Illini 5-5 heading into game with UIC
Judging where Illinois is as a program under coach John Groce four years in is a complicated matter.
From a pure wins-losses, Big Ten standings, and NCAA tournament standpoint, the Illini aren't where their fan base would like. He followed up a solid first season, which included an NCAA tournament appearance in 2013, after replacing Bruce Weber with consecutive NIT appearances. The Illini have gone 24-30 in the Big Ten and haven't been better than .500 in his first three seasons.
This season has already been a roller coaster. They lost at home to North Florida and Chattanooga and pulled off a late comeback to escape with a win against Chicago State. They also were competitive with Iowa State, Notre Dame and Providence. They're 5-5 heading into Saturday's game with UIC at the United Center.
Illinois is as banged up as any team in the country. They haven't played consecutive games with the same available roster.
Senior point guard Tracy Abrams, who has started 86 career college games, was expected to return to the lineup this season after missing last season with a torn ACL in his right knee, but he tore a left Achilles tendon in the preseason and was ruled out for the 2015-16 season. He is expected to be granted a sixth season by the NCAA.
Sophomore forward Leron Black underwent knee surgery in October and has been slowly working himself back. He's played in seven of the 10 games this season, but missed the last game and will likely sit out against UIC because of continued pain and swelling.
The Illini's latest injury was to center Mike Thorne Jr., a fifth-year transfer from Charlotte who recently had surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He started Illinois' first seven games and averaged 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds. He could return late in the season.
Illinois also had guards Kendrick Nunn, Jaylon Tate and Jalen Coleman-Lands endure offseason injuries. All three players are healthy now. Nunn, who missed five games, has been the brightest spot for Illinois the last week with 55 points in wins over Western Carolina and Yale.
So given the injuries, what is a fair assessment of Illinois?
"I don't know," ESPN basketball analyst Dan Dakich said Friday. "I honestly don't know. What you have to look at - is the team still competing? Is there an issue with body language? Is the team element fractured at all? What are you seeing in recruiting? Those are the things that create momentum in a program.
"If you start seeing guys quitting, disobeying their coach, waving guys off, then you got a problem, then you have to talk. What I've seen is that's not close to happening. It's a battling team."
Adding to the situation is the uncertainty of its athletic department. Mike Thomas was fired as athletic director in November, and a search for his replacement is ongoing.
"With Illinois, you almost look at it, when it rains it pours," Dakich said. "You got injuries in basketball. You got [Tim] Beckman's stuff. You got the AD's whole stuff."
As trying as this season has been for Illinois, Dakich and Big Ten Network analyst Howard Moore thought it wasn't unrealistic for the Illini to still get on track and make an NCAA tournament push in what could largely be an open conference. Michigan State, Maryland and Purdue are the only teams currently ranked in the Big Ten in The Associated Press poll.
"Who's to say it can't be done this year?" Moore said. "There's so much basketball to be played. There's weapons on that team. They just need to gel."
Within the program, Groce, who has a contract through the 2018-19 season, and all his staff remain optimistic for the future, according to a source.
"We can't control who they're going to hire (as athletic director)," the source said. "We can control what we can control. We keep moving forward. We keep with our game plan."