Dec. 02--The fact Illinois is undefeated and coach John Groce saw room for improvement in all six victories is a good sign, he said.
"I still don't think we've played a complete 40-minute game yet, which is encouraging," he said Monday on a teleconference.
The No. 24 Illini are traveling across the country to try to put all the pieces together Tuesday night at Miami in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. They're fresh off winning the Las Vegas Invitational, in which they defeated Indiana State and handed Baylor its first loss.
"Every time we practice and every time we play, we expect to take a step forward," Groce said.
It would be an impressive stride to beat the No. 15 Hurricanes (7-0). Groce noted Miami's stellar perimeter play and compared its offense to Michigan's from last season. The Hurricanes shoot 50.4 percent from the field, including 45.7 percent on 3-pointers.
Guard Sheldon McClellan leads the team with 16.7 points per game and is shooting 60.3 percent. Angel Rodriguez connects on 48.6 percent of 3-pointers and Manu Lecomte 51.4 percent.
"They're terrific offensively," Groce said. "They execute well. Their spacing is tremendous. Guys understand their roles."
Of course, the same could be said about the Illini, led by guard Rayvonte Rice's 17.8 points per game. Rice and Malcolm Hill led the way in Las Vegas, averaging a combined 36 points.
The Illini shoot 43.4 percent on 3-pointers, averaging nearly 10 per game.
Groce said he's more concerned about jet lag than jump shots. The team played in Las Vegas on Thursday and Friday and left for Miami on Monday night.
"That's way more important than the X's and O's," he said. "That's a big thing that gets underrated, especially when you're playing three games away in different time zones."
The Illini last met Miami in a Round of 32 game in the 2013 NCAA tournament, falling 63-59 in a down-to-the wire match with some controversial calls down the stretch. Groce warned that game shouldn't be a motivation, especially considering center Nnanna Egwu and reserve Mike LaTulip are the only current players who competed in that game.
While a national platform and a chance for revenge await, Groce said he's emphasizing that the team keep its feelings in check.
"We want to be in center field," he said. "There's a difference between emotion and emotional."
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