraska.

The heat has certainly turned up on Groce in the past calendar year, but he’s nowhere near as close to losing his job as Weber was in his final Illini campaign.

Even this year’s depleted roster has the talent to compete with almost any team remaining on its schedule, but Illinois is also more than capable of playing down to competition. It isn’t hard to envision another pro-

longed conference losing streak if things start to snowball.

I’ve been looking for cracks in this team’s resolve — sagging shoulders, press conference comments, deviation from game plans, etc. — that could signify an impending meltdown. There had been occasional instances of all three until the Indiana game, when everything caved in.

That should serve as the biggest red flag of all.

If Illinois turns it around and plays a bit above its talent level these last two months while showing little trace of the team we saw against the Hoosiers, then it will be easier to argue that the program is positioned for a bounce-back season under Groce in 2016-17.

Whatever your feelings toward Groce’s full body of work at Illinois, it’s okay to concede that it’s unfair to truly evaluate his livelihood during a season where so much happened beyond his control.

But when the things he can control — game plans, substitution patterns, the ability to connect with his players — go by the wayside, then there is little left to defend.

Groce recently brought in 3-star recruit Javon Pickett as the first member of his 2017 class and hopes to assemble a group of regional and talented 2017 prospects who could truly get the program back on track. If the season crumbles, Groce’s sales pitch and job security will get a lot weaker.

The Big Ten tournament offers a Big Dance ticket to the champion, so there’s always an incentive for Illinois to keep fighting until the end. But the Illini appear to be approaching a cliff.

He just can’t afford to let them go over the edge.

Alex is a senior in AHS.

roux2@dailyillini.com @aroux94

Thursday, January 21, 2016

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