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WVU Makes its Big Apple Return Thursday
November 22, 2016 08:25 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - It’s been a long three years for Illinois basketball, the Fighting Illini once an annual participant in the NCAA tournament.
Inconsistent play and some off-court issues have kept Illinois out of the Big Dance the last three seasons - the first time that has happened since 1979-80.
Last year, Illinois’ 15-19 overall record was its worst since 1998-99.
Josh Groce, now in his fourth season at Illinois, has overseen all of this but he sees a shaft of light with his program this season. The Illini have one of the oldest and most experienced teams in college basketball with two sixth-year seniors (guard Tracy Abrams and center Mike Thorne), three other seniors, two juniors and a redshirt sophomore.
Illinois also has one of the most dynamic players in the Big Ten in 6-foot-6-inch, 220-pound small forward Malcolm Hill, who averaged 18.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last year and currently leads the Illini with a 20.6 points-per-game average.
Hill scored just 14 in Illinois’ most recent game, an 84-80 overtime loss to Winthrop earlier this week.
Its four victories have come against Southeast Missouri, Northern Kentucky, McKendree and Detroit Mercy.
Illinois is seeking a fifth victory on Thursday afternoon against West Virginia in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, where the Mountaineers made a quick exit from the NCAA tournament against Stephen F. Austin last year.
“They played Northern Kentucky, who we’re familiar with, and Northern Kentucky led at halftime and Hill decided they weren’t going to lose and he hit them for 40,” said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. “He’s good. We are really familiar with (senior center) Maverick Morgan. We recruited him from Springboro, Ohio, which is south of Dayton. He has really improved by leaps and bounds.”
Morgan and Michael Finke, a Champaign native who will be guarded by Morgantown native Nathan Adrian, both stand 6-feet-10.
Starting guards Jaylon Tate and Tracy Abrams also boast nice size.
“They’re guards are big and strong and strong with the ball and we’re going to have to channel them where we want them to go or we’re going to have a hard time getting it from them,” noted Huggins.
Huggins expects to see a lot of 2-3 zone from Illinois, something his team handled fairly well against New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon in Morgantown.
West Virginia made 15 3s and shot 54.4 percent from the floor during Sunday’s 100-41 victory. Six different players reached double figures, led by sophomore forward Esa Ahmad’s career-high-tying 14 points.
Ahmad (10.7 ppg.) is one of five players averaging double digits in the early going, led by Adrian’s 13.3 average. The senior is also pulling down a team-best eight rebounds per game while shooting nearly 47 percent from the floor.
All three West Virginia victories have been blowouts against Mount St. Mary’s, Mississippi Valley State and New Hampshire.
The Mountaineers are forcing 81 turnovers, including a season-high 34 committed by New Hampshire on Sunday.
Thursday afternoon’s game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally by ESPNU (Rich Hollenberg and Len Elmore). The Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG’s radio coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. on stations throughout West Virginia and online via leanStream and the mobile app TuneIn.
The Mountaineers will face either Florida State or Temple in the championship game on Friday.
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