Groce: Illini trouble comes down to shooting

Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois basketball coach John Groce says analyzing what’s gone wrong since his team’s 12-0 start isn’t complex or difficult.

Groce on Wednesday said his team has stopped making shots.

The Illini (15-6, 2-5 Big Ten) have just plain gone cold since that hot, shot-driven start.

Groce says his team is doing many things well. And he thinks his players took good shots Sunday in a 74-60 loss to now-No. 1 Michigan. But the Illini hit just 37 percent of their shots.

And Groce says poor shooting magnifies other problems the team might otherwise be able to overcome.

A brutal stretch for the Illini continues Thursday at No. 13 Michigan State. That’s followed by games against Wisconsin, No. 3 Indiana and No. 23 Minnesota.