huskeraddict
All-Conference
January 11, 2015
7:30pm CT - BTN
Pinnacle Bank Arena - Lincoln, NE
Illinois Fighting Illini 11-5, 1-2 (Last: 64-57 W vs Maryland)
vs
Nebraska Cornhuskers 9-6, 1-2 (Last: 65-49 W vs Rutgers)
Big Ten Standings
Wisconsin 3-0, 15-1
Maryland 3-1, 15-2
Michigan 3-1, 10-6
Indiana 2-1, 12-4
Michigan State 2-1, 11-5
Iowa 2-1, 11-5
Ohio State 2-2, 13-4
Purdue 2-2, 10-7
Northwestern 1-1, 10-5
Illinois 1-2, 11-5
Nebraska 1-2, 9-6
Rutgers 1-2, 9-7
Penn State 0-3, 12-4
Minnesota 0-4, 11-6
Head Coaches
Illinois John Groce (139-89, 54-33 at Illinois)
Nebraska Tim Miles (326-257, 43-37 at Nebraska)
Injury Report
Illinois
G - Rayvonte Rice - Hand - Out 4-6 weeks
G - Tracy Abrams - Knee - Out for season
Nebraska
No injuries to report
Scouting Illinois
Illinois comes to Lincoln with an 11-5 record and is 1-2 in the Big Ten following a 64-57 win over No. 11 Maryland on Wednesday. The effort was highlighted by a 28-point performance from sophomore Malcolm Hill, as he went 9-of-18 from the field, including four 3-pointers, and 11 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots from senior center Nnanna Egwu.
Illinois, which went 20-15 and reached the second round of the NIT last season for third-year coach John Groce, had four returning starters, but have been without senior guard Tracy Abrams, who will miss the entire season following knee surgery. The Illini lost a second starter for an extended time, as senior guard Rayvonte Rice suffered a broken left hand earlier this week and will be out several weeks. Rice was Illinois’ leading scorer (17.2 ppg) and rebounder (6.9 rpg) at the time of the injury.
The Illini opened the year with six straight wins, including a 62-54 victory over Baylor in the Las Vegas Invitational, before faltering with three losses in a four-game stretch, including to then-nationally ranked Miami and No. 7 Villanova. In Big Ten play, Illinois lost a pair of road games at Michigan, where the Wolverines came back from a 13-point second-half deficit and won in OT, and at Ohio State before knocking off Maryland in its Big Ten home opener.
Hill is second on the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game while chipping in 5.7 rebounds per outing, while fellow sophomore Kendrick Nunn is at 8.6 points per game, including 44 percent from 3-point range. As a team, Illinois shoots 37 percent from long distance and is holding opponents to under 40 percent shooting.
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