Iowa Basketball: Get To Know Illinois Fighting Illini

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa basketball and Illinois will tipoff on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. on Big Ten Network

Following their loss to Maryland, Iowa basketball is on their first two-game losing streak of conference play this season. The Hawkeyes are 3-4 in conference play and 11-9 overall and in desperate need of a win.

Iowa will be on the road this Wednesday in Champaign, Illinois, to take on the Fighting Illini and trying to earn their first road win of the season. The Hawkeyes are a miserable 0-4 on the road this season.

They are catching Illinois at the right time, too. The Illini have lost their last three games and are just 2-5 in conference play this year. That said, Illinois found success earlier in the year, as they started the season 10-3, and have the potential to get back to that level of play.

In non-conference play, Illinois took care of their business for the most part. They had a bad loss to Winthrop, which will look even worse on Selection Sunday if they turn their season around and are on the bubble, but their other two losses came against ranked teams in West Virginia and Florida State.

In fact, four of their losses came against ranked teams and seven came against previously ranked teams this year. Still, four of their five Big Ten losses have come by nine points or more, and the Illini simply aren’t playing good basketball right now.

Illinois only ranks 124th in the nation in points per game and 195th in points allowed per game. It’s telling of their struggles on both sides of the ball this year.

Here’s a closer look at head coach John Groce and two players to watch.

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John Groce

After two NCAA Tournament appearances in four years at Ohio University, John Groce inherited an Illinois team went 17-15 in the year prior but started his first season ranked 10th in the nation. Illinois also started the next two seasons ranked 23 and 24 in the AP Poll but Groce continues to produce underwhelming results.

Illinois made the NCAA Tournament in his first season and beat Colorado in the first round, however, since then, Illinois has not made it back. In fact, the Illini only won 20 games once since and finished a miserable 15-19 last season.

Overall, Groce is just 89-69 at Illinois and is on the hot seat after a 12-8 start to the season this year.

That said, he has an amazing 2017 recruiting class that might save his job. According to 247Sports, Illinois owns the 11th best class and has a five-star in Jeremiah Tilmon and two four-stars. It’s easily his best class and could be what saves his job if Illinois doesn’t let him go after this season.

Even with his top recruiting class, it would be justified if Illinois let him go after this season. Illinois is on their longest NCAA Tournament drought since the 1970s.

Plus, in his now fifth season, Illinois has never ranked top 100 in the nation in points per game and only twice had a top 100 scoring defense. In fact, last season, the Illini owned a miserable 201st ranked scoring offense and 252nd ranked scoring defense.

The clock is quickly running out on John Groce in Champaign, Illinois, but he’s hoping it doesn’t strike zero after this season.

Mandatory Credit: Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports

Players To Watch

Malcolm Hill: 17.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 44.5 FG%, 35.9 3P%

There is a chance that Malcolm Hill and Peter Jok have an old-fashioned shootout on Wednesday night. Jok leads the Big Ten in scoring and Hill is not far behind at 17.8 points per game, which is fifth in the conference. Hill is also an underrated rebounder like Jok, however he’s one of the most prolific scorers in the nation, as his scoring average is actually 0.3 points per game lower than last season.

He has a 40 point game against Northern Kentucky and 32 points against IUPUI, but he has not found the same success in conference play. Hill is only averaging 16.6 points per game, despite shooting 50 percent or better in five of seven games.

The Hawkeyes had trouble keeping Melo Trimble and Anthony Cowan out of the lane last week, but they need to force Hill into taking longer shots where he’s less confident. He’s great at drawing fouls, therefore contesting without fouling could be the difference in this game. Illinois is 7-2 in games he scores more than 20 points in, which is telling of how much the Illini rely on him.

Maverick Morgan: 10.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 60.0 FG%

Maverick Morgan is just 43rd in the conference in scoring but second on Illinois. He has great size at 6-10 and doesn’t shoot threes like a lot of big men. Although, considering the lack of defensive presence in the paint against Maryland, Iowa will have their hands full against a player who shoots 60 percent from the field.

It took the senior time to find his footing, however he’s been on a tear in Big Ten play. Morgan is averaging 12.3 points per game in conference play while still shooting 59.6 percent from the field. Plus, his six points against Michigan in Illinois’ last game ended his five game streak of scoring in double-figures.

He will be a big test for a young Iowa frontcourt who hasn’t been the best defensive tandem in the nation. Playing a zone defense could be beneficial for Iowa to keep the ball out of Morgan’s hands and force him to finish though contact.