Illini fans should expect another roller-coaster season

When Illinois opens the 2014-15 season with a Nov. 14 home game against Georgia Southern, it'll be time to click the seatbelts back on.

From this vantage point, another up-and-down season is on the way.

"We're older, so we're much farther along than we would be normally," said coach John Groce, who is entering his third season with the Fighting Illini. "That's a good thing. Certainly, it doesn't guarantee anything. But our expectations are the same, and that's to reach our potential and cap out. I thought we did that the first two years. Will we do that this year? We'll see.

"You still have to be tough, you still have to be together, you still have to sacrifice, you still have to execute, you still have to have a great attitude and bring big-time effort every day.

"I think we're capable of doing that. Will we do it? That falls on me and that falls on the other guys who are in leadership positions."

As Groce mentioned, Illinois is an older group this year, headed by seniors Rayvonte Rice and Nnanna Egwu.

But losing another senior - point guard Tracy Abrams - for the season with a knee injury is a big blow and could keep the Illini out of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.

Last year, Illinois stormed out to an 11-2 nonconference record and beat ranked opponents Michigan State and Iowa in Big Ten play.

But 8 straight conference losses took a big toll, and the Illini had to settle for an NIT invite after going 20-15 (7-11 in the Big Ten).

This year the media picked Illinois to finish eighth in the conference, which expands to 14 teams with the additions of Maryland and Rutgers.

"With Tracy going down, obviously that's a big loss for us," Rice said. "It's a tough conference, but we feel like we have a good team and we'll be ready to go out and compete every game."

Rice is the Illini's leading returning scorer after averaging 15.9 points per game last year.

Transfers Ahmad Starks (Oregon State) and Aaron Cosby (Seton Hall) are proven 3-point scorers that should add some needed punch to an offense that ranked second to last in the Big Ten at 64.2 ppg in 2013-14.

"I expect us to be better offensively," said Starks, a Whitney Young High School product who averaged 10.2 ppg in his three seasons at Oregon State. "It's something we talk about every day and work hard on at practice."

Up front, Egwu has to up last year's scoring average (6.9) to keep opposing defenses off Illinois' backcourt.

Look for a big year from sophomore Kendrick Nunn, who started the last 12 games in 2013-14 and averaged 10.3 ppg.

Freshman forward Leron Black, a top-50 recruit from Memphis, should immediately contribute.

"If you asked all of our players right now, they would love the opportunity to be in the NCAA Tournament," Groce said. "I think they understand that being in that tournament is a privilege. It's not an easy thing to do, but they love challenges. We love challenges, and we attack those things fearlessly, and I'm sure that this team will do the same."

Illini at a glance

Last season's record: 20-15 (7-11 in the Big Ten)

Head coach: John Groce (43-28, 15-21 in two seasons)

Top returnees: Senior G Rayvonte Rice (15.9 points per game last year); senior C/F Nnanna Egwu (6.9 ppg, 6.0 rebounds per game); sophomore G/F Kendrick Nunn (6.2 ppg)

Key losses: Senior G Tracy Abrams (knee injury); G Joseph Bertrand (graduated)

Local ties: Junior G Mike LaTulip (Prospect H.S.)

First game: Nov. 14 vs. Georgia Southern at State Farm Center